Waltham Forest Adult Learning Service
Course Information Sheet 2025 - 26
Course Title: Introduction to Millinery – Block a Sinamay (Summer)
Course Description: Learn the basics of the art of Millinery in this 5 week course. Use Sinimay and block your own hat using beautiful wooden hat blocks. Each week you will be guided through blocking and finishing your very own hat.
Week 1. Measuring and sizing your head, how to prepare your block, steam and shape your sinamay over a block. Learn about millinery materials, where to buy them and the what to buy.
Week 2. Stiffening your fabric. Stretch your Sinamay over your chosen blocks
Week 3. Remove hats from blocks. Prepare your millinery wire and learn the hand sewing skills to attach to your shape.
Week 4. Hat piece construction
Week 5. Finishing your hat. Inserting head band.
Who is the course for?
This is a beginners course and is suitable for people with limited or no previous experience of millinery, some basic hand sewing skills would be advantageous. Please note blocking hats can be quite physically taxing and will require some upper body strength.
Do you gain any qualifications?
No – this course is not accredited.
Do you need to be interviewed or assessed before enrolling on the course?
No
Essential equipment and resources (Cost to college Wire -£34.50, Sample sinamay 5m – approx. £50)
The college will provide hat blocks, millinery wire and equipment for blocking. Students will be required to provide their own materials and a full list of stockists and requirements will be discussed in the first session.
· Basic sewing kit
· Sinimay/ Felt
· Wire cutters
· Mililnery straws/needles
· Matching millinery petersham/ threads
Prosp Content 