Many of our little girls have made any number of dolls' hats by just braiding raffia and sewing the braids together.

If you were to make a large hat (by this I mean a hat large enough to wear yourself) by sewing braids of raffia together, it would be entirely too heavy and also would fall into any shape, perhaps not a very desirable one.

The only thing to do would be to procure a wire frame and to make the raffia hat on it.

In order to do this we will have to braid enough raffia for the whole hat before doing anything else.

For this kind of braiding the raffia will have to be soaked in water and then rolled out so that the strands will look like pieces of ribbon about three quarters of an inch wide.

You may use a five, seven, or nine strand braid for this hat. Take one long strand of raffia and place it horizontally on a flat surface. Tie seven long pieces to the horizontal piece as shown in Figure 210.

Begin with the last strand on the right-hand side and weave it over the next, under the following one, etc., toward the left side letting it hang out to the left. Take the next strand on the right and weave it in the same manner as the preceding one.

When the left-hand side is reached, drop the first left-hand one with the rest and let the new weaver hang out till the next is brought over. The first one, when it reaches the left side, is always turned over the last weaver just brought over before dropping it (the first one) into place with the others.

When the first set of strands are used, replace them one at a time by using the new and old together about two inches from the end of each.

It will take about eighteen or twenty yards of braiding to cover the frame. When the braiding is ready to sew on the hat, begin with the centre of the crown. When the crown is entirely covered, start with the brim and begin sewing the coils together to the frame at the base of the crown. The under side of the brim may be covered with silk or material of a similar kind, or if you prefer to have it, covered with braid sewed on in the same manner as the outside, beginning at the base of the crown.

When the whole hat frame has been covered with the braiding, you may roll it in the front or on the side, or in fact any place to suit yourself. A nice large bow of ribbon placed on the hat in a becoming fashion would make it very attractive, or for those who prefer flowers and ribbon the hat trimmed in this manner would be equally charming.

A woven raffia hat made on a wire frame is a very charming and neat creation.

It takes time and patience and skill to make the hat, but when it is finished you are doubly repaid for your work and the time spent on it.

The crown is woven first and then fitted to the crown of the wire frame. Take a small strand of raffia to make a ring of very small dimensions, say about one quarter of an inch in diameter. To this ring, knot eight strands of raffia as shown in Figure 211. Eight more strands are tied around each of the eight strands, using the very pretty and effective "Solomon's Knot."

This knot is a very simple twist and may be tied either with a double or single strand. The strand which is tied on is laid first under the main double strand and then both ends are crossed over each other. The right one goes first under the end of the left-hand one and over the double middle strand and then again under the loop of the left-hand one.

It would be well to practise with strands of raffia other than those used in making the hat so as to become quite familiar with the knot before using it on the hat. Counting the eight strands tied to the ring and the sixty-four strands that are Solomon-knotted to the original eight we have seventy-two strands in all. They start from a common centre and are brought down and outward through the pattern and are knotted one by one onto the main strands as they cross.

If you were to trace any one of the seventy-two strands you will find that it comes to the outside edge of the square through a very simple course. The last or eighth strand, knotted to the main strands, is used to tie up the bunch of strands coming from the sides of the diamond. It falls into place with the other strands and is tied up in turn as the others are. The larger knot tying up the bunch of raffia in the centre of the diamond is the same kind of knot as the smaller ones. It may look slightly different in composition, but that is due to the fact that it is being tied around a larger bulk.

After the knots have been all tied at the edges of the diamonds, the ends are woven under and over making a sort of a square design as shown in the illustration.

The finishing of the crown is done by taking four strands, two from each of the squares at the centre, and knotting them together with a simple knot. Two from each side are knotted together.

If you find that the strands do not come out in sets of four, make an extra strand by splitting in two one of the other strands.

The brim of the hat is not so tedious to make as the crown and having a larger surface on which to work you will find that the progress is more rapid and requires less time and energy.

Knot on the outer wire of the frame as many strands of raffia as will fit very closely but easily side by side and then tie them into loops such as were used on the edge of the crown of the hat. This loop is the same as that used in making the shopping bags and hammocks described in the next chapter.

You may use your own judgment in designing the brim. The outer edge may be made of the same loops that we have just spoken of. On the next row the strands of raffia are drawn down tightly and tied around the wire with a simple knot.

Alternate these two designs and you will have a very pretty brim.

To finish off the edge on the brim, cut the ends off to about three quarters of an inch in length and sew them in under the wire with a needle threaded with fine raffia. A tapestry needle or a darning needle would do for this purpose.

The trimming for this hat could be easily made of raffia. I will leave it to the maker to decide what would be most suitable to the taste. I might suggest such articles as buckles made of raffia or rattan or perhaps quills made of raffia.

If you do not care to have the hat trimmed with its own material, velvet ribbon, satin, flowers, quills, etc., would make a desirable trimming.

A very bewitching hat of a plain, three-strand braid of raffia can be easily made with very little trouble.

The raffia has to be soaked in water until it is soft. Unroll each strip and it will probably be about three quarters of an inch wide. In order to make the braid thick enough it will be necessary to use three or four pieces in one strand of the braid. Braid about nineteen or twenty yards before beginning to make the hat.

Choose a wire frame of a low rounded crown and a broad flat brim. If you wish to change the shape of the frame after the braid is sewed on, it will be a very trifling matter.

The end at which the braid is begun forms the centre of the crown. It is bent over at about five eighths of an inch from the tip and the long end is coiled around in a second row, the edge of which comes an eighth of an inch under the edge of the centre. It is generally sewed on with a darning needle, threaded with a very fine strand of raffia. Use the back-stitch bringing the strand all the way through on the right side and then all the way through underneath.

The crown is made entirely by sewing the plaits together, separately from the wire frame, but it will be well to try it on the frame occasionally so that it will securely fit. When about six or seven rows have been sewed together and the crown is four or five inches high, the brim is begun. The coil of braiding is brought around more loosely and flattened out as it is sewed.

When six or seven rows have been completed, the brim at the back will be large enough. Each succeeding row will have to be cut as it gets near the back and the end fitted in under the previous row until the sides near the back are about nine or ten rows wide and the front twelve rows. It would be well to pull the coil slightly tighter as it draws nearer the outer edge so that the last rows may roll a little.

If you care to have the under brim of braided raffia it can be made in the same way, except that it is one row wider at the front and sides, to allow it to roll over the edges of the brim. It is pressed on the wrong side and attached to the under brim of the wire frame, with very small stitches of raffia. The outer edge of the under brim should not be fastened until the crown and the top brim are on the wire frame, as the top brim should come over the edge of the under brim.

The crown and the upper brim are now pressed on the inside and put on the frame to which they are caught with a stitch of raffia here and there.

The centre of the crown particularly should be firmly attached with stitching to the centre of the wire frame. A row of braiding is brought around to cover where the upper and under brims join inside the rolled brim and is sewed on either edge with small stitches of raffia.

A hat like this would be very pretty trimmed with a satin ribbon or silk bow. A large bow at the side or the back would make it very attractive if the bow is of a contrasting colour.

Some people prefer leaves and flowers, with a little touch of silk; others quills or feathery materials. In fact it may be trimmed with material of any kind.