Stuck On Hat Pins

There was a time, and not so very long ago, that every woman wore a hat when she went out-of-doors. Men did too, though they had hats that fit further down around the head and stayed in place. Those men that had hats that needed help staying put, such as drum majors and cowboys, employed chin straps.

But the ladies---their hats were quite often NOT fitted to the head, but rather perched on the hair, often at some very un-sensible angle. Leaning forward, all the way to the back, coquettishly to one side; these confections of straw, fabric, lace, flowers, feathers, beads, lace and what-have-you often needed some help staying in place.

For some hats ribbons are enough. But others require a little more structural anchorage. This was done by means of the then-common hat pin.

Made to be decorative with beads, gems, flowers, and baubles of all sorts, it is also a very thin but sturdy 6 or 8 inch brass or steel shaft.

The length allows it to be threaded through the hat, through hair worn up on the head, and back through the hat.

This would anchor it more firmly in place, particularly necessary when there was a breeze....and though it is not be ladylike to mention it, the hat pin as Personal Security Device has been used throughout the centuries too.

In the year 2006, hats are no longer required for every outing. Many people do collect them though, and some collect hat pins too.

There are those who enjoy the pins as art all by themselves without any chapeaus ever being involved. In addition to acquiring vintage pieces at auctions, estate sales, and online, you can also make your own.

Fire Mountain Gems sells brass shafts in silver and gold tone finishes. These are long head pins with points at one end and a head bump at the other end to stop the beads.

Shown below in both colors, the pens are easily bent, and care needs to be taken in storing them. Small rubber and metal stoppers are available for the bottom points.

Beads and other decorative pices are threaded onto the pins and glued in place using E6000 or superglue in small amounts. A small hole can also be drilled into a piece that is then glued in place over the head end of the pin.

Because polymer clay is lightweight and so incredibly versatile in its uses, it makes ideal beads for use in hat pins. Not too heavy, and it can be molded, stained, painted, glittered, and treated with thousands of different techniques.

These interesting and collectable fashion ornaments make excellent use of "orphan beads" or sets that have only a few beads left---interspersed with others in a like colorway, and they are suddenly a collection!

Displaying these beauties is fun. Unless you get the small safety pieces for the ends, its also the safest way to keep them around! You can mount the pins in a shadow box or frame.

There are special hat pin holders that are shaped like little shoes, hats, or small vases filled with a pillow of stuffing or sawdust. The hat pins are then stuck into that like flowers.

Make sure that any displays are out of the reach of children, and do NOT allow mock sword fights--these are not toys.

Another option is to use the blue foam sheets that are meant for insulation inside walls. Available in sheets, it is a foam plastic extruded in two thicknesses. It is shaped with a hot wire cutter, and model railroad builder and scenic designers have used it for many years. .

It is wonderful for making lightweight display units and miniature pieces---the miniature bed in my previous column here had a mattress made of a rectangle of insulation foam. "Styro-foam (TM)" is the brand name of ONE kind of plastic foam made by Dow Chemical , and this is it; what we get in craft stores in white balls and shapes is a different formulation.

Do NOT bake these foam pieces as armatures, but they are great to use as light weight forms and you can apply baked pieces using glues.

Look for this product at hardware and home improvement stores.

A hot wire tool is plugged in and the thin wire becomes extremely hot when triggered. This melts rather than cuts the pieces as the wire is moved through the foam. A metal ruler or other shaped metal piece can be used as a guide to help create cleaner lines as the piece is shaped. Always read the tool package instructions, use it in a VERY WELL VENTILATED AREA and unplug the tool immediately after use.

Once shaped, pieces can be glued together with a low-temp glue gun, or hi-temp held a bit away---the hot glue can easily melt the foam. Superglue, PVA glues or E6000 can also be used with it.

It can be painted with spray paints but a slight surface change occurs due to chemical interaction, making it look more pocked or melty which is useful when simulating rock or monster skin.

You can use acrylic paints and also rubber stamps and inks, and even glue on polymer clay medallions like this one shown here.

The two wedge shaped blocks shown in the display above were hot glued onto a painted wooden plaque for an easily made and unique hatpin showcase.

Any color, any style---foam is a versatile basis for decorating and it can be made with scraps from other foam projects or a specially cut piece.

When the paint is dry, insert the hat pins, and take advantage of vertical display space!