Just Released - a brand new pattern PDF download in my Etsy shop: Swing Time Tilt Hat.
Now vintage hat fans can save money and make their own fabulous WWII era hats! Patterned after real vintage 1940s hats and inspired by vintage patterns for a period correct look.
Read more about it and buy the pattern here for $4.
Recently at my favorite antique mall I picked up a rather battered black straw hat for a few dollars. It had a few flaws—tiny holes in the straw and some miniscule tears in the otherwise very nice veil. But it badly needed reshaped! It looked worse in real life than in the photo. Because of the fragility of the straw as well as the shape, I'm guessing it's 1930s or early '40s.
Depending on the style of the hat, vintage hats can be very different to reshape. Some just need the crown misted with water and put over a bowl to dry. I've reshaped a 1950s saucer hat before by dampening it, turning it upside down, and filling it with marbles to “iron out” the top. This one, being broad-brimmed, took more effort.
What you need:
spray bottle
some sort of form to shape the hat (I used a lampshade padded with fabric)
clothespins
plastic bags
dowels cut the right length to span the underside of the brim
weights if needed
1. The first part is easy. Mist the crown with water inside and out, place snugly over the mold, and let it dry. Be careful what you use for a mold, however, since old dyes can bleed sometimes when wet.
This hat's under-band was all crushed, so I clipped clothespins to it to help smooth it out.
2. Once the crown is dry, the more challenging part begins. First you need to determine how the hat is to be shaped. Sometimes it's almost impossible to guess at the original shape. For this hat, one side curved up and out smoothly, so I decided the rest of it needed to do the same. So, leaving the fabric in the crown to keep it from being crushed as the rest of it dries, I wedged the dowels cross-ways into the underside of the hat's brim and misted it well on both sides with water.
I was lucky that the hat curves like it does and I can wedge the dowels; and also the hem of the straw helps to hold them. But if you need extra security, clip a clothespin onto the edge so the dowel can wedge on that. If you are concerned that the dowels will make poke marks into the straw, pad the tips with some felt or something similar.
3. Now start tucking balled-up plastic bags under the dowels to plump out the crushed places.
4. As you can see, it still looked wrinkled since the plastic bags weren't weighty enough.
So, to the rescue comes something heavier. You can use anything you have handy that will work – being the good country girl I am, I used shotgun shells. :-)
You have to be careful with the weights, since if they press a crease or lump into the brim, it will dry that way. Make sure any sharp edges of the weights are padded with the plastic bags between it and the brim.
The completed mold:
See how much smoother it is?
5. Mist it thoroughly again on the outside of the brim, since it would have started drying while you worked with it. The next step is to let it dry completely. Because the crown was padded and wouldn't crush, I let the hat rest upside down on a flat surface. Because one side is more weighted than the other with the shotgun shells, I propped it up (careful not to create creases).
Let it dry completely, checking occasionally to make sure the weights haven't shifted and there aren't any lumps. You can put a fan on it to make it dry quickly. A loosely woven straw like this will dry in an hour or two with a fan on it.
Then fix the veil or whatever is needed for the finish. I had some loose netting ends so I pinned them back with a light-weight brooch. The finished product!
This particular hat I like a lot since it is a classic lightweight summer shape to shade the face, fits my head nicely, and can sit either on the top or back of the head. Plus it's perfect for personalizing by pinning on my own spray of vintage millinery flowers to match different outfits, if I wish.
See you next month!
~Kristen – Verity Vintage Studio
Look for my new tutorials posted sometime during the first full week of every month. Hairstyles, crafts, repurposing, etc.
I really like the look popular in the 1930s and early '40s with shorter, curled hair. But for those of us who have longer hair for other types of hairstyles and don't want to cut it, here is a mock-up 1930s style.
My hair is just past my shoulder blades. I don't know if this would work for hair longer than that. Let me know if you try it!
You will need:
lots of bobby pins that match your hair
hand mirror
hairspray
2 small barrettes (optional)
Preparation
Brush hair, dampen with a spraybottle if needed. Hair should not be really wet--you may need to experiement to find the best wetness. If it is too dry the bobby pins tend to slide out; if too wet it won't lay nicely. I like to do mine after it's been washed and is mostly dry. It's important too that your hair is not too slippery, so if you are preparing to do this hairstyle it might be best not to use conditioner the last time you wash your hair.
(Don't mind the clip - I just put it in to make sure the hair on the top of my head lays the right way.)
Hairstyle
1. Part hair in the middle on the back of your neck. You will work with one side first, then the other.
2. I always start on the right side. At the nape of the neck take about a 1 in. section of hair on the right side.
3. Slide your left hand up close to your head, and with your right hand wrap the section around your left hand's fingers. I wrap in a clockwise motion - I don't think it really matters which way you wrap as long as each one goes the same way.
4. When wrapped, tuck the end between the fingers of your left hand that are now through the wrapped curl.
5. With the fingers of your left hand that are holding the end, pull the end in and turn the roll closer to your head as you remove your fingers. Keep ahold of the roll until you pin it, though.
6. Slip a bobby pin in on each end of the roll against your head. The roll needs to be tight against your head, so use more bobby pins if necessary. Usually I just need to use one per each end of the roll. Complete roll:
7. For the next roll, take the next section of hair toward your right ear.
8. Complete this roll like the last one. When you pin it, make sure it is snug against the first one.
9. Continue doing the 2nd roll up the right side of your head until all the hair is used up.
10. Now on the other side, do the same thing.
11. Again, tuck the finished roll close to the last one when you bobby-pin it.
12. Keep doing this roll up the left side of your head until the hair is used up. The rolls may make "ridges" up the back of your head - you can bobby-pin these ridges down when you're done for a more historically accurate look of smooth-top head and a U of curls.
13. Now to finish it, check it in the mirror and catch any stray ends with bobby pins, or smooth a curl that looks rough. It's fairly easy to hide bobby pins in this style. Mist it with hairspray if needed - I've found this style stays very well even in the wind. Just check it occasionally throughout the day to make sure there are no loose ends sticking up. As you can see below, I need a bobby pin in the top right corner yet.
Side view:
You can use a barrette above each ear if desired to cluster back the curls - also a 1930s look.
(I know, my bangs aren't period correct! You can pin them back if desired.)
After the Hairstyle
What I like best about this hairstyle is that it goes with so many styles of hats! From 1930s hats...
To 1940s hats..
And even 1950s!
There is an added benefit to this hairstyle, too - a sort of a bonus! If you do this in the morning, by night you will have the loveliest pin-curl ringlets when you take out the bobby pins. It's perfect for setting your hair all day in an attractive, retro hairstyle, then having ringlets or waves for an evening hairdo. I'll share after photos when I have time.
So long till next month!
~Kristen - Verity Vintage Studio
Look for my new tutorials posted sometime during the first full week of every month. Hairstyles, crafts, repurposing, etc.
