Make Your Own Hats, Gene Allen Martin [ebook offline txt] 📗

Now raise the end on the back of the petal and catch the corners down with a few small stitches. Replace the end and gather the raw edges together, but do not draw up close. Prepare all of the petals in the same way before beginning to sew them to the center. Sometimes a tiny bit of cotton is placed inside each petal to make the rose look larger. When all the petals are finished, begin the rose by adding the three smallest petals first. Pin in place around the center, wrapping them closely around it and letting them extend about one-eighth of an inch above the point. Add the next row, pinning each petal in place before sewing. Place each succeeding row one-eighth of an inch above the preceding one. Watch the face of the blossom carefully and see that it looks as natural as possible. The back of the blossom will be covered when finished, either with a few old rose leaves and a rose cup, or points of green ribbon sewed to resemble leaves. A rubber stem may be bought to slip over the wire on which the rose is sewed, or the wire may be wound with green floss, baby ribbon, green tissue paper, or gum tissue. If the rose is to be full blown, it would be much better to make the center of yellow stamens.

Wild rose of silk—

The petals for the wild rose may be cut from the same pattern as for the first rose given. This same pattern is used for many different flowers—the wild rose, apple blossom, sweet pea, and for foliage.

For the wild rose use the size having the two-inch bias. Gather one-eighth of an inch from the curved edge, draw down tight and fasten the thread off. This rose requires five petals, and will look more natural if two of the petals are of a darker shade than the other three. For the center wrap a piece of tie wire around several yellow rose stamens which may be bought at a millinery store, leaving the ends of wire five or six inches long. Arrange the petals flat around this center and sew in place. The petals should lie out flat, or nearly so. A bud for this rose is made by folding a petal together after having gathered it. The bud may be effectively finished by using two leaves of foliage, placing one on either side, partially covering the bud and then finishing with the wire or a small green rose cup. To finish with wire, make a loop in the center of a ten-inch piece of tie wire. To this loop sew the bud. Twist the wire several times for an inch below the bud, then turn one end of the wire back and twist it around the stem until the bud is reached. Wind it several times over the base of the bud, draw it tight and see that the wire is close together. This will make a finish for the bud.

Foliage—

The rose foliage may be made if desired. Cut the leaves from green satin or velvet, or color them green with water-color if a light-colored material must be used. After cutting the pieces in the shape of rose leaves (it will require two pieces for each leaf), lay one wrong side up, cover with milliner's glue. Lay on the center of this a piece of tie wire long enough for the stem. Place another leaf on this and press together. When all the leaves are made after this method, arrange on a long stem or wire, and if wound with brown gum tissue it will look very natural.

Small wound rose of fabric—

Cut from a true bias a strip of material one inch wide and four inches long. Fold lengthwise through the middle. Turn the raw edges in on one end, and gather one-eighth inch from the edge along the raw edges. Draw the thread up to one inch and roll, beginning with the folded end, and sew. A piece of tie wire may be glued inside the fold before gathering, if desired. These little roses may be sewed on a stem or sewed to a shaped piece of buckram which has been covered with silk. It may be in the shape of a buckle or a circle and covered with these little roses in several colors, pink, blue, and mauve. Sewed flat against a crown or on a brim, they would trim a hat effectively.

Wired rose—

This rose, when carefully made, is most beautiful and sells for an exorbitant price. To make the rose as illustrated requires one-quarter of a yard of satin cut on the bias and one-eighth of a yard of velvet cut on the bias. If the velvet is one or more shades darker, the result will be more pleasing.

The rose is fashioned from petals cut like the illustration. The first three petals are cut from dimensions given in the illustration, two inches long and one and three-quarters inches wide. The next five petals should be one-quarter of an inch larger, and each succeeding row of five petals should be one-quarter of an inch larger than the preceding one. The last row of petals is to be made from the velvet. Cut a piece of the tie wire long enough to reach around the outside edge of each petal, plus one and one-half inches. Lay the petals down wrong side up, bend the wire to the shape of the petal, lay the wire close to the edge and turn the raw edge over the wire one-eighth of an inch and glue in place with milliner's glue. Place a light weight on the petals until thoroughly dry.

