Milliners of Etsy

MOE PROJECT RUNWAY

On December 1st 2010, the MOE team launched it’s Project Runway assignment. Each participating member has chosen an inspirational textile piece on Etsy and have created a hat or headpiece that is inspired by that piece. It is now launched on Etsy and you can catch up on it here too, watch this space….

Here are the fabulous results:

Treasury 1

Treasury 2

Images:

MadHatterBoutique

Hats Off to The Milliner’s of Etsy Team! by Joanne James of LeChapeau

Why are the Milliner’s of Etsy (MOE) Team “Taking Their Hat Off” to Project Runway?

Project Runway was originally mentioned by Elsie of www.orsinimedici1951.etsy.com. in one of our MOE team discussions. She didn’t think it would catch on like it did but when everyone started commenting on it, it didn’t take very long for it to take off “like a cat with its tail on fire!” Soon everyone was abuzz. How would it work? Where would we have our showing? Would it be just for fun or a competition? Quickly, each MOE team participant went scouring Etsy to find sellers who had a garments or purses or anything fabric that we could make a hat to go with. We did not have to purchase the garment, just make a hat that would accessorize it. Sewing machines began whizzing, hat blocking and hand-stitching abounded. The excitement was contagious.

“Oh my god!!! I have found my inspiration for my hat. I am using a hat I just made and can’t believe I found the perfect dress. This is very exciting for me. I am so happy to be part of this team” said Gail of www.buygail.etsy.com.

Details gradually unfolded to reveal that our event would have a due date for Dec.1st, 2010. It would be a competition, but the emphasis would be on doing it for fun. The prize? To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The reward of a thing well done is to have done it.” “We get support, camaraderie and solutions from members of the MOE Team.” says Joanne of www.lechapeau.etsy.com. “This project has drawn us closer to each other and has encouraged us to grow.”

What about the judging? How could someone judge a group of milliner’s who live all across the globe? It would have to be done electronically. Our team Captain, Emily of www.moesewcomillinery.etsy.com decided that we would present our creations in a special treasury. Each participant will leave a comment about her creation in the comment boxes. Our judge will go there and view our works of art and choose the winning entry.

Who will be the judge? After thorough consideration, we emailed world-renowned milliner Amy Hamilton of Granville Millinery Co. Amy readily agreed to work with us on this project. We are thrilled and excited to have her on board. Amy’s credits include spreads in such magazines as O for Oprah, Victoria and Vogue to name a few.

“The Project Runway project is amazing and stemmed initially from a few of us chatting about Philip Treacy’s appearance on the TV program Project Runway. It has become a very exciting project to be part of. My inspiration is a stunning 1930s inspired gown, it’s made of silk satin and very luxurious. I’m working on a two pieces, which will hopefully reflect its elegance and capture some of the 1930s Hollywood glamour, which I am so inspired by. One piece is felt and beaded the other silk, I haven’t made my decision yet as to which I am going to use, you’ll find out on December 1st” says Maggie Mowbray of www.trampmillinery.etsy.com.

Speaking of her found garment and her hat design, Jennifer of www.jenniferwhitmer.etsy.com said, “I love the casual opulence, the deep, rich color, soft drape and details of this lovely velvet dress. There is a delightful surprise! A pattern of transparent chrysanthemums scattered across the shoulders at the back seem to float on the surface of the velvet. Barbara has achieved this look by using the devore or burnt-out velvet stenciling technique that renders the flowers transparent. The dress has a 20’s styling and follows my own leanings towards vintage while keeping to a contemporary look.

I saw the silhouette of the hat right away and choose black parisisal straw. The pin tucks in the dress are echoed in the hat by circular pleats sewn into the straw. The edges are softened with more stitching to create an undulating waviness. The brim is wired.

The trim is a distressed grosgrain band and two crushed bows meant to create softness and suggest age. By keeping the hat uniformly black, the secret surprise of the chrysanthemums is maintained from the front. Nothing is given away. The hat, along with the black lace stockings, finishes the look of this dress without competing with its quiet elegance.”

