The crafty Beggars: makers of handcrafted historical hats, traditional crafts and performers of Period Music Thecraftybeggars.org website The Crafty Beggars The crafty Beggars: makers of handcrafted historical hats, traditional crafts and performers of Period Music Copy of C16th hat. leather on hand-made felt silk embroidery Swan Hat from C15th Italian manuscript Top hat woven in common bulrush ‘Topper’ inspired hat Hats The Crafty Beggars specialise in reproducing historic hats using traditional techniques and authentic materials. Felt hats are created using hand-felting technique and natural dyes. Rachel is an authority on early felt making in Britain and has conducted extensive research of extant examples in British collections. Copy of C16th hat. leather on hand- made felt silk embroidery Swan Hat from C15th Italian manuscript ‘Topper’ inspired hat Top hat woven in common bulrush