Question about Hats!

[LadySeasan]

Hello lovelies!

I have a question about hats.  As you can see in the Finished Projects thread, I made a pretty girly pirate hat, I absolutely love it! Now that I am done with that hat, I want to attempt to make an Elizabethan Tall Hat to go with my yet to be made Elizabethan gown (yes, I am a procrastinator).  Now I have found some very good resources in regards to make the hat from scratch:

http://www.renaissancetailor.com/demos_elizabethanhats.htm
http://www.directcon.net/wander/accessor.htm

This is where I need your help! Please share your links that you have for making tall hats. Also, if you are like me, and tend to take shortcuts, do any of you know where I can get a plain "base" to start the hat with? I've searched google, ebay etc, and found inexpensive top hats, but im afraid the hats look a bit too tall and wide to look like an Elizabethan tall hat. So any ideas will greatly be appreciated!

[gem]

You might check out the previous threads on tall hats:

http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/index.php?topic=10368.0
http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/index.php?topic=10791.0

[LadySeasan]

Thanks Gem,

I am trying to avoid building a hat from scratch, but if I have to I will. I've been trying to search hat blanks or unfinished hats, but am coming up unsuccessful

[LadySeasan]

what i think im going to do is buy a felt pilgrim hat, cut the top of the crown down a bit since they are taller than an elizabethan tall hat, then put everything back together, add the fabric and bam!

[Lady Rebecca]

Where are you located? There was a vendor at BARF who sells tall hat blanks. I bought one from her, as well as a few feathers, and tada! I have a tall hat. The company that actually made the hat in the first place is Jhats, if that helps.

[LadySeasan]

I'm in Delaware.

I've been searching online for tall hat blanks, no luck thus far.  There are hat blanks for all types of hats, but not the one I am looking for, it is a conspiracy.

Does the vendor have a website Lady Rebecca?

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

Lady Season!!

All the hats I make for clients  that go with their ensembles are made from scratch. I have posted numerous photos of the hats I have done.


My Victorian Bell Topper from Lynn McMasters Mad Hatter pattern


My husband's Arched Tall Hat I made him last Labor Day weekend.


Using the TITANIC hat pattern, I fashioned this Cavalier styled hat for myself.


I have purchased many hat patterns from Lynn McMasters. In fact, I made a hat today for TokiBloodaxe that will go with his new Spanish ensemble I just finished. I will post a photo of that in the finished Thread later on Monday.

Making hats take time. There is a lot of handsewing involved. I order my heavy duty Buckram from Judith M Millinery Supplies on the net as well as Millinery wire. Using Lynn McMaster's Hat patterns, the instructions are easy to follow. The more I make hats, the easier they are to do. Toki's new King James Styled hat took me 5 1/2 hours from start to finish.

[Lady Rebecca]

To be honest, I don't even remember her name, just her location in the faire. I know Jhats has a website, but it's a wholesale hat website. I think that really, it's just a 5" tall felt top hat with wire in the brim (so you can bend it to the right shape). But it works!