“The positive buzz all the team members have shared has made this a really fun project, and I just get totally lost in it when I’m working on it. The inspirational piece is a wonderful dress by Jo Demontis’ shop http://www.etsy.com/listing/59037849/draped-sack-dress-black-or-coloured with these fab folds that create a striking silhouette. So, I wanted to compliment but continue the silhouette upward. Some kind of happy balance between a cocktail hat and a fascinator first came to mind in a neutral color anyone could wear confidently. So that is the trail I am blazing right now,” says Maria of www.fedora.etsy.com.

Quoting Jaya of Green Trunk Designs: “Working on the MOE Project Runway Project has been an eye opening experience! Searching for an inspirational piece on Etsy was like making my Christmas wish list! My favorites box is now overflowing! It was so difficult to choose just one piece, but I finally decided on the lovely, Great Gats by Linen and Battenburg Blouse, by Roselanijasmin. I love the work of Roselanijasmin and I am thrilled that we share a common passion for vintage styles and textiles. My Heirloom Cloche Hat is made from vintage textiles, and is based on a 1920’s pattern. Together my hat and their blouse create a truly stunning 1920’s outfit.”

Heirloom Cloche Hat: 57540853
http://www.etsy.com/listing/57540853/heirloom-cloche-hat-moe-project-runway

Great Gatsby Linen and Battenburg Blouse: 55304440
http://www.etsy.com/shop/roselanijasmin?ref=pr_shop_more

Carlee of Noxenlux states: “I’ve re-fallen in love with my first hat block. It is a “mini” top hat wooden hat block, that just keeps giving. I make bowlers and top hats with parts of this block, which lead me to use it in this project. I bought an outfit from www.damselinthisdress.etsy.com while at a pirate event in Portland and I will be using it with the hat at Steamcon this weekend (Nov 20th). The hat, which I will finish in just a few hours, is bare and ready for me to decorate. The outfit from Damsel in the dress is full of browns, golds and copper colors. The thick fabric of the outfit makes me want to use strong elements in the hat and I will do that.”
As the due date fast approaches, there is much ado in the discussion forums. Some have finished their project while others are feeling the pressure of the time crunch.

“I love anything and everything vintage, so when I sit down to create a hat, my design aesthetic usually incorporates at least a few vintage touches. When I started on the Project Runway contest, I was doing a lot of reading about 20th century millinery history and the progression of looks in headwear from the 1930s to the 50s. I loved the idea of finding an inspiration piece from one era and creating a hat that included items from few different decades. My inspiration piece is beautiful yet understated shift dress from the 1950s, and my hat included a frame that would have traditionally been worn in the 1930s, fabric up-cycled from a 1980s dress and trims from many different decades! I’ve had a blast working on this project and couldn’t be happier with the results!” says Kat of www.blackgardeniadesign.etsy.com

Hat Link: http://www.etsy.com/listing/61860950/black-mini-skimmer-hat
Inspiration Link: http://www.etsy.com/listing/59084541/vintage-tiffany-blue-1950s-party-dress

As for the Milliner’s of Etsy team…
What’s next? There’s talk of a wedding project come the spring…

2 years ago 1 note View high resolution

Kat Swank from LIAISON is December’s featured milliner from MOE

I’ve always been an artist and have had my fingers in a lot of pies through the years. I especially love to paint, but with young children it’s hard for me to do that.

My last painting was a multimedia portrait of my son at age 2, and that was 5 years ago!

Before I started making millinery I was creating jewelry, selling at local galleries and boutiques, and then my daughter was born. My beautiful daughter was bald for the first 2 years of her life! And when her hair started coming in it was a mullet, long in the back & super short & fine on top! I didn’t have the heart to cut it, so I started making headbands for her.

That was in 2007/08. I experimented with feathers and vintage remnants, and everywhere we went people would stop and ask me “Where did you find that headband? I want one!” And so it began. Basically I fell into millinery! No formal training, just plunging in.

I’ve always been a “Do it yourself” kind of gal. I believe that you can do anything you put your mind to if you believe that you can do it. And in my case, necessity is the mother of invention.

I’ve evolved the past few years partially through trial and error, but largely through instinct. I know that what I create isn’t for everyone, but that doesn’t bother me. I make what I make because I’m driven to do so- it’s not motivated by trends or anything like that, it’s much more organic. I really love what I do! I lose track of time when I’m working and will often stay up way too late working on a project. I simply get lost in the work; it’s the magic of creation!

