Millinery Course for Beginners

Learn to make a hat with our millinery short courses in Sydney!

Learn to make your own hat! In this short course, you will learn many traditional aspects of millinery and will  make and take home a hat or headpiece that you have made yourself. Each 4 week session will focus on a different millinery material– Sinamay, Felt, or Straw to create a classic style such as a fascinator, fedora, cloche, trilby, or boater style. So check in the notes below to confirm which option is being taught for the session.

If you want to learn about Millinery in Sydney, then this course is for you.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this millinery course, you should:

• have completed a hat or headpiece using the technique and material of focus (either straw, felt, or sinamay)
• have gained knowledge of several trim and finishing techniques and options using millinery materials –e.g.  feathers, crinoline, and grosgrain.
• be able to demonstrate the use of a variety of millinery techniques to make and complete a hat such as blocking, finishing, and binding techniques.
• be able to analyse a hat in terms of design, line, colour, texture, repetition, emphasis, and balance.
• be able to determine styles to suit your face shape.

What will be covered in this millinery course?

• Introduction to millinery and hat making, millinery and hat making materials, tools, and equipment.
• How to choose a style to suit.
• Design Elements and principles for hats and headwear.
• Choosing the right hat blocks and equipment for your hat project
• Learn some traditional trim techniques for millinery and hat making
• Making a hat or headpiece from Felt or Straw, or Sinamay, using traditional techniques.
• Grosgrain binds and trims
• How to line your hat.
• How to keep your hat on– tips, tricks, and techniques to secure your hat.
• How to store, and care for your hat.
• Tour Embellish Atelier(opens in a new tab) and Hatters Millinery Supplies (opens in a new tab) to experience a working studio.

Who is this millinery course for?

If you love hats and would like to learn more about the process of creating hats then you will love learning the traditional techniques and walk away with your own hat.

What to bring to class

The tutor supplies equipment and materials for the first class and will outline and display the correct equipment, and tools required for millinery.
A basic sewing kit can be purchased on the first evening and includes:

• Tape measure
• Sewing Gauge
• Packet of mixed size straw needles (Birch preferred)
• Floral Pins
• Beeswax Thread conditioner

Additional materials required throughout the class:

• Mapping/drawing pins
• Quality dressmaking steel pins
• Apron
• Thread to match project – Gutermann preferred
• Hat Box
• General-purpose scissors
• Long-nosed pliers
• Thimble

Available to purchase from Spotlight, Lincraft or Hatters Millinery Supplies.

Additional information

The tutor provides the foundation materials as part of the course – (paradisal straw or felt capeline, wire, some basic fabrics, tools, equipment, and sundry glues, and stiffeners) for your Hat or headpiece. Suitable Hat Blocks are made available for use to create the Hat or headpiece.

Please wear closed-in shoes.