"Wintertime Millinery" (Fashion Service, Winter 1925-26)

 In the 1920s, no smart outfit was complete without a hat.    The winter 1925-26 issue of Fashion Service had one for its readers to make.

Early predictions of more elaborate millinery for winter wear are being borne out in every detail of fabric and trimming.  Winter hats are large, graceful, well-trimmed, and decidedly ornate with the glitter of jewels and of gold, copper, and silver brocade.

Designed to complete a smart afternoon or dress-up costume, the model shown in side view on this page and in front view on the next page stresses these new features.  The brim, with its side slashes permitting the wreath of flowers to continue through to the under facing, shows a tendency to assume the task of trimming as well as to balance the flared skirt of the present mode.

The slashed-brim effect, introduced this season, does not mean just cutting a slash in a regulation brim; rather, the brim is made in sections and the slashes are fitted together, thereby making a pliable and substantial fabric brim, such as shown here.

Developing the Brim Pattern.—To develop the pattern of this two-section brim, lay a piece of tissue paper over Fig. 1; which is one-half of the back pattern, and trace the outline; then trace the outline of Fig. 2, or one half of the front section.  After obtaining a perfect outline of these two figures, marking and lettering them as indicated, cut around the outline.

For the back-section pattern, fold a large sheet of tissue paper and lay Fig. 1 with the end ab, or center back, on the fold of the paper, and pin secure; then cut along the line bc, or the outer edge, and the curved line cde, or the side slash.  Trace the curve ae for the inside headline size.  Next, continue line ab and curve cde by 3/4 inch and indicate a new line everywhere 3/4 inch from line ae, to allow for tabs around the head-size band.  A pattern of one half the brim or the back section, will then appear as in Fig. 3.

For the front-section pattern, pin Fig. 2 with the line ab on the fold of the paper, cut along the lines bc and cde, and trace curve ae; then allow the 3/4 inch margin beyond the line ae as for the back section, and the pattern of the front section appears as in Fig. 4.

Lay the patterns on a piece of netine with the lines ab on the straight of the material and cut around the outer edges.  Then slash the tabs to the head-size line.  Before joining these two sections together, bind the edge of the side slashes, as at cde on both sections, with a bias of crinoline.  Then lap these sections, as shown at a, Fig. 5, making the lap 1/2-inch wide, and pin secure.  Next, attach the edge wire, as shown at b.  Also, apply a ribbon-wire head-size band.

Making the Hat.—To cover the brim, lay the pattern on the fabric as directed for the frame and cut, allowing 3/4 inch around the outer edge and sides for turning over the edges.  Lay the cut fabric over the front section of the top brim, stitch secure around the head-size, and then turn it over the outer edge.  At the joining on the sides, make a tiny slash in the material just inside the edge and work it neatly over the wire and over the edge of the slash.  Cover the back section in the same way, but at the side slash turn the material over the edge for a finish, as at a, Fig. 6.

Before attaching the under facing, apply the maline transparent extension flange around the outer edge.  To make this flange, double 1¼ yards of maline over a 46-inch steel wire.  Run a shirr string along the raw edges, draw it up tight, and steam to remove all the fulness.  When thoroughly dry, cut the string, remove the wire, and lay the maline circle over the under facing, allowing it to extend out about 1 inch. Pin as at a, Fig. 7, lapping it at the back, as at b.  Stitch it around the edge, as at c, and cut away the inner portion of the maline as at d.  Then attach the under facing as directed for the top, finishing the outer edge with a cord and slip-stitching the edge of the slashes.

The oval crown is covered plain by drawing all the fulness out on the diagonal points and stitching it around the base.  Cut four pointed scallops wide enough to fit the base and extend to the top of the side crown, outline them with a loose-edge cable cord, and apply them to the finished hat on this page.

A velvet-covered cable cord finishes the base of the crown, and a wreath of metal flowers with ribbon centers extends across the front and through the slashes on the sides, ending on the under brim.  The limpness of this brim permits it to be shaped or adjusted to suit the individual style of the wearer.  Some desire an easy roll at the left side, while others prefer the brim to droop down on both sides.

(I scanned these diagrams at a fairly high resolution, so if anyone wants to attempt this pattern it should be possible to print them out and make use of them.  Maline is a fine stiff net with a hexagonal mesh, usually made of rayon or silk.  For those only used to the metric system, an inch is equal to 2.54 centimetres, so 3/4-inch is 1.905 centimetres long.)