Millinery Course -Level 1

Having previously studied fashion at university, millinery was not a module which was covered on the course, so I thought I’d give it a go, I have a degree is Fashion, how hard could it be…?

London College of Fashion offer a 9 week level 1 millinery evening course, regrettably it wasn’t based in South London, which meant the night train homes was proving to be a chore towards the end, however the course was great.

I’m not here to promote the course, as a student I found the overall cost of course to be very expensive, as well as the initial course cost there was also the additional materials cost and the equipment list; fabric scissors, tape measure, milliner needles, tailors chalk  and the list goes on…..

On the positive side, I did get a lot from the course, my appreciation for hat making has increased ten fold and whilst I’m not made of money, I now understand why occasion wear hats cost so much and would now be prepared to pay a lot more for one for myself.

The time that goes into making a hat is immense, process after process. Starting with the moulding, stretching and steaming the hat fabric over a block to mould the shape of the hat and this is a 2 part process for the brim and the hat top.

Hat block cupboard

Stretching & pinning over the block

Following the stretching, came 3 maybe 4 classes worth of hand stitching, all around the hat, around the brim, inside the hat, I even found myself stitching on a Sunday just to keep up. 

 We then had to line our hats, sow the base to the top and trim the hat. By the end of the 9 weeks, we have poked, stretched, prodded, glued and sowed together 2 hats one felt and one straw.

I honestly thought I’d walk away with a pretty hat for the races, I didn’t. I walked away with a new founded respect for milliners and 2 unique hats.

Yey 2 finished hats - one felt & one straw hat

The Critics Feedback

Firstly I’d like to mention and say thank you to our fabulous tutor, Chloe Scrivener, she had a mass of millinery knowledge and the patience of a saint and secondly to the bunch of women who attended the course. We didn’t know each other to begin with, but by the end I really looked forward to our weekly catch ups and it made the time fly by. 

I would recommend this course, if you were seriously thinking about taking up millinery as a career, it is an expensive course and there may be cheaper alternatives available if you just fancy trying something new. 

Check out the LCF website for more information London College of Fashion