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Step Twenty-Eight: Your hat will emerge from the machine looking much smaller than you expected. Have a good look at it and you'll see that any different coloured fibres have felted together beautifully. Get ready for some hard work, we're going to turn this damp lump into a hat of beauty!

Step Twenty-Nine: Start by stretching and tugging the hat into roughly the right shape. Areas that often need quite a lot of stretching are the brim and the top of the point. Don't be aftraid to really lean into it, get a friend to help if you need to!

Step Thirty: Nearly there! Give the hat an initial blocking. For adult hats I usually use a Hatshaper, but for this one I'm using a wooden hatblock as I'm aiming for a slightly different look and this bock is the right size. Improvise with mixing bowls, balls or even small plastic hazard cones! Be inventive and find something that will support your hat in the right shape whilst you stretch it into exactly the right shape. A strong tape or ribbon tied round the block will help define the division between the point and the brim, this is where you'll put the hat band later

Step Thirty-One: The hat is basically done, and if you are happy you can just let it dry fully then add a hatband. But if you want it stiffer you need to use a suitable product such as a waterbased hat stiffener. Dilute it according to the manufacturers instructions and soak the hat in it, making sure you squeeze it right into all areas. Wring out the excess (I know its undoing some of your initial blocking, it will all come right). Replace the hat on the block and smooth it into its final shape. You can also press the brim using an ordinary iron and a damp tea towel to get a firm, flat brim. If you have used a stiffener, check whether you should do this when the hat is damp pr dry. Finally, let the hat dry thoroughly for a couple of days before adding hatbands and any trimmings.

Added a hatband of felted daisies and handspun green wool, and found someone small enough to model it for me! It only fits a 21inch head, and all my lot are real lumpkins, so I was lucky to find  a willing model. Sally January 18 2004 Back to the Pointy Hat page