Swashbuckling Santa Hat

I have had a pirate Santa doll percolating in my head for quite some time (ever since the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, actually) and decided to work on a hat for him yesterday. I adapted a pattern from a great book by milliner Denise Dreher, From the Neck Up: An Illustrated Guide to Hatmaking. This is a bicorne design from the late 1700s – and, although it looks simple, it’s actually quite a little wonder of engineering. I had a blast making this! I even made a ribbon cockade to embellish it using the directions in the book. Although it’s not perfect I love the effect. There’s a whole chapter devoted to making hat trims. All of my fashion dolls are lining up for hats…