I have a keen sense of texture and quality. My passion is vintage materials- new/ old stock and upcycled remnants. I suppose part of that passion is the treasure hunt, and then there’s the history and untold stories that give old things a particular energy and mystery that appeals to me. Also, there really is no comparison between the factory made items of today and the handmade items of yesterday. For me, even the slight anomalies- what some might call “mistakes”- in antique handmade stock are treasured. Those anomalies are shadows of the humanity of the item- a little knick in time by the original creator.

My process is largely organic. I’m inspired by the individual I’m designing for, or by a particular theme, or sometimes it’s simply the materials themselves. The MOE Project Runway contest was a fabulous project for me. I chose the gown shown as my “muse” by Momosoho on Etsy

I used all vintage and antique repurposed materials to build a headpiece to match. I used a vintage hand beaded belt from the 1920s for the front portion (as well as to make two matching wrist cuffs that aren’t shown here). The belt was dry rotting from age, so I had to re-bead the entire piece, and I used excess beads to create the tassels hanging on each side of the face. I used velvet and organza florals from the early 1900s as well as some modern and vintage feathers. I really love this piece, it’s one of my favorites! It will be hard for me to say goodbye to it when it sells.

I’ve struggled with getting my work “out there”. I’m not a business major, so the business and marketing side of things have been a huge learning curve for me. Also, when you’re doing everything yourself, it can be overwhelming. I was lucky enough to fund the business with the business in 2009, but 2010 has found me in a bit of a predicament; keeping up with orders when you only have two hands is a challenge! I’ve had to turn away a lot of potential buyers who want to buy wholesale in order to sell my items in their store. Basically, right now it’s “do or die” time. I’ve been working with a few people on finalizing a business plan, creating a website, coming up with samples for a few items that I’d like to have produced on a larger scale to sell at wholesale prices in 2011… it’s time to take things to the next level, and for me that means capital. So in 2011 and into 2012, my goal is organization and expansion- the two go hand in hand really. I’m looking forward to having a team of people helping me in the near future rather than being a lone soldier! I want my focus to be on design, but that means having a team of focused, likeminded people I can trust to manage everything else.

In the beginning I was reluctant to be a part of a team on Etsy simply because of time management issues. Finally I joined “MOE: Milliners of Etsy” and then two others, “Beyond Bridal” and “Offbeat Etsy Wedding” Teams. All I can say is that I am so glad I did! I’m meeting new people (virtually) and feel so much less lonely. I mean lets face it, when you’re working from a studio in your home and you have a young family, socializing is a rarity. Being a part of the Etsy community and a part of a team is a great way of finding support and friendship online. I feel so blessed to be a part of MOE and I’m enjoying every minute of it! I love my Etsy family! Thank you Etsy and thank you MOE.

Warmly,

Kat Swank

Twitter: Kat_Swank

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KatSWANK

Etsy Store: http://www.KatSwank.com

Credits::

Courtney Love, SPIN Magazine, March 2010

Headdress LIAISON Collection by Kat Swank

All other images Kat Swank

2 years ago

Joanne James from LeChapeau is November’s featured milliner from MOE

I went to the school of “Trial and Error.” I bought books, asked mentors for how-to’s and advice and practiced, practiced, practiced until I perfected my style.

For the most part now, I buy my hats from wholesalers and concentrate on my designing and creating sumptuous floral embellishment compositions made with ribbons, antiqued brass brooches, glass or rhinestone gems and sometimes buttons, feathers and vintage jewelry. I do at times personally make the hats.

I enjoy the process of putting together my embellishment designs, when time flies by and I don’t even notice that it’s been hours because I was so absorbed in the moment. I also really love it when a customer has been trying on my hats and she puts on the exact right one and suddenly realizes she looks just beautiful. Her face lights up with such delight and it takes her breath away…. there is nothing quite like that feeling.

