Flat caps and decoration

[Rowan MacD]

  I have a bark blue velveteen flat cap made Fyne Hats by Felicity, and am delighted with the shape and how it fits.  I will be wearing it with a Caul decorated with 5mm pearls and cobalt 5mm prism beads on a layer of gold net over dark blue cotton (to hide my newly short hair)
  The cap is now in need of decoration:  Pearls? jewels? gold? Top of the brim? Bottom? feathers (if so what type/color and where do you put them and How to attach?  How much is too much!
  Advice please!

[operafantomet]

What about two feathers attached under a brooch, similar to this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/details/hats/abbatecastello1550s.jpg

You can wear a hairnet or similar underneath, hiding your short hair. It will also give you something to fasten the tilted hat to. As for how to attach it, I'm not quite sure. The best option might be to use a glue gun and glue everything to a stiff piece dressed in fabric. The fabric allows you to sew it to the cap without damaging it. You can also later remove the decorations.

[Lord Clisto of York]

I have a very nice black/brown velvet one by Felicity as well that I am selling. I only wore it 2 times before I got a large one with a new outfit to match. It is like new an if anyone is interested it is only 25.00 + shipping. I paid 45.

Lord Clisto

[Rowan MacD]

You can wear a hairnet or similar underneath, hiding your short hair. It will also give you something to fasten the tilted hat to. As for how to attach it, I'm not quite sure. The best option might be to use a glue gun and glue everything to a stiff piece dressed in fabric. The fabric allows you to sew it to the cap without damaging it. You can also later remove the decorations.

Excellent idea for the jewels! I wanted to add them but didn't want to glue them directly to the fabric in case I decided to change colors.  metal settings are a little heavy and caused the brim to flop.   The portrait shows the hat itself is trimmed with pearls on the edge?  Also, it looks to have some details on the crown itself...And I like the short ostrich feathers.
  I will be wearing a Caul to pin the hat to. It's a dark blue cloth bag with net over it(though I'd use just a net if my hair was longer) this way I can fluff out the Caul with filler if needed to give the illusion of bulk.

[Rowan MacD]

I have a very nice black/brown velvet one by Felicity as well that I am selling. I only wore it 2 times before I got a large one with a new outfit to match. It is like new an if anyone is interested it is only 25.00 + shipping. I paid 45.
Lord Clisto

Nice deal! My Lord and I purchased ours last year for $45.00 ea.  There are none out there cheaper, I can guarantee you, not for that quality.
 Likely Lotus had them too, for the same price as Felicity, so we decided to give her our business and she made our hats to order.

[operafantomet]

 Excellent idea for the jewels! I wanted to add them but didn't want to glue them directly to the fabric in case I decided to change colors.  metal settings are a little heavy and caused the brim to flop.   The portrait shows the hat itself is trimmed with pearls on the edge?  Also, it looks to have some details on the crown itself...And I like the short ostrich feathers.
  I will be wearing a Caul to pin the hat to. It's a dark blue cloth bag with net over it (though I'd use just a net if my hair was longer) this way I can fluff out the Caul with filler if needed to give the illusion of bulk.

I wouldn't want to ruin a perfectly good hat either! So making a separate piece to attach sounded like a better solution. And I agree about the caul, it will give the right silhouette and impression.

I can't quite make out how that first hat is decorated other than the brooch and the feather. But this one, by the same artist, shows details of the decorations better. Very neat!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/bologne/abbatepossibly1565-75bol.jpg

[Rowan MacD]

I can't quite make out how that first hat is decorated other than the brooch and the feather. But this one, by the same artist, shows details of the decorations better. Very neat!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/bologne/abbatepossibly1565-75bol.jpg

This is great.  I wish I could see the top of the hat, since it looks as if the feather is attached there instead of on the brim.
  So far I have 5mm pearls strung around the base of the crown at the seam where the crown meets the brim, and knots of 3 6mm pearls spaced around at 4" intervals on top the brim itself; the edges of the brim have no decoration.
  Looking at this portrait,  I might take off the string of pearls (pre-strung on jewelers wire then tacked on every 3" or so) and redo it with single colored beads every 10-15 pearls to match the Caul or I might use tiny little 5 petaled gold flower beads....

[Syrilla]

It is unusual to see the feathers "on top" of the hat.  It could be that they are very long and coming from the other side?

[Rowan MacD]

It is unusual to see the feathers "on top" of the hat.  It could be that they are very long and coming from the other side?

True, but most of the portraits show the feathers either coming off the same side of the hat that they are attached to or curling around the crown a bit. This is unusual, but may be just the style that this lady affected ^_^

[amy]

Here is my black velvet flat cap.   I did stitch my decorations right on so they won't be changable, but it is so much more interesting with some texture.  It is just a pattern of gold ribbon and pearls, and I wear it with a black velvet caul.   You can't see the feather but it is white and curls up over and is attached by a pin.  The edge of the brim supports the weight with a floral wire run into the edge.

[Rowan MacD]

  That is sweet! I can show my husband the pic, and he can see that plain isn't the only way to go.
  We are sitting her watching the Tudors on DVD and arguing about the hats (and Jewelry, and dresses) and those WTF head-dresses on the women.
Who thinks these up? The costume designer for Flash Gordon?

[gem]

I can't quite make out how that first hat is decorated other than the brooch and the feather. But this one, by the same artist, shows details of the decorations better. Very neat!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/operafantomet/renaissanceportraits/bologne/abbatepossibly1565-75bol.jpg

Anea, that's a smashing portrait! You should add that to the pink portraits thread!
Are those beads coming off of the caul over her hair? It's hard to make out, but it seemed the most logical theory.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

I know Donna, of Fyne Hats by Felicity, personally! She is a good business woman with a very fyne product. She inspires me and vice versa with new ideas for hats. We keep in touch when we are able. When she has seen me in a new hat I have done, she asks me if she can copy it and compliments me on my creativity.

So when you get a hat made by Donna, you are getting a well made work of art.

[Rowan MacD]

I know Donna, of Fyne Hats by Felicity, personally! She is a good business woman with a very fyne product. She inspires me and vice versa with new ideas for hats. We keep in touch when we are able. When she has seen me in a new hat I have done, she asks me if she can copy it and compliments me on my creativity.
So when you get a hat made by Donna, you are getting a well made work of art.

Amen!
   The Likely Lotus hats (which are also hand made by the owners) are fine, but with Donna you get that 'hand finished' touch for the same price, and she will adjust the hatband for you on the spot too ^_^. 
  My husband also had his Tam custom made by her, since he is allergic to wool.
   She found a safe look alike and added a buckram stiffener for his clan badge at no extra charge. He loves that hat. 

[Rosamundi]

Thank you so much for the "hat with caul" suggestions and photos! It's so great to have alternatives for my pixie cut. (Although a friend, who has an even shorter pixie cut, once suggested claiming that we'd been shorn for lice.)