First show!

I just found out I was accepted to sell my hats at the DIY Trunk Show 5.
Mark your calendars:
Saturday, November 17
Pulaski Park Fieldhouse, 1419 W. Blackhawk, Chicago

More hat, less chat No. 1

This is a giant, informal sun hat I made from my redheaded friend Paula, because we redheads have to avoid the sun. The idea was for it to be big and pretty, but, not structured.

Hat blocks

I won a few hat blocks, crowns and 1920's brims, on eBay and also bought one non-wood one with some other supplies.

Hat Blocks

Recycle and Reuse

If I'm ever invited to hang with Laurie David and Al Gore, I'll wear this hat.

Repurposed hat

It is 100% made from materials I reused. Nothing new. (Unless I put a label inside.)

I had an old wool (store bought) hat that didn't fit right. I was going to to donate it to GoodWill, but then I decided to see if I could reblock it. I wish I had a before picture. But it was sort of a basic bowler shape, the band was a wool braid from the same fabric. Nothing special.

So, I reblocked it into this quirky shape (wider on the top, wavy brim, not sure the photos show that). Eva suggested I not put a fitted band inside, because it might pull the crown in too much.

I made the flowers with scraps from other hats (of mine, and Eva's and other people in my class). I made the patterns for the flowers out of cardboard from old tissue boxes (which I have a lot of, because I have been sick).

The buttons were extras that were lying around, and the thread is from the collection Gary gave me from his company samples.

I have a bunch of vintage hats (from Ellen's mom, my grandma and my Aunt Karen's mother). I plan to start making more hats made from these kinds of repurposed elements.

Hats on Heads

I took my sister and sister-in-law their hats this weekend:

Girls in Hats

So, you can see what I ultimately did with the grey hat. I used ribbon with stones embedded as the band, and the most elaborate vintage green buckle with silver on one side (if you click on the photo, you can see a back view which includes it). I finished the edge of the ribbon the same way I did on Gail's hat. I made this as bejeweled as possible, for a straw hat, because Margaret (my sister-in-law) likes jewelry and gemstones.

Hats on the Blocks

I went to the studio today to block some more hats:

Hats on Blocks

Gail's Hat 2.0

I know I said in my last post that I wasn't going to change Gail's hat.

But after I saw my sister's hat, I really didn't like the gray one, despite the fact that I still like the idea of a gray summer hat.

So, I made a new hat for Gail. It is black, with a red ribbon that is transparent, so that you can see the straw through the ribbon.

The hat has a smaller brim in general, and a narrow brim in the back, which I think will fit Gail's style. The brim won't get in the way. She wears these colors frequently.

This was my first try at hemming the ribbon with a contrasting ribbon. I also learned how to fit the ribbon around the crown by adjusting the wire inside the ribbon.

Gail's Hat 2.0

I have not decided what I'll make with the grey hat yet.