This may surprise people, but I don’t care much for the famous. I value the not-so-well-known artists like those in our own Etsy Milliner’s Team. I LOVE Jennifer Whitmer’s bright colors in both her hats and her floral adornments. I think the feather and beadwork by Kat Swank is the most AMAZING I’ve ever seen, and the flowers made by Stella Pesci are INCREDIBLE. I admire many more others in our group I’d like to mention… how long is this Blog?

The only famous person in history I’ve truly been inspired by is Jesus. He did not have a formal education but was trained by his father to be a skillful carpenter. Because he was a perfect man, he could have spent his life making the most beautiful furniture anywhere on earth. He could have devoted his life to his career. Yet, his primary work was to do his Father’s will, to preach the Kingdom. He shunned personal fame and riches. He cared for the sick, and the poor. He shared hope and love with his family, friends and strangers. I strive to hold to these values and keep my spiritual, family and work priorities balanced in my daily life.

This year I would like to branch out into different aspects of my work. I’m planning to make some PDF instructions on how to make my flower and leaf embellishments and sell them on Etsy. I will be looking into making some video tutorials as well, and I’ll be opening a new Etsy shop for my tutorials.

In the summer there are some local craft shows I’ll be entering. I will also be entering our Milliner’s of Etsy Team “Project Runway” venture where participating team members will each be making a hat to go with a garment made by another Etsy seller. I am working with Etsy right now to make a blog article on our Team. It is an exciting project that I am thrilled to be a part of.

2 years ago 2 notes

Mary P from Prettygoodthings is October’s featured Milliner from MOE

This may be scandalous to some, but I have no formal millinery training. It all comes from research, trial and error, joy of constructing something from nothing and making it up as I go.

I’ll take you back to when I was a little girl telling everyone I wanted to be an artist, a sewer‚ and a model. I always drew and painted growing up and I earned my BFA from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln in with an emphasis in painting and drawing. But I didn’t actually learn to sew until I was in the 10th grade. I hijacked my mom’s sewing machine given to her by my grandma (I think it was intended more for her use than mine) but nonetheless I decided it would be wonderful to know how to sew. My grandma showed me how to use the machine and I taught myself through trial and error and making up patterns. There were a lot of duds during that time.

My transition into hats evolved slowly until I finally realized that creating headpieces was a way for me to combine everything I loved: drawing, sculpture and fashion.

During this evolution I returned to the UNL to earn my MA in apparel design. The textiles department there didn’t have specialized courses in millinery so it was a fun adventure figuring out how to engineer these ideas I was making.

I have a tendency to make pieces that are playful, silly, sculptural, feminine, bright. I am in love with anything miniature and creating dioramas for the head. I also have a fascination with underwater life . I gravitate towards these things, I guess, because I want life to be good, fun and making these things has a value to me in some way. I don’t think too much about it because that’s a job best left for professionals.

Some of the challenges I face are getting a grasp on all the ideas running around in my head, marketing silly hats to people in the age of “you can buy it at Target for less”, or the age of , “That’s cute but I can’t pull it off”, doing it all, combating feelings of being overwhelmed, organizing the life of full time Pretty Good Things designer, a part time art supply sales assistant, a part time fashion illustration instructor and a lady with a husband, friends and one loving cat.

Things I most like about my craft is the combination of sculpture, drawing, fashion bundled up nicely in one craft. I know when things are right in life when I find myself making what I call my ‘dreamy face’, as I make. I think I actually look like a bit of a nut. I feel like everything is lighter ‚ my face lightens into a barely there smile and I realize at that moment everything is pretty awesome.

My favourite milliners are Stephen Jones, Phillip Treacy, Elsa Schiaparelli (more apparel designer than milliner ) Those dudes and dudette are legends. They make/made amazing playful, charming, defying gravity beautiful work.

If I had to choose a famous person as my muse, I guess right now it might be Ariel (the Little Mermaid) I have a show lined up for March and am creating ideas for underwater themed sculptural hats, and this time using more glitter and sequins.

In the year ahead I am determined to work towards making PGT my full time (in the sense that it pays me a living wage) job in the next year. This will involve securing wholesale accounts, consignment and pursuing more online media exposure.

I have a show in March and will have photos up on my flickr and blog. I hope to participate in more craft shows around the US, like Renegade Craft fair.

2 years ago 1 note

Milliners of Etsy

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