The Making of Beret/Tam-style Hat H45 ...

First of all I would like to mention that making that hat had taken priority over the photo quality throughout the work process, please do excuse some of the slightly blurry images.


The Gilboa Beret is technically not a beret. It is made up of 10 individually shaped pieces (i.e. each piece is of a different shape), where as a beret is made of just one piece and is usually felt or wool.

Below a summary of the processes involved in the making of H45:


Inspired by art nouveau design, this particular design requires each segment to be layers. It will include pin-tucks that twine around the ceneterpiece, as shown below in the sketch.

The previously made pencil sketch is finalised in ink and prepared for transfer onto the left (reverse) side of the main fabric, in this case a beautiful piece of cotton velvet.

 

 Velvet is tricky to work on as it keeps trying to 'run away' because of its short 'hair' surface. This is how the transferred design looks like on the reverse side.

Each individual segment for this design is made up of two layers. Here visible is the right side of the first layer, with basting in different colours for guidance when joining the layers and later pin-tucking.

Both first and second layer basted and ready to be combined.

As described in the previous picture, except x 10 ...

The layers are being basted together, ready for sewing.

All layers have been sewn together and are ready for the pin-tucking.

What you see here are very roughly shaped segments, they will be cut into their correct shape much later.

(Each segment is numbered as each is going to be cut into its unique shape)

Much later ... all the pin-tucks have been stitched with 'invisible' thread. This is the most time consuming part, and lastly all the individual threads have to be cleaned up on the reverse side.

 Now each segment is ready to be cut into shape. The basting left visible is for cutting guidance.

The hat is slowly taking on shape ...

So far so good, now for the decor ...

.... feathers, passementerie (here a antique piece of French passementerie) and sequins are placed on the hat ...

... finally all the chosen decor is being sewn on ...

Next the lining has be to made (also consisting of 10 segments).

Then the pieces are all joined together and the result is ....

Gilboa Ladies Flat Cap H40 - The making of ...

Once again a brief overview, showing some of the steps involved in the making of Gilboa Flat Cap H43. Some of the pictures are slightly blurred but it will give the general idea of what is going on.

The inspiration for this hat's design came from an art nouveau door.

First the imagined design is being sketched with pencil on transparency paper and

once happy, drawn out in ink.

  As the pattern starts to become more and more complicated, colour-coding helps making sense of it all later.

 This is the door that was inspiration for this particular design (and there will be more).

To see if the design is workable at all, a prototype with scrap fabric is created. It is made up of 3 pieces intertwining and added pin-tucks that are 'climb' over and under.

Now lets start with the real deal:

 

 Now the indivividual pieces (3) are being one by one transferred onto the main fabric's left hand side.

  

Piece number one

 The traces are 'transferred' to the right side of the fabric by 'basting' stitches, marking the actual shape and the pin-tuck decoration in different colours.

  

That is how it looks on the fabric's right side, the stitches can later be removed without leaving any marks.

 

 Piece number 2: same as above - transfer, trace, baste.

 

Piece number 2: the right side.

  

  Piece number 2 is being prepared to be stitched onto piece number one.

 The two pieces joined.

Piece number 3: again, tracing and basting.

The basting here is used for placement of the previously joined up pieces as well as marking the pin-tuck position.

 All 3 pieces joined.

Seams are being cleaned up before pin-tucking.

 The most time-consuming part: the pin-tucks. One by one they are stitched, rather a stop-start affair and testing one's patience. But the effect is worth it in the end!

Gilboa Flat Cap H38 - The making of

A brief summary of the steps involved during the making of flat cap H38, shown in the snapshots below.

The pin-tuck pattern is sketched in pencil on transparency paper.

Once satisfied with the sketch, it is then finalised in ink and mirrored. 

Now the pattern is ready to be transferred onto left side of the fabric. 

 The transferred pattern is now visible on the left side of the fabric. However, to be able to pin-tuck the pattern, it has to be visible on the right side; the entire pattern now needs to be 'basted' by hand.

 Now the pattern is visible on the right side of the fabric. 

The marking thread can later be removed without leaving any marks.

 Pin tuck pattern partly stitched.

 The threads need to be cleaned up on the reverse side so they do not come loose later.

 The pin-tuck pattern finished and ready to be cut.

 The cap is taking on shape.

The lining, made out of vintage kimono silk.

Gilboa flat cap H38 - completed.

The making of Gilboa Flat Cap H37

Showing some of the steps involved when creating pin-tucks:

 

Handsketched design is finalised in ink on transparency paper. 

From there it is copied onto the left side of the fabric with tailor copy paper.

The design now has to be made visible on the right side of the fabric without leaving any marks later.

Different coloured threads help prefents confusion when sewing the actual pin-tucks.

Part one of the cap is ready to be cut into shape

The pin-tuck design on the main hat piece is taking shape.

The main piece finished, ready to be cut into shape.

The finished hat - Gilboa Flat Cap H37

The Making of Beret / Tam Style Hat H30 ...

The Gilboa Beret is technically not a beret. It is made up of 10 individually shaped pieces (i.e. each piece is of a different shape), where as a beret is made of just one piece and is usually felt or wool.

Below a summary of the processes involved in the making of H30:

First of all the design is sketched onto transparency paper. Once happy with the design, it is then prepared for transfer onto the main fabric (the reverse side).

Here you can see the transferred pin-tuck design on the reverse side of the fabric. To be able to stich the pin-tucks, the transfer lines each have to be 'basted' so that the design can be seen on the right side of the fabric. (the basted design can be seen in the first picture)

One by one, each segment is pin-tucked and eventually sewn together.

Next the lining has be to made (also consisting of 10 segments). Before joining the lining and main fabric together, a decision has to be made as to the type of decoration.

In this case, vintage mother of pearl buttons are sewn on before completing the lining and lastly, feathers are added.

And this is the Gilboa Beret / Tam style hat H30 finished.