Interview: Milliner Sarah Padgham
Aug. 17th, 2011 07:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
labricoleuseOne of the greatest benefits of the Stephen Jones Millinery Contest is that it serves as an international forum for milliners to see one another's work and network. I have wanted to start an artisan/artist/designer interview series for quite some time, and this contest kickstarted me into gear on that goal.
So today, our first interview with California-based milliner Sarah Padgham!
Q. How long have you been designing hats, and how did you get started?
A. I have been designing hats on and off for about 20 years. I have a degree in Fashion Design from the University of Minnesota, however while I was there I did not take any hat making classes. After college I moved to California and starting taking millinery classes at a local community college for fun. I got hooked and have been interested in hats ever since. In the mid-1990’s I had a small business making hats, I had five sales reps and sold to about 30 small boutiques around the country. However I realized that I needed more experience and went to work for a large clothing manufacturer. In the past few years I have been working to revive my hat business but I am focusing more on one of a kind pieces and very small production runs.
Q. Your recent work uses a lot of repurposed and reclaimed materials (including your wonderful entry in the Jones contest, covered with cleaning cloths as its fashion fabric). Can you talk a bit about how you approach designing millinery using repurposed fabrics, and how that process may differ from your design approach when using new media?
A. I had been dabbling in using repurposed and reclaimed materials for my hats for a year or so. I had made a few simple sun hats using clothing that I found in thrift stores and thought they looked pretty good. However, I really got interested in it when I was chosen as the Fashion Artist in Residence for the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Oakland, Ca. They have this really great program where they pick one fashion designer and one artist each year to work on their premises and use whatever materials they can find in the warehouse. For more information on the program click here, http://www.svdp-alameda.org/air.php
My approach when using these reclaimed materials differs in that usually the fabric is limited. I might find a shirt that has a great fabric but I know there is usually only a couple yards of useful material on the shirt. I have to really plan on how the hat might look and how I use the fabric because once I cut the fabric that is it, I usually cannot get any more of that particular fabric.
The hat I made for the Stephen Jones hat competition is made out of microfiber cleaning clothes. I first saw a mop head in my local grocery store that was made from this same print. However the mop was cut into strips and the fabric was thick and I had a hard time running it through my machine. I went back to see what else I could find and happily discovered that there were also cleaning clothes using the same polka dot print and they were made with a thinner material. It was much easier to work with. I like the idea that if you happen to spill something you can use your hat to clean it up!
Currently some of my hats that are made from repurposed and reclaimed materials can be found in a store in Alameda, CA called Redux. Redux was originally a St. Vincent de Paul thrift store but was converted by the St. Vincent de Paul organization to a retail space that sells and promotes reuse and recycling of used materials. They also have artist studios for rent in the back of the store. For more information on the store please visit their website, http://www.svdp-alameda.org/redux.php
Q. You also make handbags as well. What are some of your signature styles of bags?
A. I thought I would spend more time on bags when I started to revive my business but that fell to the wayside when my hat business began to pick up a bit and I started working on my fashion residency with the St. Vincent de Paul. However when I do make a bag it’s usually for myself and it is usually a hobo type bag or a large tote bag shape that I can use to fill with large amounts of unimportant stuff!
Q. You mention on your website that you enjoy the math of flat-patterning. I do, too! I have met some milliners who only work sculpturally in creating their patterns. What advice would you give milliners of this bent to help them overcome "math fear" in patternmaking?
A. My advice would be to keep working at it! It usually takes me many trial runs of each hat to be successful! I re-work and re-work the pattern until I get it right. For example the hat I made for the Stephen Jones contest is a top hat shape that is very sculptural and narrow in the middle. I have a basic mini top hat pattern that I made a while ago that I use as my starting point. For this particular hat I elongated the pattern pieces and then began working on the shape in the middle of the hat. I probably made three or four muslins of the hat before my pattern really started to work and take shape. I really like the finished and sculptural look of a hat made from a flat pattern. In addition I like precise top stitching and I love how the seams look when they are top stitched and really flat.
Q. You work in a range of methods--blocked felt and straw, sewn fabric soft structure, and buckram bases. Do you have a favorite?
A. I think my favorite would be sewn, soft structure hats with hand blocked free form felt a close second. I enjoy the precision of the patterned sewn hats but also enjoy the looser creative feeling of blocking a felt hat and not really knowing how my idea will work out. Many times I am surprised that my ideas worked out!
Q. Who are your influences in hat and bag design?
A. Well Stephen Jones is a leader in our industry and is always making incredible pieces! I don’t really have another current designer that I look to for influence and inspiration. However, I do spend time researching and looking at vintage hats. The millinery designers of the past were incredible and I find their work to be really inspiring.
Q. Besides a head block, what are some of the must-have tools you use in your millinery production?
A. My head blocks are definitely an important tool when creating hats. Currently my other must haves are millinery wire and buckram. I suppose both these items are materials instead of tools but they do help to make or break the look of a hat. I use buckram in almost all of my sewn hats to help stiffen and hold the shape. The millinery wire is great if you are making your own buckram bases for fascinators but is also essential for any trimming that you want to stick up or away from the hat. Also, I couldn’t live without my scissors, sewing machine, and ruler!
Q. Can you share an image or description of your favorite hat in your personal wardrobe or collection (does not have to be one you designed/made, could be any hat you wear and love)?
A. My favorite hat is one that I made. It is one of my simple caps. I have a couple of different colors and I wear one almost every day! I have included a photo.
