Lucy Till Hat Courses
Come spend a week in the South of France, making hats in a millinery atelier located in a village surrounded by potters and other artisans. This holiday offers you the opportunity to make two or three hats in straw and felt; enjoy life in a provincial French town and taste the local wine and food.
You will be creating hats in a veritable Aladdin's cave of hat blocks and forms, with straw hoods of all types, ribbons, silk flowers and feathers. This charming boutique is a delight for anyone interested in hats, their history, and their fabrication. I offer courses in basic hat making, working with both straw and felt, which are ideal for beginners, but also appeal to more advanced hat makers who would like to experiment with different forms, exchange ideas and methods.
Group sizes are limited to 4 students to ensure personal attention.
5 Day Courses
The goal is to make at least three hats in felt and straw, and a head-piece or fascinator. However, as the classes or small there is a lot of flexibility to work on what you want to create.
It is recommended that you arrive on the Saturday before the course starts, in order to settle in and have time to explore Uzes and St. Quentin La Poterie.
Day 1 - Monday:
Meet in the atelier to select forms and materials for the hats you are going to make. Block a straw brim and crown, and leave to dry. In the afternoon block a felt hat, brim and crown. Stiffen straw hat on block.
Day 2 - Tuesday:
Stiffen felt hat and leave to dry on block, wire straw brim, join straw brim to crown.
Day 3 - Wednesday:
Trim straw hat and design fascinator using flexible medium of Sinamay. Learn to make flamboyant silk flowers and feather trimmings.
Day 4 - Thursday:
Block further felt or straw hats. Join together the crown and brim of first felt hat, and trim.
Day 5 - Friday:
Finish up all remaining blocked hats and trim.
Saturday:
Pack up to leave, but time permitting visit large market in Uzes.
Proposed Dates and Prices
Price of Course: €595 per person
This includes:
- All tuition
- Most hat-making materials
- Use of atelier and equipment
- 5 light lunches
Proposed Dates:
- Jan 17 - 21, 2011
- March 21 - 25, 2011
- May 2 - 6, 2011
- Oct 3 - 7, 2011*
- Oct 12 - 14, 2011*
- Nov 7 - 11, 2011
* These are an advanced class with Jan Wutkowski.
Courses with Jan Wutkowski:
October 3 - 7, 2011
Price of Course: €695 per person
Stylish cocktail hats/tilt hats/fascinators for this workshop are designed through the draping of ornately manipulated fabrics over buckram (20/20) forms-one pre-formed and two student-created (wet and dry) shapes, with the addition of fine feather mounts. Buckram (20/20) bases will be one that is pre-formed, one that is dry formed, and yet another that is wet formed. Attendees will learn to wire, edge and prepare buckram (20/20) to be covered with fabric and feather mounts. The fabric, and not just any fabric, starts with your choice of fabric yardage (suggestions will be made), then through varied processes that physically manipulate, even alter the fabric (gathering, folding, darting, slashing, embossing, tearing, burning, transparent overlaying) we will create rich, textural, exotic textiles to drape over one-of-a-kind buckram (20/20) hat forms. Feather mounts will be created by manipulating commonly used millinery feathers and combining them to fabulous result. Resulting hats will be a marriage of great form, function and fun.
October 12 - 14, 2011
Price of Course: €325 per person
Retro-Hats from Flat Felt Skirting.
Remember the fabulous movie hats from the 30's and 40's? Those hats were
almost exclusively made with flat felt yardage, which is structurally dissimilar from the familiar felt hoods and capelines used in modern millinery. This millinery medium has only recently been re-introduced to milliners, as it wasn't manufactured for over 40 years! You will be drafting flat patterns or using supplied patterns to create these striking retro shapes while modernizing them to fit today's fashion. Also learn the specialty millinery stitches needed when sewing flat felt-no seams.
See Jan's website at:
www.hatshatshats.com/index.htm
Accommodation
Self-catering accommodation is available in the following luxury apartments:
In Uzes:
Sleeps 1/3 - 1 double, 1 single sofa bed
Price per week: €400
Sleeps 1/4 - 1 double or 2 twins, plus 1 double sofa bed
Price per week: €650
In St. Quentin La Poterie:
Sleeps 1/4 - 1 double or 2 twins, plus 1 double sofa bed
Price per week: €500
For more information about these apartments, and about staying in the region of St. Quentin and Uzes, please go to our website at www.espritdusudfrance.com
These apartments are ideal for sharing. If your partner does not want to participate in the hat-making course, there are many other courses in painting, pottery, cycling, photography, cookery etc in the area. I would be happy to help you find such a course if you wish.
Transport
Closest airports
Nimes - 40 minutes service on Ryanair from UK
Avignon - 1 hour service on Flybe from UK, and TGV Paris and London
Montpellier - 75 minutes service on BA and Ryanair from UK
Marseille - 2 hours service on many airlines
Train Stations
The TGV train from London and Paris comes to Avignon and Nimes.
Car Rental
Cars can easily be rented from all the stations and airports. If you do not want to rent a car, transfers from airport or train stations can be arranged, plus daily transfers between the atelier and your accommodation. The cost is depends on the airport or station, but you should budget about €150-200 per person.
Alternative Courses
Shorter 2 - 3 day courses can also be arranged, tailor made to suit your needs, especially for people already staying in the area. To arrange this, please contact me to arrange dates. Group sizes are kept to a maximum of 4 students so that personal attention can be assured.
Course Enquiry
You can fill in the form below with your preferred course date and I will get back to you with more information regarding the availability and course structure.
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