A Textbook of Model Millinery

Ethel R. E. Langridge

Description

This antique book contains a detailed guide to the designing and making of hats. This text was written for those who need a guide in technique when preparing for an examination, such as those of the City and Guilds of London Institute as well as for those interested in the trade as a whole. Covering most of the basic technique in an accessible and comprehensive fashion, this book is a great resource for beginners and students of the craft, and constitutes a great addition to any collection of millinery-based literature. Chapters contained herein include: Making a Hat; Equipment and Tools, Stitches, Sewing Cottons, and Wires; Esparterie Work, including Shape-Making; Materials, including the Grain of Material, Covering Materials, Draping Materials, Making Patterns, Sectional Works, Copying; Felt; Straw, including Braids, Pedal, Hoods; and many more. This text has been elected for modern republication due to its educational value and is proudly republished here with a new introduction to the subject.

Informations

• Publié par: Read Books Ltd.
• Date de parution: 22 mars 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781528763196
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

A Textbook of MODEL MILLINERY
by
ETHEL R. E. LANGRIDGE
Teacher in charge of the Millinery Department , Paddington Technical College, London
Copyright 2013 Read Books Ltd.
This book is copyright and may not be reproduced or copied in any way without the express permission of the publisher in writing
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Millinery
Whereas hatmaking is the manufacture of hats and headwear, millinery also encompasses the designing and manufacture of hats. A milliner s store, predictably, is a shop which sells those goods. Historically, milliners, typically female shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of garments for men, women, and children, including hats, shirts, cloaks, shifts, caps, neckerchiefs, and undergarments, and sold these garments in their millinery shop. More recently, the term has evolved to refer specifically to someone who designs and makes hats, usually primarily for a female clientele. The origin of the term is likely the Middle English milener , an inhabitant of Milan or one who deals in items from this Italian city, known for its fashion and clothing.
Many styles of headgear have been popular through history and worn for different functions and events. They can be part of uniforms or worn to indicate social status. Styles include the top hat, hats worn as part of military uniforms, cowboy hat, and cocktail hat. Perhaps the most recent popular incarnation is the fascinator; a style which uses feathers, stylish materials, beads, pearls and crystals - ranging from extravagant to petite for brides, weddings, christenings, ladies day at the horse races and many other glamorous occasions.
Notable Milliners include the German born Anna Ben-Yusuf (1845-1909), who wrote The Art of Millinery (1909), one of the first reference books on millinery technique. It was formatted as a series of lessons, each dealing with a particular aspect of constructing a hat, treating the fabric or creating different types of trimming. Ben-Yusuf also set up her own school of millinery, based in Boston and New York. On a more practical note, it also advised on correct storage, renovating fabrics, and the business side of millinery, and included a glossary of terms. Subsequently, milliners such as Lilly Dach have achieved notable success. This French designer made hats for many Hollywood films and movie stars, including Marlene Dietrich, Caroline Lombard and Loretta Young. Her major contributions to millinery were draped turbans, brimmed hats molded to the head, half hats, visored caps for war workers, coloured snoods, and romantic massed-flower shapes.
Today, designers such as Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones are at the forefront of the millinery profession. Jones especially is considered one of the world s most radical and important milliners, also one of the most prolific, having created hats for the catwalk shows of many leading couturiers and fashion designers, such as John Galliano at Dior and Vivienne Westwood. His work is known for its inventiveness and the high level of technical expertise with which he realises his ideas.
CONTENTS
Author s Note
Preface
Glossary of Terms Used
Chapter
I
Making a Hat
II
Equipment and Tools, Stitches, Sewing Cottons and Wires
III
Esparterie Work, including Shape-Making
IV
Materials, including the Grain of Material, Covering Materials, Draping Materials, Making Patterns, Sectional Work, Copying
V
Felt
VI
Straw, including Braids, Pedal, Hoods
VII
Trimmings, including Hat Pins, Ribbons, Bows, Head Finishes
VIII
The Hat in History-A Brief Survey
Knowledge without practice makes but half an artist
17 th Cent .
AUTHOR S NOTE
In compiling this book, I have had in mind those who need a guide in technique when preparing for an examination, such as those of the City and Guilds of London Institute as well as for those interested in the trade as a whole.
Whilst teaching others, one is always learning, and whatever a student of millinery may wish to become, he or she must cover the whole range of learning how to make the work of the designer become a practical, paying result.