Hat by Sarah Padgham
In addition to her website, Padgham has a presence on Facebook and an Etsy shop:
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahpadgham
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SarahPadgham
Check out Sarah's entry in the contest as well, and give her a vote!
So today, our first interview with California-based milliner Sarah Padgham!
Q. How long have you been designing hats, and how did you get started?
A. I have been designing hats on and off for about 20 years. I have a degree in Fashion Design from the University of Minnesota, however while I was there I did not take any hat making classes. After college I moved to California and starting taking millinery classes at a local community college for fun. I got hooked and have been interested in hats ever since. In the mid-1990’s I had a small business making hats, I had five sales reps and sold to about 30 small boutiques around the country. However I realized that I needed more experience and went to work for a large clothing manufacturer. In the past few years I have been working to revive my hat business but I am focusing more on one of a kind pieces and very small production runs.
Q. Your recent work uses a lot of repurposed and reclaimed materials (including your wonderful entry in the Jones contest, covered with cleaning cloths as its fashion fabric). Can you talk a bit about how you approach designing millinery using repurposed fabrics, and how that process may differ from your design approach when using new media?
A. I had been dabbling in using repurposed and reclaimed materials for my hats for a year or so. I had made a few simple sun hats using clothing that I found in thrift stores and thought they looked pretty good. However, I really got interested in it when I was chosen as the Fashion Artist in Residence for the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Oakland, Ca. They have this really great program where they pick one fashion designer and one artist each year to work on their premises and use whatever materials they can find in the warehouse. For more information on the program click here, http://www.svdp-alameda.org/air.php
My approach when using these reclaimed materials differs in that usually the fabric is limited. I might find a shirt that has a great fabric but I know there is usually only a couple yards of useful material on the shirt. I have to really plan on how the hat might look and how I use the fabric because once I cut the fabric that is it, I usually cannot get any more of that particular fabric.
The hat I made for the Stephen Jones hat competition is made out of microfiber cleaning clothes. I first saw a mop head in my local grocery store that was made from this same print. However the mop was cut into strips and the fabric was thick and I had a hard time running it through my machine. I went back to see what else I could find and happily discovered that there were also cleaning clothes using the same polka dot print and they were made with a thinner material. It was much easier to work with. I like the idea that if you happen to spill something you can use your hat to clean it up!
Currently some of my hats that are made from repurposed and reclaimed materials can be found in a store in Alameda, CA called Redux. Redux was originally a St. Vincent de Paul thrift store but was converted by the St. Vincent de Paul organization to a retail space that sells and promotes reuse and recycling of used materials. They also have artist studios for rent in the back of the store. For more information on the store please visit their website, http://www.svdp-alameda.org/redux.php
Q. You also make handbags as well. What are some of your signature styles of bags?
A. I thought I would spend more time on bags when I started to revive my business but that fell to the wayside when my hat business began to pick up a bit and I started working on my fashion residency with the St. Vincent de Paul. However when I do make a bag it’s usually for myself and it is usually a hobo type bag or a large tote bag shape that I can use to fill with large amounts of unimportant stuff!
Q. You mention on your website that you enjoy the math of flat-patterning. I do, too! I have met some milliners who only work sculpturally in creating their patterns. What advice would you give milliners of this bent to help them overcome "math fear" in patternmaking?
A. My advice would be to keep working at it! It usually takes me many trial runs of each hat to be successful! I re-work and re-work the pattern until I get it right. For example the hat I made for the Stephen Jones contest is a top hat shape that is very sculptural and narrow in the middle. I have a basic mini top hat pattern that I made a while ago that I use as my starting point. For this particular hat I elongated the pattern pieces and then began working on the shape in the middle of the hat. I probably made three or four muslins of the hat before my pattern really started to work and take shape. I really like the finished and sculptural look of a hat made from a flat pattern. In addition I like precise top stitching and I love how the seams look when they are top stitched and really flat.
Q. You work in a range of methods--blocked felt and straw, sewn fabric soft structure, and buckram bases. Do you have a favorite?
A. I think my favorite would be sewn, soft structure hats with hand blocked free form felt a close second. I enjoy the precision of the patterned sewn hats but also enjoy the looser creative feeling of blocking a felt hat and not really knowing how my idea will work out. Many times I am surprised that my ideas worked out!
Q. Who are your influences in hat and bag design?
A. Well Stephen Jones is a leader in our industry and is always making incredible pieces! I don’t really have another current designer that I look to for influence and inspiration. However, I do spend time researching and looking at vintage hats. The millinery designers of the past were incredible and I find their work to be really inspiring.
Q. Besides a head block, what are some of the must-have tools you use in your millinery production?
A. My head blocks are definitely an important tool when creating hats. Currently my other must haves are millinery wire and buckram. I suppose both these items are materials instead of tools but they do help to make or break the look of a hat. I use buckram in almost all of my sewn hats to help stiffen and hold the shape. The millinery wire is great if you are making your own buckram bases for fascinators but is also essential for any trimming that you want to stick up or away from the hat. Also, I couldn’t live without my scissors, sewing machine, and ruler!
Q. Can you share an image or description of your favorite hat in your personal wardrobe or collection (does not have to be one you designed/made, could be any hat you wear and love)?
A. My favorite hat is one that I made. It is one of my simple caps. I have a couple of different colors and I wear one almost every day! I have included a photo.
Hat by Sarah Padgham
In addition to her website, Padgham has a presence on Facebook and an Etsy shop:
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/sarahpadgham
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SarahPadgham
Check out Sarah's entry in the contest as well, and give her a vote!
