Millinery: Five Hats in One Day: A black lid

Continuing with Millinery Mania, here is the second of five hats created in one day.

The black hood in the lower 5 o'clock position was the last hood to get dunked into the hot water and gelatin sizing bath.

I telescoped the hood into itself, and then pinched up parts of the straw in a random pattern. I folded the edge of the hood like a one fold hem that was about a half inch wide.
A spring style clothes pin was placed to hold the pinches and curves in place while the hood dried.

This is the hood now dried, viewed from the under side.
I put it on my head and gently eased the hat down to loosen the folds.
I also lightly steamed it to release some of the pinches to let the hat be pulled down a bit further on my head.
Once the steamed area dried, the hat's pinches resumed being stiff in the new positions.
Using a pick stitch, where the needle would take only a small stitch on top of the hat, and then a longer stitch along the inside of the edge of the hem inside the hat, I hemmed the edge, shaping the hem as I went to make the width uniform.

Because the hat is designed to rest on the top of the head, a sweat band is not needed.
(Hurrah! I hate putting in sweat bands! I always miss placing the sweat band ribbon seam center by about a half of an inch, then tell myself it doesn't matter, then wind up redoing it.)

Finished product!

The hat is light as a feather, and is held in place by a hat pin. I have a wonderful feather tassel that I am considering adding, but for now, I like that by varying my hat pin choice I can co-ordinate my black hat with my outfit.
The green beaded hat pin is perfect with the green shell I'm wearing under my charcoal grey suit.

I've lightened the photo so you can see the pinching and swirls on the hat as modeled on Joan.

I ran out of hat labels awhile ago, so I borrowed an idea that I saw on a hat I got in New Orleans.

I just signed my name using a metallic silver ink pen!

Now really...how hard would it be for YOU to make a hat?

Come on, join the fun.

It IS easy!

(For information as to where to obtain supplies, see the link in the first line of this post!)