I’ve been trying some new straw combinations this summer, seeing how the wheat plait can work with abaca plait.
This is the first time I’ve attempted to combine these plaits. The finner 4mm straw is one I usually use for doll millinery. The combination makes for a beautiful, delicate look. There is some asymmetry to this hat, with one side of the brim sitting slightly higher, that comes from the transition from crown to brim. The wide abaca plait behaves differently than wheat & rye straw. ***This hat will be available in my Etsy Shop at 6pm ET on Sunday, August 10th.***This tapered crown combined 6mm straw with the abaca. By using the straw plait for the sides for the crown, I avoided the issue I’ve been having with symmetry and the abaca. The combination of plaits looks fabulous in the taller Mousquetaire style. The stripes play with the eye making the crown look even taller. This style appears in 1860s but is also suitable for later in the century.
Obviously not a stripe:
This dome crown hat is a beautiful mistake. Last weekend, I grabbed the wrong hank to finish a piece I was working on but didn’t notice until after I soaked the straw. I would like to say I hand shaped it, but this straw nearly shaped itself, knowing what it wanted to be. This slightly wider plait of slightly wider straw worked up beautifully into this dome crown with shaped brim. I’m kind of in awe of how on point the shape is with this heavier straw.
***This hat will be available in my Etsy Shop at 6pm ET on Sunday, August 10th.***
If I Had My Own Blue Box: 
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