Begin assembling the flower by first making a center from some of the scraps left from the velvet, or yellow rose stamens may be used; fold several small pieces into bud-like shapes of about one inch in length, sew strongly and fasten on a loop of the wire six inches long. Keep the point where all the petals are joined in as small a circumference as possible. Begin with the three small petals, pleat them at the bottom into as small a space as possible, and sew to the center with the wrong side to the center. After they have been arranged, the edges may be crinkled down somewhat. Add the remaining petals according to their size. The last row of velvet petals is rather pretty if one or more is placed with the right side toward the center.

Flat pasted blossom—

A conventional flower which makes a beautiful trimming may be made from the pattern for the wired rose first given. Cut five petals (of any size required) from velvet, and five the same size from silk or satin. Lay the velvet petals wrong side up and cover with milliner's glue. Lay on this a piece of tie wire one-quarter of an inch from the edge, allowing an extension of ends of the wire at the bottom of the petal. Lay the silk petal on top and press firmly. When dry arrange these five petals around a cluster of yellow stamens, which have been fastened to a loop of tie wire. This blossom should lie out flat when finished. Of course the shape of the petals may be changed in any way desired.

Poinsettias—

The petals of this blossom are also pasted to a lining, the poinsettia making a beautiful ornament. While a bright red is extremely lovely, a black poinsettia is equally effective. The petals should be made of velvet and lined with the same color in satin. These petals being narrow, only need a wire through the center. After the petals have been prepared, they should be assembled around a bunch of yellow stamens or knotted baby ribbon.

The foliage is made from green velvet lined with green silk. The accompanying illustration shows the proportion of both the petals of the blossom and the foliage. The stems may be wound with green or brown gum tissue.

Poppies—

Poppies may be made from ribbon seventeen inches long and two and one-quarter inches wide. Cut two pieces five and one-half inches long. This leaves one piece six inches long. This will make five petals. Cut the ends round on the five and one-half inch pieces, and cut one end of the six-inch piece round. Beginning at the center, close to edge, gather with a small running stitch. Turn in the raw edges and draw the thread sufficiently to make the rounded ends curl over one inch, and fasten off the thread. These two long pieces make four petals. Pleat them very close at the center, sew together, finish the single petal the same and add it to the four petals. Knotted black baby ribbon or yellow stamens or both will make a beautiful center.

Morning glories—

Cut a circle of paper four inches in diameter. One quarter section of this will be the pattern for a morning glory. The circle may be larger if desired, but the size should depend somewhat upon the material used. These dimensions are for a small blossom made of taffeta silk or organdie. If made of velvet or heavy silk, the pattern should be much larger.

Lap the straight edges one-eighth of an inch in and paste in place. This makes a cone. Cut a piece of tie wire six inches in length, lap one end over several knots of yellow baby ribbon and twist securely. Push the other end of wire through the cone from the inside and draw the knots down into the point. Make a short bend in the wire at the lower point of the blossom on the outside to prevent its slipping down on the wire. The upper edge of the cone may be rolled over a piece of tie wire and pasted if necessary; usually it stays in place without either sewing or pasting. The edge should be stretched slightly. Organdie or taffeta silk will stay rolled into place without the tie wire. Water color is used most effectively on these flowers to make the shading as true to nature as possible. If made of velvet they may be sewed down flat on a hat at the side joining, when a large stamen of twisted ribbon or chenille may be made to cover the joining in the cone.

Orchid—

This blossom is especially adapted to the gown of the matron, or wherever a touch of lavender is desired. It is effectively combined with violets, or lilies-of-the-valley and maidenhair fern. The petals are made of satin ribbon one and one-quarter inches wide and of the peculiar pinkish lavender orchid shade. There are five petals in all—each calls for seven inches of ribbon. If possible, three of the petals should be one or two shades darker than the other two.

Fold a seven-inch piece of ribbon (one and one-quarter inches wide) in half with the right side out. Cut into shape like the illustration. Stitch a seam along the curved edge one-eighth of an inch from the edge. Twist a very small loop in one end of a piece of seven-inch tie wire and fasten up at folded end of the ribbon. Overhand this wire along the raw edges, turn to the wrong side and sew the wire in with a one-eighth-inch seam on the wrong side. This makes a French seam. Now spread the petal open flat, and push it up on the wire until the petal measures six inches in length. Gather the raw ends and wind them tight to the wire. Finish the other four petals the same way.

No. 1 pattern for the center—

This calls for a piece of velvet ribbon one and one-half inches wide and four inches in length. If possible