You.can hand sew, but it takes longer. I like.to sew the wire on large brims by machine, but sometimes turn the wheel by hand. Some hat brims are easier to sew by hand, ie sewing satin binding under my Dior style brim, which would have been too bulky otherwise, and sewing by machine would have made the stitches visible on top of the hat, so would have been unacceptable for couture millinery. If you take a look at my Pic of my Audrey hat, you will see what I mean.