Students may be fortunate in having both designing and practical ability, which means they can put their own creative ideas into practice and reproduce a perfect copy; they may be better copyists than original designers.
A good teacher will see the germ of ability whatever form it takes and bring out that special trend towards any particular branch of the trade.
I feel that I have covered most of the basic technique and hope it will help students to overcome the tedious difficulties of the trade. My thanks and appreciation go to the following:-
Ren e Pavy, for her encouragement through many years of our co-operative work between College and trade. The Hubbard Group Ltd. (Luton) for making it possible for me to acquire a fuller knowledge into the intricacies of the Felt Industry. George Meyers of Switzerland-for information on the Straw Industry. Paul Walser Ltd. and H. Rossiter for the loan of Block equipment for photographs. Gordon Hireson, 44, Gerrard Street, W.1, for all the photographs. Muriel Murray, A.R.C.A., for the technical interpretation of my drawings. For the final chapter on The Survey of Hats I have gleaned much information from a study of Mode in Hats by R. Turner Wilcox and suggest that students who wish to study this subject more intensely should read this book.
PREFACE
In introducing Ethel Langridge s textbook on millinery, I should like to congratulate her on having compiled, with such knowledge and skill, a most comprehensive guide to our fascinating profession. In it, the whole range of technical and practical knowledge, helped by excellent illustrations and photographs, is made easy and simple both for teacher and student. I know of no work comparable to this book and none more valuable-it should be called Millinery Without Tears !
It is said that designers are born and not made, but in order to create successfully fundamental knowledge must be acquired and here, in this encyclopaedic textbook, it can be found.
An outstanding teacher, Ethel Langridge has, with enthusiasm and great discernment and for many years, provided the trade with excellent workers-both men and women-amongst whom are many distinguished designers now working at home and overseas.
A Text Book of Model Millinery embodies the basic formulae and I thank her personally for this valuable contribution to making it more easy to enter into the mystery of our beautiful profession.
TERMS USED IN MILLENERY
break it in : to prepare material before blocking, by moulding it in the hand or shaping on a block similar to the line required.
the seeing eye or sight for line : to understand with clear vision what is required in creative work.
holding in : when shaping, not to stretch. For edges- very slightly tighten but not stretch (e.g. in a rolled edge).
taut : with no stretch-tight or firm.
the spring in wire; taking out the spring : this helps to control movement in wiring.
to plush : to flatten or mark, e.g., in velvet-to flatten the pile.
chic : artistic skill or dexterity.
the feel of it : to understand your materials.
make it alive : make attractive.
has body in it (materials): has substance-not flimsy.
setting : in steam or on an electric heater to maintain a clear finish in the head fitting.
X way or bias : correct cross grain in cutting or placing.
B=back; F=front: L.S.B. left side back.
L.S.F. left side front.
R.S.B. right side back.
R.S.F. right side front.
esparterie : abbreviation spartre.
tabbing : the reinforcing of a spartre block by tabs of spartre sewn together.
skinning : a special method of joining spartre.
CHAPTER I
MAKING A HAT
Millinery is far from being the simple occupation that many people imagine. In pre-war days, the apprenticeship in model millinery was at least three years. During the first year, the young apprentice made herself generally useful picking up pins, tidying the workroom and running errands. During this period she learned to make head-linings and put them in the finished hats.
In the next year, she became an improver graduating to more skilled work. She made and covered simple esparterie shapes and put on trimmings. In her third year she was a junior assistant . A keen and observant girl managed to learn a great deal these three years, both from what she was taught to do and by watching the others in the workroom.
There is no short cut to becoming an efficient milliner. Nowadays, schools and colleges provide vocational courses of a shorter duration than the old apprenticeship, but the syllabus is very full and the trained student must realise that she has still much to learn in the workroom.
It is impossible to describe briefly the process of making a hat , there are so many methods, each applicable to a particular shape or material, but the basic stages dealt with in this book are as follows:-

Firstly, the making of a good foundation;
Secondly, the choice of a suitable material;
Thirdly, the correct stitches to be used when making up and applicable to the material chosen;
Fourthly, the making of trimmings.
Never cover up mistakes with a trimming. No amount of camouflage can disguise a hat that has gone wrong-scrap it and start again.
A milliner needs patience; she can then enjoy the processes involved in creating a hat.
Hat making in the mass-productive industry is an entirely different procedure. Heav