Greetings.  I’m Tasha B. Millin, and I’m a self-taught milliner,  jewelry designer, who also make wall-hanging art quilts in my spare time.    Designing hats, however, is where I have the most fun.  I create unique collections of headwear designs on a limited basis.   This is because I collect fabrics, mainly remnants, that are no longer manufactured or hard to find elsewhere.  Therefore, a limited amount of  hats are made for a limited audience of clients.  Women have the opportunity to purchase a limited edition based on I was destined to make hats since I have my own unique style that is Afri-chic, different, stylish and sassy.   During the early 90s to mid- 2000s,  I participated as a vendor in numerous national and local festivals, including the National Black Arts Festival and Inman Park Festival in addition to numerous church events.   My latest adventure is to showcase my hat and jewelry designs on this website.

My creative speciality (and passion) is creating clothe hats made with different textures of fabrics.  I discovered my millinery talent at the tender age of 47 when I made my first collection of clothe hats in 1998.   I sold out at the annual Auburn Avenue Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.  Ever since that ‘light bulb’  moment,  I realized my surname, “Millin”,  defined my true design destiny:  the millinery arts.   Although not formally educated in the field hat-making field, I’ve educated myself on millinery arts by reading numerous books and viewing lots of videos on perfecting my millinery craft since my 1998 Auburn Avenue Festival experience.

I design and make the type of hats I like to wear.  It’s not unusual for people to stop me and compliment me by saying, “you waerin’ that hat,” or inquire, “where did you get that hat?”  The person is usually shocked to learn that I made the hat I was wearing.  In essence,  I make the kind of hats that I don’t see sold anywhere but on my web site.   I created this web site to showcase my hats because I’m a milliner, and I LOVE MAKING HATS.  kinds of, jewelry.   I’d like to be an inspiration to somebody by saying “never give up on your dreams”.   Thus, my jewelry collection is an expression of positive and affirming words of encouragement.  My goal is to provide unique, well-made products that you will enjoy for many years.  And, don’t be surprised when you’re often asked, “where did you get that”?  My long-time clients say this all the time.  The hats I design are created for people who are not afraid to wear hat styles that express their unique style.  My “Afro-Caribbean-Chic” fashion style stems from my African-Caribbean-American heritage.

As you view my hats, you will see that I’m not a traditional milliner.  Actually, I am a non-traditional milliner in a very traditional millinery world.  I don’t copy existing hat styles by other milliners because I dance to the beat of my own drum.   My hats are uniquely “Tasha” that ‘talk’ Tasha-style, originality and made with love.   I specialize in creating handcrafted winter hats using a collage of fabrics, such as African prints, mud cloth, various textures of fabrics: tapestries,  linens, silk, cotton blends, raw silk burlap and various textures of leather, suede and faux fur.   All of my winter hat designs are stylish, different, durable and warm for those cold winter months.  My Summer Hat Collection is another unique design that I ‘discovered’ along my millinery arts journey.  I create my summer hats with an organic fiber related to the banana plant, the Abaca.   I  layer and sew this fiber together to create my unique, light and ‘airy’ summer hats that’s perfect with linen attire or your favorite fashion style.

Although the millinery arts is my favorite handcrafting medium, as a jewelry designer, I’m fascinated with the meaning of beads and with the variety of beads from around the world.  Plus, my accessory designs are perfect to wear with a Tasha hat.  I  create jewelry that is contemporary, afro-centric flair, and blended with various beads from around the world.  I like to combine beads you might think would never work together,  but turns out to be a unique style of jewelry you wear often.   That’s because, it’s  Designs by Tasha.

A little note on Art Quilts.  I’ve been curious about Art Quilts for many years, so I taught myself quilting techniques to put my fabric scraps to good use by creating one-of-a-kind quilts to hang on your wall as art.   The quilts are made from a combination of all the fabric scraps that I would normally throw away.  Why waste good fabric when you can use it to make great art quilts?