Buckram 101

by Lynn McMasters, First published for the November/December 2005 issue of Finery

Buckram is an open-weave fabric of cotton or linen that is sized with watersoluble glue. In use for hundreds of years, today it is used in bookbinding, drapery pleats, mask making and hat making. In mask and hat making buckram is used as the substructure and generally covered with fabric. In most cases, millinery wire is sewn to the edges of buckram pieces, adding extra stiffness and helping in the final shaping.

Buckram normally comes in three weights: course, medium and fine. You can also get it in a double thickness weight called theatrical or crown buckram. This double weight is most often used to make rigid flat pattern hats-hats made from joining flat pieces together to get complex shaped hats like top hats or French hoods. Buckram can also be softened with water or steam and shaped over a block or head form (covered with plastic wrap) to make hats like bowlers or cloches. Most often this is done with two or three layers of single buckram soften and draped one at a time, turning the grain of the second layer 45°. In the articles section on my website, http://1ynnmcmasters.com, a series of photos shows a draped buckram form being marked and trimmed then wired to make a skullcap base for a showgirl headdress. 

Double buckram can be difficult to find at a local fabric store but very easy to get mail order, over the phone or over the Internet. When comparing prices, note not just the price but also the width, as this varies. Some also have minimums. Several online sources include hatsupply.com,  farthingales.on.ca, judithm.com, and lacis.com. In the Bay area there are several places that carry buckram in their stores; Lacis and Stone Mountain in Berkeley and Britex in SF. Two mail order places are Manny’s Millinery Supply Company (212) 840-2235 and California Millinery Supply (213) 622-8746.

If you can only find single buckram, layers can be iron fused together with
fusible web products like StitchWitchery® to make double buckram. Avoid the heavier fusible products like Wonderunder® as they are difficult to sew through.

One of the pluses of buckram is that it can be shaped. This can become a minus when you make a hat that comes down over your forehead, ex. Arched brim style hats. If you perspire a lot this can soften the buckram and the hat will buckle. Steaming the hat carefully over a pressing ham and holding it in place until it cools can often fix this buckling. The problem can be avoided by using plastic buckram alternatives, such as any type of plastic sheeting about one (millimeter?) thick, plastic needlepoint canvas or a shapeable plastic like WONDERFLEX®.

These can be used alone or with a layer of buckram. My personal favorite is to use plastic canvas because the open grid can be sewn on by hand or machine and it is available at almost every craft or fabric store. Use the buckram as the outside layer as it will not show through your fabric and is better at taking glue. You will still need to sew Millinery wire on the brim edges. I haven’t had a chance to experiment fully with the WONDERFLEX® product but I’m hoping that by using a double layer for the brim I might not have to use wire at all, producing a durable but lightweight hat.

References:
“From the Neck Up an Illustrated Guide to Hatmaking” by Denise Dreher,
Madhatter Press, 1981    http://www.hatbook.com/

“The Costumer’s Handbook” by Rosemary Ingham and Elizabeth Covey,
Prentice-Hall, 1980