technic

Atelier-Musée du Chapeau Chazelles-sur-Lyon 42140

.                                                                                                                                         2007 INTERNATIONAL CONTEST 

HAIR FELT
THE RESULT OF NUMEROUS WORKS

The hair of hares, wild rabbits and rabbits compose the raw material used in Chazelles for luxury felt, in opposition to the more ordinary wool felt.
The hatter art, which rests on a specificity of technology and many manufacturing phases, requires particular abilities. Here are the main ones :

 The " soufflage " : Hairs are introduced in a blower container to be cleaned. Thick hairs called " jare " are eliminated. The thinner hair is selected when getting through a machine made of wood and cast iron.
Now the raw material is ready.

- The " bastissage " : 100 grammes of hairs are thrown on a great pierced cone in metal. Then, they are hot watered. It is the first shape of the hat but it is five times bigger than the future one.

 The "  semoussage " : Protected by wet wool squares, the cloches are rolled and rubbed on a heated table. After ten minutes, hairs begin to agglomerate. With this first felting, they lose about 10 cm.

- The " foulage " : In front of the machine, the cloches are put in between two rollers rows. They move through boiling water and acid during 6 hours. At this stage, they are definitively felted and have a size of about 30 cm. They become strong and waterproof.

- The dye : This process requires a high skilled worker, the " chemist ". He measures out the chemical colourings in order to obtain the right shade in the whole thickness of the felt.

- The finish : Different aspects can be obtained :
- " ras " : short-haired, the felt is sandpapered.
- " flamand " : the aspect of fur is obtained with a wire brush.
- " taupé " : like velvet, the felt is worked with a dogfish skin and cropped.
- The " appropriage " : The felt cones are steamed in the " pot " and formed on wood moulds chosen according to the demands and the size of the clients.

- The " bichonnage " : Thanks to the iron action, the felt is given its sheen. - The " garnissage " : It consists in putting edgings, leather bands and decorative braids.
The complete production cycle requires, still today, from 9 to 12 days

THE STRAW HAT MANUFACTURING
The straw, received in skeins or in plaited cones, generally comes from Asian countries or from South America.
- The straw in skeins is sewn with the machine. The woman uses a wood shape which guides her as the work progresses.
- The plaited straw cones are formed either on mechanical press or manually on wood shape (like the felt).

THE ART OF THE " FORMIER "

The " formier " is the craftsman who carves lime wood blocks in different shapes, according to the demands of milliners or hatters.
It is a craft which requires four years of apprenticeship. Lorenzo Ré and Tino Ré, of Paris, are the last representatives in France.

Workshop of the last "formier" in CHAZELLES-SUR-LYON

THE MILLINER’S CREATION

The milliner, unlike the hatter, creates the hat as a unique object, according to the client’s face, the fashion, and her artistic taste.

The milliner’s fitting room is as important as her workshop. She can use any kind of material : flowers, feathers, tissue, felt, veils...