Memories of Emmeline

Carole Curtis

United Kingdom

• HATalk Issue 148: The Suffragettes: Millennial Rebels

When the 2021 HATalk competition "Out of the Archives" was announced I was both excited and daunted. Being given the freedom to choose from the many fantastic issues and look for inspiration, I was concerned that I would be left wanting to try everything. So I made the decision to go back to just one issue, the one I downloaded before I became a member.

The Suffragettes: Millennial Rebels is the first article of this issue, based around the collaboration of Milliner Claire Strickland and Fine Art Photographer Nicolas Laborie, together they created an exhibition in London. Claire Strickland designed a selection of hats to celebrate women's voting rights, as 2018 was the centenary of the United Kingdoms representation of the people act of 1918.

As a lover of period hats, I knew this was the perfect inspiration. I decided to design my hat combining the suffragette colours of violet, white and green whilst using the soft feminine fabrics of velvet and silk. It was important to me to use these colours long associated with the Suffragette movement. Simplified the colours represent loyalty, purity and life.

• Cloche crown block
• Flat oval brim pattern (own design as I did not have a suitable brim block)
• Buckram 321
• Bias tape to cover wire
• Tarlatan
• Millinery wire (cotton covered)
• Velvet for crown and brim
• Silk for flowers and leaves
• Peridot green bugle beads
• Lining fabric for the gathered lining
• Steamer (for blocking)
• Selection of Gutermann threads

• Blocking buckram(for crown)
• Flat pattern making(for brim)
• Wired crown and brim
• Hand sewing for attaching all fabric to crown and brim
• Hand sewn flowers with beading
• Hand sewn leaves
• Hand sewn lining