Piroska Mueller

BIO

I was born in Remscheid, Germany & became interested in the craft of hat-making early in life. When I was a little girl, I liked to spend time with our neighbour, who was a Milliner, & she gave me a beautifully hand-crafted hat that I loved to wear when I would dress up pretty. After I finished school, I completed a 3-year apprenticeship with a Milliner, followed by another 3 years as a journeyman Milliner. I eventually took over the business in my hometown & later moved my business to Düsseldorf. During this time, I studied evenings for my masters & became a fully qualified Master Milliner in 1985. My creations have been featured at Piet a Porter & Premier Class in Paris, Collection Premiere Düsseldorf (CPD), Accessorie Circuit at Pier 90 in NY & the Premier Women's Wear in London. I was recognized by International Design Hats as being in the class of "the best hat designers in the world" from 1996-2002. I moved to Canada in 2010 & have continued my passion for creating things. As well as hats, I design & sew unique scarves & stoles using multiple fine quality fabrics. I sell these, along with hand crafted decorations, from my home in Black Creek, BC

CRAFT

For making my hats - First I select a wooden mould to use from my collection of over 50 different moulds. I begin with choosing the quality raw material and then it is steamed to soften. It now gets pulled over the mould to dry. Each hat will have a unique brim that I form by hand using steam & heat to create the shape. Individual details are then designed and added. Each hat takes many hours to make & is completely unique. Stoles & Scarves are made by first designing the style and making the fabric choices. Each will have multiple fine fabrics cut to various sizes & shapes & sewn into a one of a kind product.

LINKS