Paper fabric has been on the millinery market for almost 10 years now. BUnique Millinery introduced it in the USA at the MMU 2016 with a variety of patterns and colors. But after the initial wow factor, the question of how to deal with it remained challenging milliners. Some tried to block it over sinamay or other base material, some of us stored the beauty to our ” for the future stash” and occasionally glanced over with a sigh.
A sample of patterned paper fabric from 2016 stash…
Carol Maher’s 2021 class reminded us that it is just paper after all: a cellulose-based material that can be wetted, shaped and dyed. Bring out your kindergarten gluestick and have at it! It comes in 1.5 m / 5ft width, it is a relatively inexpensive material to play with.
Paper hat base
Apart from the primary hat-making material, here are some ideas we have collected on the creative use of paper fabric:
- Fascinator lining: a woven look inside your base provides a sophisticated finish.
- Blocking material: when stiffened it can perform almost like buckram, although it is bulkier to stretch and better with simpler shapes.
- Play fabric to understand that new puzzle block you got off of eBay.
- Artist canvas to expand your pattern-creating creativity with for example acrylic paints. Join our upcoming class to get your inspiration.
What are your creative uses of the woven paper fabric?
Paper fabric used instead of buckram