Repurposing a Found Object to Make a Felt Fashion Doll Hat

Miss Gene Marshall

This delightful 1950's era lampshade style hat was made from wool felt molded over a found object....in this case, an old vinegar bottle. You can easily make stylish hats for your favorite miniature diva by using simple objects as a hat block.

The first thing you'll need is an appropriate bottle for your hat. You might just find the perfect one in your kitchen or bathroom. If not, check out the beauty and skincare aisle at your local drugstore or even the condiment aisle at the market. Make sure the bottle is long enough to allow for the felt to stretch down, and that it is the same size or smaller than your doll's head. If necessary, you can pad a smaller bottle with muslin or felt to make it larger. The 16 oz. vinegar bottle used in this tutorial measures 4 1/4" around the cap and 6 1/4" around the "brim".

Additional supplies needed:
A good quality wool felt.  I used a 9" x 11" piece.
Rubber band
Foil
Saran Wrap
Scissors
Steam iron or steamer
Press cloth
Assorted ribbon and trim

Step 1.  Prepare the "hat block" by covering the bottle with foil. Cover the foil with saran wrap.

Step 2:  Thoroughly wet felt under the faucet with hot water, stretching the felt in all directions. This will loosen the fibers and make it easier to stretch and smooth. Blot excess moisture with a paper towel. Center the felt over the bottle, smooth down sides and secure with a rubber band. Begin pulling and smoothing excess felt below the rubber band until it is smooth and wrinkle-free above the rubber band. Take your time. Once you are satisfied with the results, let it dry for at least 24-hours. Tip: To make sure the "crown" remained well-defined as it dried, I wrapped a piece of saran wrap firmly around the cap and secured with a small piece of scotch tape as shown above.

Step 3:  Once dry, remove the rubber band, and take the hat off of the bottle. With scissors, trim just above the indention line created by the rubber band.

Step 4:  Determine the desired width of the brim. Turn under the excess amount. This will clean finish the inside of the hat and give support to the brim. Place your hat back on the "hat block". Cover with a press cloth and steam the brim. Let dry thoroughly. You are now ready to trim your new hat.

Phoenix Gene Marshall wears Smart Set from Ashton Drake.
Portfolio from Mattel.

Here is a simple alternative for finishing the edge of the brim:

Trim the edge with scissors to the desired finished width. You can use dressmaker's chalk or even painter's tape as a cutting guide if needed. I find the hat is easier to mark when left on the "hat block". Soften the cut edge of the felt by lightly sanding with the finer side of an emery board. Click HERE to see a variation of Gene's lampshade style hat using this finishing technique.

Resources:
Wool felt is available from Edinburgh Imports, Inc.
The Art of Making Miniature Millinery by Timothy Alberts, Hobby House Press, Inc.

1940's Style Sculptural Wool Felt Hat for Gene Marshall

An easy DIY project.

Gene Marshall

Madra Lord

These sculptural winged toppers are fashioned from two simple geometric shapes: a circle and a triangle. They are made from wool felt, one of the most commonly used material in the millinery industry. Wool felt can be blocked, steamed, and stretched in any direction; and it retains it's shape beautifully. 

Here's what you will need:

Wool felt  [See the end of this tutorial for resources]

Scissors

Sewing needle and matching thread

Dressmaker chalk or other marking tool

Emery board

Ruler or tape measure

A glass or other round object for tracing a circle

Assorted trims

Glue (optional)

For the base of the hat, trace a 2 1/2" diameter circle on wool felt and cut out. Cut out a 1/2" wedge as shown. The decorative wings are formed from a 3" triangle. To give the wings a sculptural look, cut along the cutting lines as shown above. To mark the curve, you can either eye-ball it or measure in approximately 5/8 - 3/4" on the diagonal side of the triangle. Draw the curve cutting line with a marking tool. Trim off the excess felt. Make a cut to the point of the triangle leaving 1/4". Soften all cut edges of the felt by lightly sanding them with the finer side of an emery board. Note: If desired, you can adjust the size of your hat depending on the hairstyle or the size of the doll.

