Leather Cocktail Hat

Hat Making Project

Leather Cocktail Hat

Block, line and trim a leather cocktail hat with a buckram foundation.

Leather Cocktail Hat

Hat Making Project

Leather Cocktail Hat

Block, line and trim a leather cocktail hat with a buckram foundation.

Projects / Leather Cocktail Hat

Project Overview

This leather cocktail hat is a great project to try if you are ready to start blocking hats. Using a wooden fascinator block, you can create a lined leather button hat. The curled quill trimmings add elegance and height without too much fuss.

Leather continues to remain on trend for hats, fascinators and millinery trimmings. This cocktail hat project calls for kid leather because it is soft and pliable, making it much easier to shape on a hat block than a thicker variety.

Cocktail hats are usually small and generally don’t have a brim. They were traditionally worn to semi-formal evening events as they pair so well with cocktail dresses. They were especially popular in the 1930s, when glamorous movie stars often wore them. A cocktail hat is a great choice if you want to make a chic millinery statement without wearing a big brim.

This leather cocktail hat tutorial was written by British milliner Judy Bentinck of Millinery Courses London.

Category: Fascinators, Hats

Get Full Access

HATalk Subscribers – sign in below to view the instructions for this project.

Not a Subscriber yet? Sign up to begin your free trial and get instant access to all of our projects and e-magazines.

What You Need

  • Cocktail Hat Block (The block used in this tutorial is an FB13 Fascinator/Button Block from Guy Morse-Brown Hat Blocks)
  • Plastic Wrap
  • Tape Measure
  • Scissors
  • Buckram
  • Kitchen Roll (Paper Towel)
  • Iron
  • Interfacing
  • Soft Kid Leather
  • Strong Pins for Blocking
  • Pins (Indicator and Quilter’s)
  • Needle and Thread
  • Lining Fabric (eg. Silk Dupion)
  • Petersham Ribbon
  • 2 Quills
  • Curling Iron
  • Permanent Marker (Quill Colour)
  • Hat Elastic

Project Overview

This leather cocktail hat is a great project to try if you are ready to start blocking hats. Using a wooden fascinator block, you can create a lined leather button hat. The curled quill trimmings add elegance and height without too much fuss.

Leather continues to remain on trend for hats, fascinators and millinery trimmings. This cocktail hat project calls for kid leather because it is soft and pliable, making it much easier to shape on a hat block than a thicker variety.

Cocktail hats are usually small and generally don’t have a brim. They were traditionally worn to semi-formal evening events as they pair so well with cocktail dresses. They were especially popular in the 1930s, when glamorous movie stars often wore them. A cocktail hat is a great choice if you want to make a chic millinery statement without wearing a big brim.

This leather cocktail hat tutorial was written by British milliner Judy Bentinck of Millinery Courses London.

Category: Fascinators, Hats

What You Need

  • Cocktail Hat Block (The block used in this tutorial is an FB13 Fascinator/Button Block from Guy Morse-Brown Hat Blocks)
  • Plastic Wrap
  • Tape Measure
  • Scissors
  • Buckram
  • Kitchen Roll (Paper Towel)
  • Iron
  • Interfacing
  • Soft Kid Leather
  • Strong Pins for Blocking
  • Pins (Indicator and Quilter’s)
  • Needle and Thread
  • Lining Fabric (eg. Silk Dupion)
  • Petersham Ribbon
  • 2 Quills
  • Curling Iron
  • Permanent Marker (Quill Colour)
  • Hat Elastic

Get Full Access

HATalk Subscribers – sign in below to view the full instructions for this project.

Not a Subscriber yet? Sign up to begin your free trial and get instant access to all of our hat making projects and e-magazines.

This Month’s HATalk Give Away

Win a Ballesté Poupeé

This Month’s HATalk Give Away

Win a Ballesté Poupeé

Enjoy HATalk

Unlimited Access to Hat Making Projects, Monthly e-Magazines and More

$4.99 / month with a 14-day free trial

Enjoy HATalk

Unlimited Access to Hat Making Projects, Monthly e-Magazines and More

$4.99 / month with a 14-day free trial