Willow brim block, part one!

[labricoleuse]

The show on deck right now is Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, which affords me the opportunity to do a bunch of great craftwork. There are two hats in particular for the character of Lady Bracknell which i'll be chronicling in detail, as they involve a topic near and dear to the modern milliner's mythos: willow

Comments

[rmkoske]

Pardon my ignorance, but I have a question

[labricoleuse]

I think perhaps my inclusion of the actor in the determination was misleading. You are correct in that a blocked hat is one iteration of many possibilities--once you have the block, you can just make another hat, or reblock the first.

I thought of him as part of my decision-making process as someone who would take good care of any custom-created blocked hat, whether that block be willow or foam--reblocking or remaking any overly-trimmed-out women's hat is an involved process and not one i usually have time or budget for. Any time i work with an actor who is hard on his/her headwear or treats their costumes with disregard, i push for the option to use a purchased base. A $15 standard felt or buckram shape, rather than something like this.

So, sorry that my language was unclear! It was a quickly-tossed-out turn of phrase that in retrospect may be misleading.

[rmkoske]

Very clear now, thank you (and sorry for my delay in saying so.)

[girlon_theverge]

Thank you so much for your blog. It never ceases to entertain and educate. I also appreciate how it helps build community amongst theatre practioners...way to ROCK!

[labricoleuse]

Wow, thank you for what is among the best compliments i have received on labricoleuse.

When I started this blog, 3+ years ago, I had a sort of amorphous idea for it, mostly as a place where i could chronicle topics that used to be the kind of thing you'd formally submit and get published in trade journals like Costume Research Journal before it folded.

I hoped people would like it and find it useful, and figured if they didn't or if they thought something i posted was erroneous or had a better idea, it *might* foster some dialogue.

I'm so glad to have that hope fulfilled, each time someone comments, both a comment like yours and the lengthy query above that rmkoske commented with, which forced me to confront and clarify an area in which i didn't communicate clearly the first time around. (Which, that's an exchange that would take FOREVER in print media, so hooray for blogging!)

more on blockmaking

[girlon_theverge]

Some other things to consider,'
You could use epoxy resin and a filler like cut fiberglass strand (fine powder) to stiffen the form. it must be sanded, but it is perfectly waterproof in the end. Wouldn't you like to build in a chanel to tie off the felt? I would make it part of the form, after you make the block, fold a bias and wire it so you can use a cord instead of thirty pins.
You can make blocks in a similar way with heavy duck canvas, stitch two layers together with a machine circular brim stitch, cut your edge, and stretch a bias strip on your edge, easing in the edge getting a nice roll. You can get some nice gentle rolls like that, and stiffen with epoxy. Sand with orbital sander or belt sander.
Thanks for the post, Ignatius

Re: more on blockmaking

[labricoleuse]

These are all some great suggestions, thank you! When i get around to turning this initial sculpt into a more permanent block (hopefully in the next month) i will give it a try.

I'd have loved a ropeline from the get-go, but the time crunch on this hat was too narrow, in terms of how fast i needed to block-and-go and how many other projects i had to get done.

I was initially thinking expando-foam for a filler, for its pin-into-ability but your epoxy resin idea is another option to consider.

I think i recognize your name as well--are you the milliner who does those lovely complex spiral straw hats, i think out of Virginia? If so, i have admired your work ever since i saw images of it!

type fix

[anonymous]

Here in France, there still are a few people around who have stocks of sparterie but I'm guessing they're keepping it well hidden! For a replacement, you have 'toile gommée' which is a sort of hessian buckram or 'toile blanche' which is the 'willow' you have used. Here, you can find a product called 'type fix' which hardens the willow block completely!

[ext_75988]

You brave woman! I have a sheet of sparterie I bought 10 years ago in London and I have not dared yet to make anything out of it(it cost an arm and a leg). Funny enough I have a tin of spartalac, bought somewhere, sometime, I don't remember exactly where or when.
I also have a sheet of paper sparterie, which is of inferior quality.
I must read your post in detail, and I'm sure I will have many questions, but for now I want to thank you for embarking in this adventure and sharing it with us.
Cristina

[anonymous]

Thank you for your blog.

I just wonder if you know where to buy that sparterie you used to make the block. I recognize it and it looks like the one made in Japan. Do you know the factory name?

Kind Regards.

[labricoleuse]

I wish i knew where to buy it! The sheet i used i found in the storage area of the theatre where i work when i first took this job. It is the Japanese willow, yes--it has a tiny sticker on it with kanji but no idea the factory name. Sorry. I wish i knew where to buy it. I'd buy more.

[anonymous]

By the way, it´s exactly the one Philip Treacy is using when he sends his shapes to La Forme.