Overlap the circle 1/4" and off set the edge 1/8 - 1/4" as indicated by the arrow above. Hand stitch in place. This creates a little bump in the center of the circle which helps shape the base of the hat.  For the wings, twist the triangle shape 3 times and tack in the middle with a needle and thread to secure.

Place the wings over the overlapped portion of the circle and tack in place. Now you can decorate your hat as desired. For Gene's hat, I cut a second pair of wings from charcoal felt for contrast. The 1/2" wedge cut out from the circle was layered on top and beading was added. Madra's hat is decorated with feathers, berries, and beading. The hats are attached to the hairdo with hatpins. You can make your own decorative hatpins using corsage pins or extra-long dressmaker pins and add various beads.

Here is an easy, whimsical cocktail hat variation for Miss Marshall:

Gene Marshall

Cut out a 2 1/2" diameter circle in wool felt. Cut out a 1/2" wedge. Fold up one side of the circle keeping the outer edge even as shown in fig.1. Make a tiny snip with scissors as indicated by the arrow. 

Pull the opposite side of the circle through the slit. This will provide shaping for your hat. Fig. 2 shows the top of the hat and fig.3 the underside. The secret is not to cut the slit too long. You will want the felt to fold as shown above. Decorate your hat as desired.

Miss Gene Marshall

Resources and Credits:

Wool felt is available from Edinburgh Imports.com  They offer an excellent weight felt for doll hats and it comes in a wide assortment of yummy colors. The felt can be purchased by the yard or by the piece. The piece size is 9 x 11 inches. Wool felt may also be available at some fabric and craft stores such as JoAnn Fabrics or Hobby Lobby. Be sure you purchase wool felt, not the synthetic craft felt.

Symphony in G Gene Marshall and Black Widow Madra Lord are from Ashton Drake.
Cocoa Crisp Gene Marshall is from Integrity.
White Orchid Gene Marshall is from JamieShow.

Experiment in Straw

Inspired by a noted French fashion designer, the milliners at The Couture Touch have been hard at work experimenting with straw to create new fashionable toppers for the stars of Monolithic Studios.

Gene Marshall

For a publicity shoot, Gene Marshall wears the sleek, striped suit originally worn by Madra Lord in the 1940 film "She Went to Rio". Miss Marshall tops the Adrian-inspired suit with a fabulous straw hat from The Couture Touch. Suit and gloves are from Ashton Drake. Fur is from miniature furrier PD Root.

The inspiration for Miss Marshall's hat was this marvelous Elsa Schiaparelli cellophane straw hat, circa 1939. Illustration courtesy hprints.com

Gene Marshall

Miss Marshall, on location for her new film, wears a dramatic version of this whimsical topper. The black lacquered straw with red and turquoise stripe detailing along with red and black beaded suede gauntlet gloves and coordinating handbag complement this late 1930's suit ensemble. Hat, gloves and skirt are from The Couture Touch. Red jacket is borrowed from J'Adore Gene Marshall and is accented with a floral jabot (originally an Ashton Drake hair ornament). The original buttons on the jacket were updated. Handbag is from Sandra Stillwell.

Ivy Jordan

While scouting a new location for Miss Marshall's new film, director Ivy Jordan wears a smart, basic black dress topped with a fabulous burgundy suede hat with a crown of black straw. A narrow black grosgrain band artfully holds a single black feather. Dress, gloves, handbag, and earrings are from Ashton Drake. Hat and brooch are from The Couture Touch.

Credits:

Symphony in G Gene Marshall, enhanced with an Integrity articulated body, is from Ashton Drake.
Phoenix Gene Marshall, sporting a chic wig from Monique, is from JamieShow.
Color Deal Ivy Jordan is from Integrity.