Madeleine

Iliana Hristova

United Kingdom

• HATalk Issue 117 and HATalk Issue 118: Make Rolled Sinamay Roses with Bridget Bailey – Part 1 and Part 2

I went through the archive and was inspired by an article on how to make rolled sinamay roses with Bridget Bailey. I used Issues 117 and 118 from December 2015 and January 2016 as a basic guide how to prepare, dye and roll sinamay. Considering my love for silk painting and hat making, I made a headpiece inspired by a French romantic story.

Recently I watched a film called 'A Good Year,' produced by Ridley Scott, where a British investment broker Max Skinner inherited his uncle’s chateau and vineyard in Provence. He decided to leave his busy London career and choose to listen to his heart.

I designed a hat that is both delicate and bold, where I wanted you to feel the charm of the summer nights over the vineyards. I wanted you to feel the smell of the roses in the garden after the sunset. I wanted you hear the song of the crickets. I wanted to create something to remind you for an old embroidery from your Grandma’s closet.

I called the hat Madeleine, a French female name, which carries the meaning of being bold and magnificent.

• Ivory sinamay
• Cotton covered millinery wire 1.2 cm and 0.8 cm
• Millinery wire
• Procion Mx Dyes / Vivid Lemon, Peach, Magenta, Scarlet, Leaf Green
• Straw stiffener
• Sewing thread
• Embroidery thread
• Ivory lining fabric
• Ivory French Grosgrain ribbon
• Millinery elastic
• Metal comb
• UHU multipurpose clear glue

• I used traditional millinery techniques. Blocking sculpting and rolling sinamay. Hand and machine sewing
• Blocked the hat and bandeau on wooden hat blocks
• Wired the brim and used a sewing machine
• Wired the bandeau
• Cut stretched dyed and rolled all leaves and petals
• Stitched the roses and the leaves by hand
• Attached leaves on millinery wire and wrapped them in embroidery thread
• Stitched and sculpted the flowers and the leaves to the hat base
• Attached the lining and the Grosgrain ribbon to the bandeau
• Attached hat elastic and comb