Millinery (Hat-Making) Course for Beginners

What you'll learn

Learn to embrace your creative side with our millinery short courses in Sydney!

Learn to make your own hat! In this short course, you will learn many traditional aspects of millinery and will make and take home a hat or headpiece that you have made yourself. Each 4 week session will focus on a different millinery material– Sinamay, Felt, or Straw to create a classic style such as a fascinator, fedora, cloche, trilby, or boater style. So check in the notes below to confirm which option is being taught for the session.

If you want to learn about Millinery in Sydney, then this course is for you.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this millinery course, you will have enhanced your career prospects by:

Complete a hat or headpiece using the technique and material of focus (either straw, felt, or sinamay)
Gain knowledge of several trim and finishing techniques and options using millinery materials –e.g. feathers, crinoline, and grosgrain.
Demonstrate the use of a variety of millinery techniques to make and complete a hat such as blocking, finishing, and binding techniques.
Analyse a hat in terms of design, line, colour, texture, repetition, emphasis, and balance.
Determine styles to suit your face shape.

Course content

What will be covered in this millinery course?

Introduction to millinery and hat making, millinery and hat making materials, tools, and equipment.
How to choose a style to suit.
Design Elements and principles for hats and headwear.
Choosing the right hat blocks and equipment for your hat project
Learn some traditional trim techniques for millinery and hat making
Making a hat or headpiece from Felt or Straw, or Sinamay, using traditional techniques.
Grosgrain binds and trims
How to line your hat.
How to keep your hat on– tips, tricks, and techniques to secure your hat.
How to store, and care for your hat.
Tour Embellish Atelier and Hatters Millinery Supplies to experience a working studio.

Intended audience

Who is this millinery course for?

This course is for anyone interested in hats or looking to upskill in the process of creating hats. Whether you have a genuine passion for hats, you're a milliner looking to enhance your skillset, you aspire to work in the fashion industry, or simply want to explore a new creative avenue, our millinery short courses in Sydney offer the perfect opportunity to enhance your knowledge and skills in hat-making.

Course materials

What to bring to class

The tutor supplies equipment and materials for the first class and will outline and display the correct equipment, and tools required for millinery.
A basic sewing kit can be purchased on the first evening and includes:

Tape measure
Sewing Gauge
Packet of mixed size straw needles (Birch preferred)
Floral Pins
Beeswax Thread conditioner

Additional materials required throughout the class:

Mapping/drawing pins
Quality dressmaking steel pins
Apron
Thread to match project – Gutermann preferred
Hat Box
General-purpose scissors
Long-nosed pliers
Thimble

Available to purchase from Spotlight, Lincraft or Hatters Millinery Supplies.

Additional information

Please note the following:

The tutor provides the foundation materials as part of the course – (paradisal straw or felt capeline, wire, some basic fabrics, tools, equipment, and sundry glues, and stiffeners) for your Hat or headpiece. Suitable Hat Blocks are made available for use to create the Hat or headpiece.

Please wear closed-in shoes.

Course testimonials

Tailoi said: An oasis for expression of creativity and a stunning felt hat to wear for the Winter
Margaret said: I loved this course! Catherine was so generous with her time and knowledge and she attended to each student on our individual projects. I enjoyed it so much that I have enrolled in the next course.
Olivia said: Such a great course. Well taught and now I feel confident to make hats at home. Such a beautiful venue in Cathy’s millinery shop surrounded by beautiful hats and blocks. Cathy was an exceptional teacher and inspired the class every week.
Margaret said: I keep coming back for more millinery courses because I enjoy the process. Catherine is a wonderful teacher - patient, knowledgeable and inclusive - and at the end of it all I end up with another new hat, which I made myself!
Rosie said: It was a fabulous course. Lovely people, Catherine was great and very knowledgeable. I really, really enjoyed myself and loved what I was able to create.

Course tutors

This course has no current classes. Please join our waitlist and we will notify you when we have places available. Join waitlist for Millinery (Hat-Making) Course for Beginners