Achieving Excellence: Hatmaker finds her passion

It took a long time before Angie Hall Sandifer heeded her own words.

"I used to work a lot with kids — Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Girl Scout troops — as a volunteer probation officer," said the fifty-something St. Paul woman, "and one of the things I would tell them is 'All you need to do is find your passion and follow it.' "

A decade ago, she finally did just that.

For most of her life, Sandifer wore many hats, figuratively speaking. Now she makes hats.

Big floppy hats. Pert, stylish hats. Hats with feathers, flowers, ribbons, beads. Hats like her mother and grandmother used to wear to church in Gainesville, Fla. Hats that her clients wear to Kentucky Derby parties, or even the actual derby.

Today, her company of one, Angie's Hats, produces scores of handmade hats that are sold at Artists Mercantile in St. Paul as well as at a New Orleans boutique. She also makes custom hats in her Northern Warehouse Artists Co-op studio in ­Lowertown.

"I definitely, absolutely have found my passion," she said, cornrows framing her Mona Lisa smile.

The hats are handmade, except for occasional tasks on a sewing machine. Over two days, materials are steamed, heated, shaped, molded and blocked on a mannequin head.

And the preparation for fulfilling clients' requests is as hands-on as the production. "I measure their head and then we talk about the style, the fabric, the feather, the flowers, the ribbon, what have you, if they want it wired or floppy," Sandifer said. "And then they come back for a fitting, and then if adjustments need to be made, we do that."

Many of them come back for more.

Amye Scharlau, a St. Paul hypnotherapist and performing hypnotist, has bought about a dozen Sandifer hats since spotting a couple of them five years ago at a St. Paul Art Crawl.

"I wanted to combine the décor in one hat and the shape in another," Scharlau said, "and she said, 'Sure, I can do that.' She wants to really make sure you get what you want."

What makes the hats special, Scharlau said, is "a luxurious quality. I'll see people wearing one, and I'll recognize it and go talk to them. People have done the same thing to me.

"And her bridal hats are off the hook. If I ever get married, I'm totally, totally getting one."

For her part, Sandifer would like to see women wear hats on a lot more than just special occasions.

"When people put hats on, their whole attitude changes, their whole persona," she said. "When you dress up, you feel better about yourself. We're pretty frumpy nowadays. We act different when we dress up, a lot classier, more respectful. We stand a little taller, speak a little clearer."

Q: How did you end up in this profession?

Q: How did you train?

A: I found a master milliner teacher in Wilmington, N.C. I went to her house from 7 to 3 every day and then came back to my hotel and tried to duplicate what she had shown me. It was tough. I was clueless, but I was tenacious. I kept trying and trying and working at it, and then one day some real hats showed up.

Q: Does it take special skills?

A: Attention to detail, knowing your customer, what shape fits them. Really just listening to the customer. A lot of time you might have an idea for them, but you go with what they say. … I've always been very organized, very disciplined, very methodical about how to do things. The balance [of elements in the hat] has to be there, the proportion. I have to like it.

Q: Are there sacrifices?

Q: What's the best part?

A: When the customer is thrilled. When they put that hat on and then there's a big smile.

Q: The worst part?

A: I do get burned. I get steamed. Some of the straw, it scratches me. The wire, I almost get poked in the eye.

Q: What's your most popular hat?

Q: Do you make hats only for women?

A: I do a fedora that works for both genders, but my prime customer base is professional Caucasian women, 40 to 60.

Q: How has mastering hat-making helped you in other parts of your life?

A: I never really thought I was a people person, but I truly, truly enjoy working with my customers. I tell them to come in, play with stuff, try something on. We have a really good time doing this.

Q: You work in an artists' co-op. Do you consider hat-making an art?

Bill Ward • 612-673-7643