Unleash your artistic flair with our “Painted Silk Abaca Flower” class—no flower-making tools needed! Dive into the world of flower creation as you learn to craft exquisite blooms using silk abaca. In this course, you’ll master the art of hand dyeing and manipulating silk abaca into delicate petals and skilfully assemble them to form beautiful flowers, complete with intricate centres. By the end of the session, you’ll have a stunning finished flower vine and the confidence to create more. Expand your floral craftsmanship and explore a world of silk abaca flower possibilities! 
By the end of the course, students will:

• Complete a finished silk abaca flower vine, with patterns provided for future projects
• Gain the knowledge to design and create a variety of silk abaca flowers
• Understand how to construct different stamen types for floral centres
• Acquire techniques to explore linking and vining flowers into trims and larger decorative pieces

This course is aimed at: 

Those who are interested in expanding their skills into silk abaca flower work. It is ideal for learners looking for an accessible, tool-free approach to floral craftsmanship, and for those wishing to add versatile decorative techniques to their designs.

Skill level: All – the results will depend on your skills

Step into the world of modern millinery and discover the art of working with yardage of crinoline. In this class, you’ll learn how to transform this dynamic fabric into powerful, architectural shapes and ethereal, flowing details. While some experience with drapery is helpful, this workshop is designed for all skill levels—no matter where you are on your creative journey.

Crinoline is available at major fashion fabric stores in a variety of colors. Transparent, light yet sturdy material allows for the creation of ethereal designs at a very affordable cost.

Skill level: All – the results will depend on your skills

One of the most fascinating and challenging techniques in hat
design is the ability to create the illusion that elements are floating
effortlessly in midair. Over the years, I have developed a method
that uses cleverly manipulated wire structures to make materials
appear as if they barely touch the surface.
In this immersive workshop, we will explore the art of sculpting with
wire to create gravity-defying headpieces that blend fantasy,
whimsy, and technical precision. Participants will learn how to
shape, cut, bend, color, and connect different materials—combining
them with structural wires to create striking visual illusions.
Through hands-on experimentation, we’ll delve into balance,
negative space, and the delicate tension between structure and
freedom. The final creation will not only be wearable—it will seem to
hover, dance, and soar above the head, turning the wearer into a
walking dreamscape.
This workshop is ideal for artists, designers, and curious makers
who want to expand their sculptural language and explore how
theatricality, illusion, and fine craftsmanship can meet in a single
piece of wearable art.

Skill level: All – the results will depend on your skills

In this one-day course with Leanne Frederick, students will learn a variety of adornment techniques using ribbons! 

First – get all the secrets to creating masterpiece cockades! Leanne will teach you basic ribbon folds for a loopy cockade.  Pleated Fuschia combines Leanne’s popular pleated ribbon technique with stamen and organdy petals.  Petals are colored with an innovative technique that will surprise you. The wired stem gives this flower a little twist. McIntosh Rose is inspired by one of Leanne’s mother’s hats from the late 1950s/early 1960s. This charming vintage ribbon folding technique works well with a variety of ribbon styles from petersham, satin, velvet or strips of fabric. Leanne will teach you the folding technique she uses with wide ribbon, narrow ribbon, and a strip of cotton organdie. 

As you’re creating your ribbon pieces, Leanne will also demonstrate how to attach your flowers to a headband to create a finished piece.

Those techniques can also be used with alternative materials or enlarged for a modern twist.

Course outcomes:

Students will finish with at least one of each of the techniques  styles. Often they will finish with multiple variations.

Must be able to thread a needle and basic hand sewing skills with increase the enjoyment of this course.

Skill level: All – basic sewing skills required.

It’s an original way to use this lightweight material, creating an elegant headpiece to wear during the summer season.

In this class, students will learn not only how to create an elegant semi-turban, but also how to make a sinamay headband-style base, which can be very versatile and used in other projects. They will also learn how to position the veil, how to spread it over the surface of the sinamay base before covering it with the abaca, so that it fits perfectly over the face.

The technique is suitable for all levels, but basic sewing skills are required

Skill level: All – basic sewing skills required.

In this workshop, participants will explore how to transform straw into ethereal, feather-like florals — combining dyeing, shaping, and structural techniques to craft a flower with movement and depth.

Students will create each feather-inspired “petal” by hand in varied sizes, then dye them to achieve natural gradations in tone and texture. A custom-dyed flower centre will also be constructed, and together the elements will be assembled into a bloom that is sculpted petal by petal for a truly dimensional finish.

Wirework will be incorporated to support and shape the flower, giving students the ability to manipulate the form with balance and elegance. The final result can be styled as a singular showpiece or repeated as a cluster for layered impact.

This workshop is ideal for milliners with confident hand skills who are looking to elevate their understanding of material manipulation, colour depth, and three-dimensional floral design.

Skill level: Intermediate