Sunday June 14th 10am-5pm with a hour for lunch

Sinamay is a beautiful and versatile light weight straw from the Philippines. In this class you will learn to block and finish a simple fascinator base and sculpt sinamay flowers, feathers and other elements, combine colors and arrange your design elements to make a beautiful airy fascinator.

All materials provided in a lovely array of colors. End the class with a unique finished piece to add to your wardrobe or for the Kentucky Derby.

Saturday October 17th 9am-12pm and Sunday October 18th 10-5pm with a break for lunch.

Cloche hats came into fashion during the 1920’s. They were usually made out of felt and were designed to be worn low on the forehead. Their bell-like shape closely hugs the head, making it a cozy and stylish hat to wear during the cold winter months.

Tierre Taylor is most known for her incredibly beautiful couture cloches, in this 2 day workshop she will share the draping secrets along with the trim detailing that makes her work so unique. In this workshop you will learn how to create a unique cloche shape by draping a felt hood on a balsa utility block. Once the shape of the hat has been created, learn how to stabilize the head size by adding a sweatband to the inside of the hat, and how reinforce the overall shape of the hat by adding millinery wire to the cut edge. Finishing details include, covering the wire with a grosgrain edge and adding decorative trim to highlight the beautiful lines of your chapeau.

All Materials included, hand sewing skills required.

Feel free to bring any decorative elements that you might want to include in the finish of your hat.

Monday October 19th 10-5pm with a break for lunch

Felting is a magical process where layers of merino wool are agitated with hot soapy water, in order to create a fabric that is both strong and texturally interesting.

During this workshop you will not only learn about the process of felting, but will gain understanding on how to create a seamless sculptural form that lends itself to making hats, bags, and vessels. Each person will have a fully felted, blocked hat finished by the end of the class.

All Materials included, no skills necessary

Sunday October 25th 10-5pm with a break for lunch

In the depression a serious lack of funds and materials gave rise to some incredibly innovative millinery. In this workshop Tierre Taylor will take you though some effective techniques to make dramatic cocktail hats from off cuts or old hats. An adventure in sustainable fashion.

During this workshop you will not only learn about the process of draping with unusually shaped felt, but will gain understanding of use of line and trim how to create a stunning sculptural headpiece. Each person will have a lovely little percher (or 2) finished by the end of the class and a whole set of tricks in their pocket.

All Materials included but feel free to bring favorite scraps or unloved felt hats to work on, no skills necessary

Monday, October 26th 4.30-7.30pm

Needle felting is a dry felting technique that uses a specific barbed needle to felt the wool. This way of felting best lends itself to adding decorative details to an already created piece of felt, or wool garment. It can also be used to create sculptural forms.

In this class we will be needle felting decorative details onto previously made wet felted hats. It is literally painting with wool!

Best taken in conjunction with the wet felting class - but can be taken alone if you bring a felt piece to needle felt into.

Materials included, no skills necessary