Texas Millinery Class--Parisisal, Sinamay, Braid

This past weekend I taught a class entitled Sensational Straw: 3 Millinery Techniques, in San Antonio, Texas. The class was held at the Southwest School of Art and Craft, a venue I've taught at three times before. We had a full class of 11 ladies, ready to learn how to work with parisisal capelines and hoods, sinamay (blocked and free-form), and sewn straw braid.

I love Texas! The food, the people, the margaritas! The next couple of shots were taken on the Riverwalk, a beautiful park that meanders through the city along the San Antonio River.

That is a HUGE American flag! Kinda surprised there isn't a Texas flag that big hanging nearby.

Lovely ivy covered bridge over the river. Tour boats and river taxis traverse the river allowing riders to enjoy the beautiful buildings, wildlife, and to people watch.

Amy (from Dallas) chose to work in blocked sinamay and sewn braid. Here you see her brim and the tip of her crown. I love this natural sewn braid. Very classic.

Dale chose to work with an orange parisisal hood and sewn braid.

Here you see a top view of the shape she blocked and free-formed--nice upturned crown.

And here's her final product with a triple row of the natural sewn braid. While it was going to be her brim, it turned into a nice mid-band embellishment. This looked fantastic on her!

Jessica worked with a lavendar parisisal capeline which she then interlaced with the natural sewn braid. So the brim was lavendar, natural, and lavendar again on the outside edge. Nice touch, Jessica!

More of Jessica's hat in progress.

Elizabeth was taken with making a Fedora, which she did a nice job of. She decided to edge the Fedora in aqua sewn braid.

Wiring of the brim edge in progress. See the aqua braid on the side? This is how she will be finishing off the edge of the hat.

This hat is a very nice example of blocked sinamay (crown) and sewn braid (brim). This shot shows the petersham being added to maintain the headsize and to protect the hat from perspiration and makeup.

And this is Sarah in her completed hat! She chose to add a hatband of silk noil which had been created in a recent shibori class.

Nice hat! Aztec statuary on the Riverwalk.

Thank you, Southwest School, for another delightful class of talented students. Always a pleasure!