Fosshape Witches Hat

When I was hired to design costumes for Seven in One Blow, I was incredibly excited! My imagination ran wild and I could not wait to create some unique and intriguing pieces for this show. Among those pieces... a witches cap. I had a design in mind and so began the process of creating the perfect headpiece.

 I used a material known as Fosshape, a heat sensitive material that will stiffen when exposed to temperatures above 200 degree F. Using a wig head, I molded, pinned, twisted and tied muslin strips into place until a "mold" of sorts was made for the hat. The picture below shows fosshape that has been cut, pinned and hand sewn into shape over the mold. (Fosshape is soft and malleable until heat is added) Heat was applied with a steamer, and voilà! A hat was born!

After the base was solidified, I painted the hat with spray paint (textured and un-textured paint) to strengthen the highlights and shadows.