A Few One-of-a-Kind Hats

Here are photos of a few one-off hats I recently completed. They are all for sale at ADS Hats.

The top hat with black and white striped ribbon is one-of-a-kind, I found just enough of that ribbon to make this hat. I will be making similar hats with other striped ribbon, but this one is pretty special.

The gray hat was harder to photograph, looks like I'm going to need to get a different colored backdrop for gray hats. The veiling is chin length. I can make this hat again, but the feathers on it are a rare antique piece that I may not be able to find again.

The red fedora was made on blocks I borrowed from Wayne Wichern. I wasn't planning to make another one, but might be able to borrow them again if there is a demand.

A Little Steampunk

Ok, I was going to save this for tomorrow, but I just can't wait. Another recently completed hat- this one is made using my mini Regency Top Hat block, in sage green felt with light and dark sage ribbonwork, natural-colored emu feathers, and clock parts and a metal button to finish the cockade.

I discovered emu feathers a few weeks ago, they're amazing! I'm a sucker for feathers that move around, and these nod all over the place, a real attention-getter. I'm having fun playing with these steampunk styles, it's really opening up my color palette.

This style for sale now on Etsy, and this exact hat will for sale be at Dark Garden Corsetry soon.

A Hat a Day

I've just completed and photographed a batch of hats, and will be posting them to the blog and to etsy in between working on the next batch. I'll be posting one or a couple per day, here's the first!

This burgundy red fur felt Whoville cocktail hat has matching vintage veiling and feathers. I recently bought a large amount of veiling from a defunct millinery factory in Oakland, and am having a great time thinking of ways to use it up- this is my first experiment with draping it turban-style. The feathers have a lot of movement, but the hat is surprisingly light and easy to wear- I think I'll have to make one like this for myself!

I'm a little bit worried that the Dr. Seuss estate might come down on me for using Whoville as a name (I hear they're pretty protective of their intellectual property), so I'm hunting for a new name for this hat, but I'm rather stumped as to what else to call this funny little block. Any suggestions? I'd love to hear them.

See Them in Person

Great news! I'm really excited to now be selling my hats at The Alternative Design Studio, ADS Hats in San Francisco. I took the first batch in recently, and will be adding more hats to ADS' showroom regularly in the weeks to come.

As most of the trimming materials I use are vintage, many of my hats are one-of-a-kind. So, ADS will be carrying models that aren't available online or anywhere else.

http://www.adshats.com/

Wayne Wichern's Hat Block Sale

For anyone interested in buying hat-making equipment, Wayne Wichern is selling a large collection of hat blocks! Check it out on his website.

New Hats Preview!

Here is a preview of the new line of hats I've been working on. More photos are on my flickr page. They'll be listed on Etsy by the end of the month!

Another old hat makeover

This cute 40s 'doll' or tilt hat was in fine shape when I got it, but I added a few things to it to match an outfit I'm planning. I bought some yardage of silk taffeta on sale at Britex a while back, in a black and white windowpane pattern that matches the ribbon- sometime, maybe this winter, I'll make an 1890s-style dress out of it, and the style of the hat is similar to little top hats ladies were wearing at the time, so I thought it might work.