Introduction to Millinery: Make a Small Trimmed Button Hat

What You’ll Learn

• Understanding basic millinery terms, tools, and materials
• Exploring common hat shapes and millinery styles
• Watching a step‑by‑step demonstration on forming a small hat base using foss shape
• Planning and creating your own hat base with guided support
• Wiring your newly formed hat shape
• Covering your hat base with fabric for a polished finish
• Adding a neat lining to complete the interior
• Learning trimming techniques, including how to make bonded fabric leaves
• Decorating and trimming your button hat
• Attaching fittings such as elastic, combs, and headbands
• Tips on how to position and wear your finished hat, plus a photo record of your creation

By the end of the course, students will be able to plan and construct a small blocked button hat using foss shape, wire the form, cover and line it with fabric, apply decorative trims, and finish it with appropriate fittings so it’s ready to wear.

Wendy Scully is a qualified Visual Arts Teacher with over 34 years textile and art teaching experience. She has run her own millinery business in Melbourne (fulltime) for the past 12 years.  Wendy had her retail hatshop in the Emporium until 2024 and now runs her business from a Melbourne CBD studio. She is also a causal teacher at Box Hill Institute in the area of Visual Design.

Wendy is an award winning milliner, both in Australia and in France, with her millinery having been displayed on runways and exhibitions in the UK, France and Australia. She is known for her flexibility to collaborate with designers.
She has studied millinery with several well-known international tutors. Wendy’s millinery is used to grace the heads of many well known people. She has supplied Perri Cutten boutiques for the past 4 years with a curated selection of millinery. Wendy believes you should never stop learning. 

A basic materials kits will be available for student to purchase from the teacher for approximately $15. This kit includes the foss shape, wire and petersham ribbon and bondweb.

Students can supply their own fabric and trims as desired and discussed with the teacher. A limited range of fabrics will be available for students to use in class if they don’t have any to bring.

Please also bring a sketch book and pencil to draw ideas and take notes.