Hat Blocks & Accessories for Milliners

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Vintage Smalls
 

In response to the growing popularity of vintage style hats, we designed a range of crowns and brims to enable you to make a fascinating range of hats. The wine glass and bottle pictured below help to give an idea of size.

wine glass & bottle Apart from the 'midi range', the crowns are all 'one size', approximately 11.5cm (4.5 inches) wide and 7.5cm (3 inches high). Some are circular, some oval, and one is triangular. The easiest way to create your hat is to first block the crown with the crown block on a block stand, pinning at the very bottom of the sides. Now remove the crown block from the stand and secure it to the brim block with the two screws provided, tie a cord around the bottom of the crown below the pins and block the brim.

For a shallow brimmed hat, BB60 is the block to choose. If you want a deeper brim, use BB61. We suggest that you use a felt or straw capeline with these blocks. We have experimented with using a felt cone rather than a capeline. The felt would not stretch sufficiently to form a wide brim, but we took advantage of this to create a cheeky upturn around one half of the brim (black hat).

The straw hat illustrated is made using a rough straw capeline (cream hat with strawberries). Neither of the brims are wired. The little pill box hat was made using CB62. Here we used a felt cone and pinned the felt underneath the block, finishing the hat by wiring the base.

The crowns and brims can also be blocked separately using any fabric. They look stunning in both silk and sinamay.

IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE THE EUROPEAN UNION, THE EX VAT PRICES ARE FOR YOU.

CB64
CB64 A basic domed block on a circular base. Once blocked, it can be manipulated into dished or trilby styles - a very versatile little block!

 

Price £63.00 (£52.50 ex VAT)

 
CB62
CB62 You must try this delightful little number with its curved swept tip on a rounded triangular base. Great possibilities for your vintage collection.

 

Price £56.00 (£46.67 ex VAT)
 
CB60
CB60 A snappy little design with a 'V' shaped top with one side higher than the other. Circular base.

 

Price £67.00 (£55.83 ex VAT)
 
CB63
CB63 Try this design if you prefer an oval base. A chic dished tip adds style! The valley runs from front to back.

 

Price £56.00 (£46.67 ex VAT)
 
CB61
CB61 A simple 'fez' style, again on an oval base. The flat tip slopes down from one side to the other. A neat, classic shape.

 

Price £47.00 (£39.17 ex VAT)
 
Brims
BB60
BB60 A shallow circular brim, 305mm (12 inches) in diameter, with a 2cm (3/4 inch) deep straight slope. Supplied with special screws and a key to fix to your crowns.

 

Price £69.00 (£57.50 ex VAT)
 
BB61
A deeper circular brim, 305mm (12 inches) in diameter with a 45mm (1 3/4 inch) deep gently curved slope. Supplied with special screws and a key to fix to your vintage small crowns.

 

Price £83.00 (£69.17 ex VAT)
 
BB67
bb67

A simple flat brim with fixing holes to attach any of the vintage small crowns above. Many possibilities including bicorn and tricorn hats. Pictured here with a string groove (not standard).

 

Price £69.00 (£57.50 ex VAT)

 
BB62

BB62

bb62 with presser

A delightful little up-turned brim, which sweeps from a straight downward slope to a hollow curve on the other side. The position of the crown is offset slightly toward the straight side of the brim. Supplied with a pressing ring.

 

Price £133.00 (£110.83 ex VAT)

 

"Many thanks for the two small vintage crown blocks which I received this morning. They are almost too beautiful to use, but no doubt I will overcome this reticence!"

Helen Thorne, UK

 
Midi range blocks

This is a new and growing range of approximately two-thirds size blocks that will sit on top of the head rather than fitting lower down as normal. We started with the mini topper and brim below and have been adding more in recent months. Keep a look out for more coming soon and if you've any ideas then do let us know. With the brim blocks you have the option of choosing the same size as the crowns or 3mm bigger to allow you to block in one. If you choose the same size, then the two blocked parts will need stitching together as normal.

Click here to see some examples of hats made on these blocks by Trica Roush of House of Nine Designs

CB52

cb52

A classic topper block only in miniature (approx 2/3 normal size). The crown is made in five parts enabling you to dismantle it inside the blocked crown for easy removal. Made in tulip wood with string groove as standard. Full instructions included.

Price £214.00 (£178.33 ex VAT)

CB52v New!
cb52v

Same as above but with a valley running front to back. Comes with a pressing block pictured left.

Price £246.00 (£205.00 ex VAT)

 
BB54
bb54

The accompanying brim for the classic topper above. Made in tulip wood with string groove as standard.

 

Price £214.00 (£178.33 ex VAT)

 
CB104
cb104

A bowler crown perfect with the BB54 above or with any of the brims in this range. Made from tulip woodand with a string groove as standard.

 

Price £80.00 (£66.67 ex VAT)

 
CB105
cb105

A regency top hat crown perfect with the BB54 above or with any of the brims in this range. Includes a string groove as standard.

 

Price £68.00 (£56.67 ex VAT)

 
CB106
cb106

A lower version of the CB105 and this time with gently concaved sides. Very nice with the BB69 below or any of the brims in this range. Includes a string groove as standard.

Price £80.00 (£66.67 ex VAT)

 
CB110
cb110

cb110

cb110
   

A mini homburg! Again, this will combine very nicely with BB69 below. Available in tulip or obeche and pictured here with a string groove (optional). Also available is a creser to easily shape the valley, simply place it in the groove with a weight on the top and leave to dry.

Price £121.00 (£100.83 ex VAT) - Creaser £26.00 (£21.66 ex VAT)

 
CB116  
cb116

A very cute little cowboy crown made for the midi range. This would work well with the BB54 above, or we could make you a dedicated cowboy brim to go with it!

Price £121.00 (£100.83 ex VAT)

   
 
BB65  
bb65

A circular brim, 360mm (14 inches) in diameter with a 60mm (2 1/2 inch) deep gently curved slope. Compatible with all the midi size crowns above.

Price £145.00 (£120.83 ex VAT)

 
BB66
bb66

A circular brim, 360mm (14 inches) in diameter with a 28mm (1 inch) deep flat slope. Compatible with all the midi size crowns above.

Price £145.00 (£120.83 ex VAT)

 
BB68
bb68

A striking asymmetric brim with a high upturn on the left (of the finished hat) and a more gentle, lower one on the right. The upturn at the back is higher than at the front. String groove as standard.

Price £233.00 (£194.17 ex VAT)

bb68
 
BB69
bb69

Another upturn rolled all the way round, less in the front and back than the sides. String groove as standard.

Price £214.00 (£178.33 ex VAT)

 

bb69
 
 
"The blocks are absolutely beautiful and the craftsmanship is
superb. I shan't get my blocks from anyone else...".
Michelle Webb, Elstree
 
 
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