"If you don't want people to look at you, don't wear a hat. You have to have the attitude to wear them. I call it hat-itude." --Lorna Brown, shown in one of her straw hat creations
She’s got ‘hat-itude’
Lorna Brown calls herself a professional adventuress. While her sisters remained in Hawaii to settle into what she considers a mild-mannered life as teachers, Brown ventured off to California to pursue her dream, that is, to find someone who could teach her how to make hats.
Heads up
Hat workshop with Lorna Brown, sponsored by the Hawaii Stitchery & Fibre Arts Guild:
Where: University of Hawaii, Miller Hall, Room 7
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Brown started attending Gordon's class, only to be told "I make monkey hats," she said.
Fifteen years later, Brown turns out perfectly respectable cocktail and functional straw hats. She also continues studying with milliner Wayne Wichern in the Bay area.
Many of her dressiest cocktail hats end up in the hands of buyers from England, who have the slim face and sculpted look that a cocktail hat requires, not to mention a hat-wearing tradition that doesn't make wearers there feel as self-conscious as hat lovers in Hawaii.
"If you don't want people to look at you, don't wear a hat," Brown admonishes. "You have to have the attitude to wear them. I call it hat-itude."
Brown has worn a turban for 30 years so is accustomed to stares. "The hat eventually becomes a part of your attire."
This weekend, she will present a two-day hat-making workshop. In spite of Gordon's reluctance to teach just anyone, Brown doesn't believe in exclusivity. "Anyone can make a hat," she said.
Participants start off easy, simply accessorizing a blocked, or already formed, hat, and shaping an unblocked hat so it will dry for the next day. On the second day, participants will create a free form straw hat. One of the best aspects of hat-making -- you don't need extra tools. For straw, you only need water. And with felt, "you can never give it enough steam," she said, adding, "I prefer straw over felt because it is so much easier to work with."
A little strength training wouldn't hurt the budding hat maker. "When blocking (or shaping) a hat, strength is needed for all the pulling and stretching," Brown said.
THE CLASS CALLS for purchasing a basic hat-making kit for $35. The price includes two hats (one blocked and one unblocked), hat block (form), a millinery needle, hat wire, grosgrain ribbon, matching thread, millinery resource list, plus instructions, diagrams and a recommendation list of millinery books.
"I am certain that students will find this workshop enjoyable, informative and find hidden talent and creativity within themselves."
Her focus will be on the use of straw and various grades of straw because wools and felts are not particular appropriate to Hawaii's weather.
"You can use anything to mold the hat," she explained. "That's the fun part -- squishing here and there.
"Each one turns out to be one of a kind. I don't think I could duplicate a hat because there is no pattern," she said.
But she's a stickler on one point: "Good hats never have glue. Everything is hand stitched," she said. "One of the biggest challenges is hiding the stitching -- that is half the fun."
Accessories can be applied to suit an individual's personality. Beads, lace, netting and an array of materials can be used. "The dried materials found in nature go great with the straw hats," she said.
Brown admits she is still surprised every time she sees one of her final products. "It's like opening a package. You never know what you'll get."
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