If you've ever admired the timeless elegance of fedora or trilby hats, learning how to craft your own felt hat is a rewarding creative journey. While felt hat making can appear daunting at first, mastering just a few key steps unlocks endless possibilities. Let’s dive into the process and explore how a master milliner can guide you from raw materials to finished headwear.

🎥 Watch the Classic Statement Hats Course trailer (1 min)

Step 1: Prepare and stiffen the felt

First, select high-quality felt, its look and shape depend heavily on how well it's prepared.

In the Hat Academy’s Classic Statement Hats Course, Master Milliner Lina Stein walks you through how to prepare and stiffen the felt, ensuring it’s ready for blocking and shaping.

• How to apply stiffener to felt for optimal firmness.
• Methods to prepare felt that responds well to shaping and steam.

Step 2: Blocking and shaping the crown

Shaping the crown is where the magic happens. Using a hat block, steam, and your hands (plus Lina’s signature grid system), you’ll mold the crown into elegant, precise contours.

Step 3: Cutting and wiring the brim

A high-quality hat relies on well-crafted brim detailing. The course covers how to cut the brim accurately, attach wiring securely for structure, and bind the edges neatly.

Step 4: Shaping the open crown

Lina Stein’s grid system takes center stage again as you finalize the crown shape. Through guided steam molding, you’ll perfect the indentations and elegant lines that define a fedora or trilby.

Step 5: Finishing touches: trim, lining, and headbands

The final styling elevates your hat from handcrafted to couture. Learn how to apply trims with finesse, line the crown for comfort and durability, and attach fitted headbands.

Bonus: Tutor support & learning tools

This course isn’t just video lectures, it’s an immersive learning experience:

• 5 on-demand lessons (around 6 hours of tuition)
• A detailed companion worksheet to track your progress
• Tutor Talk session with Lina Stein for Q&A and feedback

Why choose the classic statement hats course?

• Expert Instructor: Learn from Lina Stein, with over 30 years in millinery.
• Structured Learning: From felt prep to trimming, each step builds on the last.
• Creative Freedom: Shape crowns with Lina’s grid system, no expensive blocks needed.
• Ongoing Support: Companion materials and live Q&A elevate your learning experience.

In Summary

Yes, you can create a beautiful felt hat at home! By following the stages of stiffening felt, blocking and shaping the crown, wiring the brim, and finishing with trims and linings, you transform raw felt into stylish headwear.

🎓 Ready to create your own?
Join the Classic Statement Hats Course with Master Milliner Lina Stein and take your skills further.