Things to do · Arts and crafts
Learn to make a hat
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Millinery is the craft of shaping felt, straw and sinamay over a block with steam, then wiring, binding and trimming it into a hat that fits one head. Short courses run from a single day for a fascinator to five days or weeks for blocked hats you take home.
Moderate£100 to £500 / $130 to $650A few weeksIndoorsWith othersUK and US
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What you learn
Central Saint Martins' five-day workshop lists the core skills - blocking and steaming, traditional millinery stitches, stiffening, wiring and binding, measuring a head, fitting, and making your own trimmings. Students make two or more hats in wool felt and sinamay to take away.
Morley College builds its five-week beginners' course around techniques, with the aim that you create a basic hat and develop your own designs for hats and trimmings. The college says all are welcome, but students bring their own fabrics, trimmings and haberdashery.
Sewing matters more on some courses than others. East Village Hats in New York says basic hand-sewing skills are "a must" for its felt hat class, and the Minnesota Historical Society recommends some basic sewing for its fascinator day. Central Saint Martins says its course is open regardless of prior experience.
Ways in compared
| Where | Format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| Morley College, London | Five Thursdays, 10am to 4pm; materials not included | £450, or £340 concession |
| Central Saint Martins (UAL), London | Five-day intensive; one felt hood and sinamay supplied; two or more hats | From £700 |
| Minnesota Historical Society, St Paul | One day; one finished fascinator or headpiece; materials, mannequin and hat box included | $150 |
| East Village Hats, New York | Two sessions; block and finish a fedora, porkpie, cloche or top hat; materials included | $325 |
Central Saint Martins asks students to bring a waterproof apron, tape measure, thimble, notebook, household and sewing scissors, household and blocking pins, and hand-sewing needles.
How to start
- Decide whether you want to start with a headpiece or fascinator in a day, or a blocked felt or straw hat over several sessions.
- Check the course's sewing requirement; some ask for basic hand-sewing, others are open to anyone.
- Find out which materials are included and what you must bring, such as thimble, pins, scissors and an apron.
Where to go
- Morley College London: Beginner's Contemporary Millinery UK
- Central Saint Martins (UAL): Millinery Workshop Short Course UK
- Minnesota Historical Society: Fascinator and Headpiece Millinery Workshop US
- East Village Hats, New York: make your own felt hat US
We opened these links on 9 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
Do I need to be able to sew to do a millinery course?
It depends on the course. East Village Hats says basic hand-sewing is a must, while Central Saint Martins says its workshop is open regardless of prior experience.
How long does it take to learn millinery?
You can make a fascinator in a day at the Minnesota Historical Society workshop. Courses for blocked hats run over two sessions to five weeks.
Are materials included in a hat-making course?
Sometimes. The Minnesota Historical Society and East Village Hats include materials, Central Saint Martins supplies some, and Morley College asks you to bring your own fabrics and trimmings.
What do you need for a millinery class?
Central Saint Martins lists an apron, tape measure, thimble, scissors, pins, blocking pins and hand-sewing needles. Morley College asks for a basic sewing kit and an apron.
Where this comes from: Morley College London, Beginner's Contemporary Millinery; University of the Arts London, Millinery Workshop Short Course (CSM); Minnesota Historical Society, Fascinator and Headpiece Millinery Workshop with Karen Morris; East Village Hats, Make your own felt hat with Julia Knox. Opened 9 November 2026.
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