The Framers Forum

I've been asked to frame a student nurse cap/hat(?) so that it is viewed as if it was being worn. I've only just (shame on me) thought of soliciting ideas from fellow framers, so don't have it in front of me for correct size etc. So, in true customer style...it's about 5" wide, 6" deep & 3"high. Main concern is how to support to the backing without it 'drooping' over time. I'm thinking maybe padding it with polystyrene or similar, and metal 'prongs' through the backing and pushed into said padding, tilting the hap/cat slightly to render the prongs unseeable. But how to fix the pat/hac to the polystyrene firmly? Any ideas gratefully received. And greetings to any old customers of Euro Mouldings who read this.

Euro Mouldings where were they based again?

However you would attach it to the mounting board without anything inside it, fix it the same way with something inside it, no need to fix it to the-something-inside-it.

Euro Mouldings were in Worthing, not long before they (sadly) went, they branched out, but HQ was in Worthing.

This is a difficult one, so many styles of nursing hat worn in so may ways. I am married to a nurse, my ruby wedding anniversary disappearing into the mists of time and my first reaction would be to say that only a proper nurse (ward trained pre-1980's) would know how to even put the right character into this form of headgear.

It is possible to get so much expression out all forms of headgear, I personally would not jump to any conclusions before experiment with a headform, I used to have a hat makers block formed like a head and canvas covered always put hats on it first and spent a lot of time looking and thinking.

Polystyrene is infuriating stuff to work with, but polyrethane foam was my choice. If you get it out of a can it can be set on wires, shaped using a serrated bread knife. Covered with material, possible with wadding between foam and outer material and you might be surprised what you come up with.

A good start might be to fire a squirt of builders foam out of the can into a carrier bag and tie off the neck, when it starts to expand. Watch foam coming out of holes as you can get into a right mess. Allow it to fully cure before trying to shape it. Even if you do not use it for this job I reckon you will learn something that might come in for something else.