Unboxing a Small Millinery Block

Just a warning, this unboxing did not turn out as hoped. But, I am making the most of it.

The backstory: A couple weeks ago, I bought a modern doll size hat block that I’ve been curiously watching for months. I had been wondering about these modern little blocks for a couple years. They seemed to be pretty popular with doll people. I was curious if I could use one using nineteenth century techniques, handsewn techniques rather than glue. To my delight, I could. After a week of making a few doll hats, I was quite pleased and satisfied. Then, I randomly opened Etsy with a search “doll hats”… and… this came up.

It was a tiny version of a millinery block in my collection.

I ordered it.

I expected to come later this week. It came today.

I am quite delighted with the little hat block.

Sadly, the collar portion did not survive the journey. I am sad about this. Talking with curator friends, I will be repairing it. I first need to look into the proper ways to do so. Plaster is not a material I have experience with.

This millinery block creates many questions I need to find answers to. Was this for a doll’s hat or was this a salesman’s sample? If this was a salesman’s sample, how does that change the premise that the full size blocks were supplied by representatives of the straw factories for straw sewers to use? If this is a doll size block, were there and are there other doll size block? Who would have sewn the doll size hats? Are there remaining doll hats from these blocks? This will likely become a lengthy research rabbit hole.