My first covered hat

It's true, I'm running a bit behind with my winter wardrobe sewing - I was hoping to have a finished Laurel top to show you by now, but I'm still working on some fitting issues with the toile. Something I have finished making this week though is my first covered hat, created for an assignment in my millinery class. 

The frame of the hat was made from paris net and 20/20 canvas (sometimes also called buckram) stretched and shaped over a hat block, and then trimmed to the appropriate depth. I then stitched a piece of rayon covered millinery wire around the base of the frame to help maintain the shape. The photo above shows part of the basic frame and you may also be able to see the wire stitched around the bottom of it. On top is a piece of pellon which provides a little padding and softness to the hat. 

In this photo you can see the completed hat base, fully covered with pellon. I then covered the hat with a fine black lace interlined with purple silk shantung, and added a lining, hat elastic and petersham ribbon to the inside. Although the hand stitching was pretty time consuming, I also found it quite relaxing and I really enjoyed seeing the hat coming together. I'm not sure that the finished hat is something I'll wear too often, but I'm really happy with how it turned out.