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Hat to the Future: Live hat making

Hat to the Future: Live hat making

What do the fashion trends of the future look like to you? 

Our Newcastle Common artist-in-residence*, Holly Johnson, will be creating three brand new hats and hat blocks** inspired by your future style forecasting. Whether you want bandanas banned or leg warmers back with a vengeance, Holly wants to hear your thoughts. 

Come chat to her in Newcastle Town Centre on Saturday 13 July! 

Then, see your ideas come to life with live hat making taking place on Friday 2, Saturday 3, Friday 9 and Saturday 10 August from 11am to 3pm at Newcastle Common. 

There’ll also be updates on our Instagram and Facebook page. The finished hats will also be in display in Newcastle Common!

Follow Holly’s progress as she shows you how to make a hat block!

What is Hat to the Future? 

Three years ago – a year into her Hat Making practice – Holly carried out a research-based artist residency with Appetite, looking into the hat making history of Newcastle-under-Lyme and creating three felt hat styles and process videos based on images or stories from local people. Now she’s back at the new Newcastle Common building for her second residency, but this time she’s going ‘Hat to the Future!’.

Throughout July and August, Holly will be speaking with local people in Newcastle town centre, asking questions about what the town, its people, and fashion might look like deep in the future. These answers, ideas and opinions will be used by Holly to not only design three artistic hat pieces, but to create and carve entirely new hat blocks to shape this headwear with.

These will be theatrical, extravagant, and will break away from normal, traditional hat wear. Once the blocks are made, Holly will work from Appetite’s Newcastle Common building to form and shape felt hats from these blocks, and will embellish them with trimmings, paint, pyrography and fire! These making sessions will be live and open to the public to come and watch, ask questions, and even have a little go yourself.

A wooden hat block is sat on a metal surface. It is a medium sized wooden dome with a wooden stand beneath. There are wooden tools around the hat block.
A wooden hat block is sat on a metal surface. It is a medium sized wooden dome with a wooden stand beneath. There are wooden tools around the hat block.

*What is an artist-in-residence?

When an artist such as a painter, illustrator or performer creates work over a period of time in a particular place. At Newcastle Common, an artist will work in our space as well as creating work for audiences like you to enjoy. Find out more about Newcastle Common on our project page.

**What is a hat block?

A hat block, also known as a hat form is usually a wooden block carved into the shape of a hat, or a dome. It is used by hat makers and milliners (someone who designs and makes hats) to pull felt material over to shape a hat, kind of like a mould! 

Although traditionally these would be wood, more modern hat blocks could be carved foam, or 3D printed plastic like the ones shown here. Hat Makers and milliners are becoming more inventive about things they can use to shape a hat, as it allows for more exciting and unique styles and shapes of headwear.

Access at Newcastle Common

There is a small step into Newcastle Common, we do also have
a ramp for wheelchair users.

Performances and activities are accessible for everyone.

You can download an Easy Read PDF or Easy Read Word document before your visit.

Parking

The nearest car park to Newcastle Common is Lymelight Boulevard, 27 Paradise Street, ST5 1RS. This is a multi-story, pay-and-display car park with blue badge parking.

There are some options for on-road blue-badge parking
within a short walk from Newcastle Common:

  •  Closest are two spaces outside Chatwin’s at the end of the High Street

  • Very slightly further away are a row of disabled spaces on
    Merrial Street

  • Just around the corner from there, Corporation Street has some paid parking spaces, which are free to blue badge holders

  • There are also a few spaces opposite Queen’s Gardens at the bottom of Ironmarket

Toilets

The nearest toilets to Newcastle Common can be found in Hassall Street, opposite the bus station. They are open 9am to 5pm on weekdays, 9.30am to 4pm on Saturday, and 11am to 2pm Sunday.

Just around the corner from there at Castle House, Barracks Road, ST5 1BL, you can find extended facilities including accessible toilets, a Changing Places facility, and baby changing. They are open 8.30am to 6pm weekdays, 9am to 4pm on Saturday, and are closed on Sunday.

Want to know what else is going on?

Visit the What’s On page for events and go to Get Involved for more opportunities. For regular updates, why not subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on Facebook @appetite.stoke, Instagram @appetite_stoke, and X @appetitestoke.

Event Info

Date & Time

Friday 2, Saturday 3, Friday 9 and Saturday 10 August | 11am to 4pm

Location