By Sandy Barnes
Berthoud Recorder

“There are no mistakes,” milliner Cynthia Webb told the group of women as they began creating vintage-style hats at the McCarty-Fickel Home on Saturday morning, March 28.

Using straw hats with wire around the edges, the women first fashioned them into flattering shapes. They then selected fabric for bands and bows, securing them to the hats with glue and thread.

A generous array of silk and ribbon flowers and feathers, which Webb had brought to the hat making session, were used to embellish the hats in Victorian style. As one of the participants was placing a small cluster of flowers on her hat, Webb advised her to use much larger ones. “It’s big, bold,” she said. “You want to make a statement.”

An experienced milliner who offers classes on hat making and also restores heirloom chapeaus, Webb uses a combination of vintage and new materials in her creations. The “wearable artwork” can be worn to special events such as weddings and historic celebrations. Webb brought examples of her work to the event at the McCarty-Fickel Home. Among them was a chapeau decorated with black and white chicken feathers and a chicken head. Other hats featured large bows and prominently placed ostrich feathers.

After completing their hats, the women wore them to a luncheon served at the historic home on Seventh Street.

McCarty-Fickel Home Director Teri Johnson is planning other special events in the near future. A Spring Tea and Tour will take place on April 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. On May 9 there will be a Mother-Daughter Tea and Program from 2 to 4 p.m. And fathers will have an opportunity to bring their children to a lunch at the home which is planned for June 13.

For more information about these upcoming events, call the McCarty-Fickel Home at (970) 532-1916.