Home Sewing Tips from the 1920s: A Smart Little Hat of Silk and Straw

Need a new hat? Want to try something that requires some serious millinery supplies? Then use this tip from Ruth Wyeth Spears and the 1920s to create your own "smart little hat" of silk and straw.

This pattern requires the following material:

• 1/2 yard of tailor's canvas or willow (a millinery fabric, also called esparterie)
• 1/2 yard of silk fabric
• 2-1/2 yards of millinery straw braid
• millinery wire
• buckram for the flowers, as well as ribbon or silk scraps

I do believe that the extra effort required by this pattern will result in a very stylish cloche!

Spadina Museum Staff Sew Ruth Wyeth Spear's Cloche

Almost a year ago, I posted this tip from Ruth Wyeth Spears for sewing a charming cloche:

Last week I was totally delighted to hear from the staff at Spadina Museum, a 1920s house museum located in Toronto. They created this hat, using Ruth's instructions, and then posted the results (complete with steps) on their Facebook page. Now is this cute or what? What a success! :D Be sure to visit their post on FB and look at all the pictures. Spadina Museum looks like a must-see if ever I can make it to Toronto!

Home Sewing Tips from the 1920s - Sewing a Calot-Style Felt Hat

Are you ready for another cute hat? They are so fun to design and wear! The hat in this tip from Ruth Wyeth Spears provides instructions for sewing a calot-style cloche. The brim is turned back and has a wonderful double "slip through the slot" wing accents. Delightful!

As usual, click the image with template and print it out to use as your template for sewing this hat, per Ruth's instructions. Happy sewing!

Home Sewing Tips from the 1920s - A Smart Little Hat

Are you ready for another cloche of felt? A favorite and easy way to add a new hat to your wardrobe accessories, the felt cloche in this tip from Ruth Wyeth Spears and the 1920s is easy and charming. It calls for strips of felt in different colors, and even the strap and buckle are made of felt. The construction is very clever, so this should be fun to make and wear!

Home Sewing Tips from the 1920s - Sewing A Chic Cretonne Hat

Are you ready to sew cloche for "sports wear"? If so, then read on, for Ruth Wyeth Spears shows you how with a buckram frame, some cretonne fabric (essentially upholstery fabric, preferably with a floral print), and a band of plain linen.

Remember to choose a becoming buckram frame. I just love the style of this cloche! Oh, and be sure to click or tap the image for a larger view for easier reading.

Home Sewing Tips from the 1920s - Make Another Chic Ribbon Cloche!

If you didn't make the first ribbon cloche that Ruth Wyeth Spears described in one of my previous posts, here's another one to tempt you. Or maybe you did and you want to make another! :) Ribbon hats were evidently popular at some point in the 1920s, and with Ruth's home sewing tips from that era, you too can learn how to make your own.  This rather Art Deco style hat uses stiff ribbon and a buckram crown foundation. Happy sewing!

Home Sewing Tips from the 1920s - Sew a Two-Toned Felt Hat

You can never have enough hats, and this tall-crowned cloche is a "smart little hat" that is easy to sew. Ruth Wyeth Spears provides all the details you need to create this two-toned felt hat, straight from the 1920s. Which colors will you choose?

 

 

Send me a link if you sew this one up!

Home Sewing Tips from the 1920s - Create a Summer Linen Hat with Raffia Flowers

Are you ready for summer? Are you ready to make your own summer hat? Find a cloche-style buckram frame on the internet and decorate it as Ruth Wyeth Spears describes here!

You simply cover the frame with a coarse pastel linen and edge the brim with raffia. Using Ruth's template for the flowers, you then create raffia flowers with centers of French knots, and add them to the crown. Can you picture Ruth's colors of blue, burnt orange and yellow? :) Have fun!

Easter Hats from March 1949

A new Easter hat is the perfect accent for your new Easter dress or suit. Which one of these lovely hats from March 1949 would you pick?

 A woven powder-pink straw - perfect for a dark spring suit and and small, piquant face.

  

A cherry-red straw hat with iridescent ribbon pouf, side-dipped brim to frame the face.

 

A youthful helmet cloche of fine straw braid and winged with two tiny brilliant feather birds.

 The perennial sailor in a soft rich coffee straw - perfect with a tailored suit.

 A cartwheel hat the color of toast, with a gently rolled brim, head-fitting crown, and soft leaf-green trim - it's a delicately flattering hat when you are dressing up.

This enchanting off-the-face bonnet combines purple and pink.

Home Sewing Tips from the 1920s - Trimming Down Last Season's Straw Hat

In this tip from Ruth Wyeth Spears and the 1920s, the focus is on altering last summer's straw hat for the new season. With artful use of scissors, some buckram, steam, and a new band of velvet or ribbon - and voila! A smartly shaped hat that is perfect for summer!

I think I have one or more straw hats in my closet - I do think I will try this! I'll let you know how it goes.

Home Sewing Tips from the 1920s - Make a Cloche from Ribbon!

A cloche made from ribbon? You can make this smart hat from less than two yards of six inch-wide ribbon - Ruth shows you how! Tucks and a pleated fan add eye-catching detail - who's game to sew up this lovely, Downton Abbey-worthy cloche? Share a picture if you do!

Click the image for a larger and easier to read view.

Home Sewing Tips from the 1920s - Trimmings for your Cloche

This delightful tip from sewing maven of the 1920s, Ruth Wyeth Spears, provides patterns and complete instructions for adding floral accents to your "between seasons hat". Between seasons - would that be spring and fall? Regardless, satin ribbons and strips of taffeta are used to create flowers and leaves. No embroidery required!

Be sure to click the image to view a larger image that you can print and read more easily. Enjoy!

Home Sewings Tip from the 1920s - Sew Yourself a Felt Cloche!

In this 1920s tip from expert seamstress Ruth Wyeth Spears, you are provided full instructions for sewing a felt cloche, with the brim pattern piece included. Note the big bow effect in back. Do you have a third yard of felt handy?

If you want to sew it, click on the link to enlarge the image, and then print that image. You may need to adjust the overall length to fit your head measurements. I think I need to sew up this one!