The Louie Miller School of Millinery operated out of Chicago, Illinois, from the 1920s-1960s, before hats fell out of style in the mid-20th century. The school offered a correspondence course so women could learn how to be an “expert milliner”at home. Students ordered a kit with instructions and supplies from the catalog. The kit included ribbons, hat blocks or molds, fabric, thread, glue, buttons, patterns, a tape measure, wire, needles and more. This wooden hat block is the crown of a hat. It could be stacked on top of a brim block and attached to the base. Milliners mold fabric like wool felt over the blocks to their desired shape. This block is 3 inches tall, 7.5 inches in diameter, and 22 inches in circumference, with three holes in the bottom for mounting to other blocks with wooden pegs. Donated by Melissa Fulmer.
If you are interested in seeing how to mold the felt over a hat block, check out this video.