Greetings!
The season is changing here, days are getting longer and temperatures are warming up. It is time to put away the cold weather hats and bring out of storage the warm season headwear. Pictured along the right side of this letter are hats from the spring lines of some of our customers. Clicking on any of the photos will take you to their websites. There will be other styles showing on their websites as well as contact information. Enjoy browsing and selecting your new Spring Bonnet!
We are proudly welcoming a new department at judithm.com called HatHelp Line. It is an extension of our customer service and something I have wanted to do for a long time. We see the forum as being a practical means of exchanging information. Use it to ask questions or, offer your own solutions to sticky problems. The focus will be on hats, hatmaking and hatmakers. We hope you will drop by and add your comments.
all the best to you,
judith
Note: The feature articles have links which allow you, the reader,
to click and be taken to pages giving more detail on the subjects.
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WORKSHOP
Horsehair (Crin) Hat & Trims |
The first of May starts a 2-day session of working with horsehair (crin). Students will be making this lovely petal brim hat (color choice available) and many wonderful trims using horsehair yardage. Crin, or horsehair (these words are interchangeable) can be difficult to work with but the results are pleasing .
We have had requests for such a course for many years and are finally able to offer it to you. We expect the class to fill quickly and encourage you to register soon. Horsehair Workshop |
Launching our New Online Forum |
We are excited to announce a 24/7 help line as part of our customer service. This is our Help Line for all things hatty, on the order of the
old time phone service one could call night and day for help answers.
This forum will operate in a simple question and answer structure. We are novices at forums and have set this one up in a "no frills" format.
If you
have questions about a specific hat project or a general question that
isn't answered in our regular Frequently Asked Questions section, ask
it here. Our staff will try to provide answers for you. You are also
welcome to add your comments to any ongoing discussion. The goal is to
assist readers and provide a place for round-table discussion and
education on hat related topics.
Topics can be read without
creating an account. But if you want to comment or ask a question you
will need to become a member. Click on the "Sign In" area at upper
right of window and then click on the "Apply for Membership" button
found just below the sign in boxes in the Forum. You will be asked for your email
address and a user name and password. Membership is free.
You
are welcome to suggest topics for category subjects and any other hints
that will make this a useful tool for readers. We are very new to this
type of format and will make mistakes. Please tell us when something is
not working.
HatHelp Line In the meantime, let's begin the dance!
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My Account Reminder
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Sometimes we forget about information that is at our fingertips so this is a reminder about the Personal Account info you can access on our website. From any of the Shopping pages, the "My Account" option is shown in the middle of the heading bar. Click on that, and login if you are not already logged in,
You will be able to view your order history and make changes to your billing or shipping information or change your password. (I will mention here that when viewing a previous order, an item line may appear blank. This is because that item is no longer being carried and it had been removed from our website store.) |
| HatHelp! or Tricks of the Trade
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Having trouble getting a hat to fit?
If
you are wanting to make a hat fit several head sizes, give it an
adjustable sweatband. It is a simple and fairly inexpensive adjustable band. Make it using a petersham ribbon in #9 or #16 width. Fold over 1/3 width and sew along that edge creating a casing.
Then run a narrow ribbon or elastic through the casing. This
allows the wearer to tie the band for a snugger fit.
Below are instructions. You will need #9 or
#16 millinery belting (petersham) and a narrow ribbon, rayon seam
binding or elastic for the tie.
1. cut a 23-24 inch piece of belting,
fold over 3/4-inch and stitch along open edge to form a casing
2. cut a longer piece of narrow ribbon, allowing for ties (approximately 1 yd) and
pull through the casing. You now have an adjustable
sweatband to sew into the hat.
3. stitch single edge into hat
(not folded casing edge) pull and tie off to fit as needed
It
takes more time up front, but especially if one is doing shows or
marketing to the masses it can be difficult to sell a hat when it is for one headsize and the customer's headsize is another.
There are
also a variety of quick fixes to insert behind the headband that can
be purchased most anywhere such as the adhesive-backed velcro, or
felt weather-stripping. We carry types that are made for millinery use, the adhesive
backed foam, a nylon covered foam strips and felt strips.
The "HatHelp" column will
focus on a different millinery item or technique each issue and provide
information on hints and how-to's relating to that issue's topic.
Previous articles have dealt with hat veiling, stiffeners and sizing
and working with wire. You may read our previous e-Newsletters in the
Archive on the website. Newsletter Archive
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Thank you for reading our newsletter and for your interest in or love of hats. We delight in hearing what hats you are making or wearing and hope you will keep in touch.
To paraphrase Monty Python, "The problem with
the world today,
There aren't enough people wearing hats." |
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