Hey dilly doily.

Hello, its the milliner here. After some fun digging through the crocheted items bin, the designer found a small ecru coloured doily just the right size for Arabella's bergere. The crochet stitches resembled a straw hat weave and the sweet little detail around the edge was the perfect finishing touch.

The doily, just like the faux straw we've used, was moulded on a pill bottle to form a crown. It took some doing to wrap the elastic band and make sure it was set evenly all around. Unfortunately there was no starch in the shop to use as stiffener, so it was time to do some experimenting. (And to put starch on the buyer's list.) Alene's Tacky glue, straight from the bottle, was applied to the crown instead. Extra care was taken to ensure the glue didn't travel. 

Two coats took a lot of time to dry and did look thick and whiter than hoped for. There was no need to apply glue inside the crown for added strength. It was well soaked and looked a bit goopy. So it was decided to use a watered down version of the glue on the brim and on any future doily hats.

The crown also needed some stabilizing to help it keep its shape. Double thread on a milliner's needle was stitched around the bottom of the crown, with the occasional back stitch for strength, and keeping everything even.

Then it was off to iron the brim as flat as possible. No plastic to melt here. But definitely some work to do.

The crochet was much easier to flatten than the faux straw, with the threads simply pushing closer together. Attention was paid to keeping the edge even, and the sweet detail open, by pinning the brim to the sleeve board. Much steam was spritzed and then pressure applied to the brim with the iron and a cotton cloth. It took three rounds to achieve an acceptable result. Time was also allowed for the damp crochet to dry before handling. 

Once the brim was sufficiently flattened it was time to stiffen it. Using a piece of cardboard covered in cling wrap as a platform, a mix of Tacky glue and water (1 water to 1 glue) was applied and left to dry. Do NOT forget to cover the cardboard with cling wrap. Two coats were applied and the result was much more attractive.

The brim might need another layer of glue on the underside. We'll see how it stands up to handling. 

The  designer and Arabella were both happy with a flat hat brim. Trimmings were then added, along with a dressmaker's pin disguised as a hat pin. The bijoux department will make up a proper hat pin soon.

Over all this experiment was successful and the bergere is charmingly simple. The designer is already revisiting the crochet bin and the buyer has instructions to keep a eye out for more doilies. 

Please check out the gallery for another pic of Arabella modelling her new hat. The knitters are busy making up some more mitts and stockings for her too. 

As always, comments and feedback are appreciated.