My First Go at Hat Blocking

It's a brand new year, and I've been making some brand new things. They really are brand new too; because each piece is hand sculpted, they're all unique.

My first project back this year was attaching a brim reed to a blocked beret.

I used bulldog clips to hold the reed in place while I hand stitched it to the inside of the hat. Chrissie had already blocked this hat, but I helped finish it, including the brim reed and embellishment. I bagged out two strips of fabric to weave through the beret and tie in bows. (This picture is from Chrissie's instagram, @hattherapy).

After the beret was finished, I got to block my own felt hat, how exciting! I used a gorgeous aubergine coloured felt and a wooden hat block that Chrissie uses quite often for this type of everyday winter hat.

These hats are quicker to make than other because they don't require a separately blocked brim. They're so popular with ladies in the shop because they can be worn every day but they're so glamorous, and they can still be put into your bag without being ruined like other blocked hats.

To start a blocked hat, you steam the felt really well, holding the felt up so the steam floats over the whole hat. Once the steam has penetrated the whole felt, you pull it over a wooden block. This is the tricky part because the felt can be quite stiff - this is why the steaming is so important. Once the felt is pulled down over the block and all the bumps have been smoothed out, you pin it to the bottom of the block, making sure it stays pulled tight. The hat gets left to mould to the shape of the block, and the brim is trimmed down to make it easier to work with.

 To add some detail while making sure the hat fits onto the head well, I added some pleats inspired by vintage hats.

Once the felt is dry, it gets taken off the block. I retrimmed the brim right down and began shaping it how I want it to look on the finished hat. To help the brim stay folded up once the hat is finished, it gets steamed again and pulled. This is repeated until the brim stays in shape.

For the trim, I decided to use leftover scraps of felt from the original piece. I experimented a bit with different shapes, some twists and weaves, and decided to use the woven trim on the hat.

I used tortoise shell buttons to hold down the pleats on the left of the hat, which I think look so lovely with the aubergine colour of the felt.

So here it is, my first blocked hat...

That Bag Though

The finished bag!

It took me quite a while to get it just right, but I love love love it! 

The base and top panels are leather, the main body and handles are boiled wool and it has a silky soft lining which I also used for a bias strip around the base. The riveted panel is suede, made from the same leather as the rest.

I had loads of fun making this piece. There were quite a few techniques involved like hand stitching and riveting - which is new to me, as well as making handles (also new to me), but yeah I enjoyed it.

Chrissie did the riveting as I never had before (and unfortunately really hurt her finger with the hammer - a lesson to me to be careful!)

I made a cute little purse to match it too, which is also lined, and finished with a little button.

I hope it makes someone very, very happy.

To Sew or Not To Sew

It's been a few weeks since I last wrote anything, I thought I was getting the hang of managing two jobs and the autumn weather but apparently not! Things will work themselves out soon enough though.

So let's catch up!

I've had loads of fun making new things during my internship, including a beret which sold almost straight away (go me) and starting a leather/wool handbag. I said in an instagram post I'd discuss my feelings towards leather so here goes. I wanted to work with leather so that I'd had the experience, plus Chrissie was already going to use it whether it was me, her or Leah who made something from it so what better time to give it a go? It's a very thick leather and was difficult to work with, but the quality of the fabric was good which made it nice to work with too. However, I still wouldn't use leather for my own projects because I can't bring myself to use the skin of an animal. If I'm being honest, it was very hard for me to decide to use it in Hebden, but as I said before the leather had already been bought and now I have experience when it comes to me using faux leather and thicker fabrics. 

On the other hand, there is always the argument that leather is a natural, biodegradable material which in some people's opinions makes it better to use than synthetics. Personally I prefer searching for alternatives, such as the new leather-like fabric I've read about made from pineapple leaves which I think is a fantastic idea. It's biodegradable, made from waste materials so won't use up any more resources in terms of growing, will bring new incomes to farmers AND offers an alternative to animal leather.

I'm not one to miss an opportunity to learn new things, so I used the leather, but I don't think I will again. I'm currently in the middle of making a new bag for myself at home from some very nice faux leather that wasn't expensive, so if people are looking for affordable alternatives I can tell you they are out there.

When I finish the bag for Hat Therapy I'll post pictures because aside from ethical concerns, it is very nice (if I do say so myself).

Fool for a Cute Button

So, we've got some catching up to do.

I haven't posted in a few weeks because I've been really busy working in Hebden and Manchester part-time, and I haven't been so well for the last two weeks. It started as a cold, then I got a bug, then that went away and I got another bug... who doesn't love autumn? Anyway, every time I sat down to write something it just didn't come to me. As well as the physical nightmare that is this time of year, I've been feeling stressed and kind of down again, but I think I'm starting to get a hold on things again, which is good.

On the work side of things, I've made quite a few hats! Trilbies were my next feat, and I have to say I conquered them quite well.

Pretty neat, yes?

A trilby is one of the harder things I've made because of the shape of it; everything needs to fit together very neatly. I enjoy topstitching seams like this, I think it always makes things look so neat and tidy. Plus, perfectionist that I am, I love seeing how straight I can get the stitching.

For the trim I bagged out a lovely piece of purple fabric, pleated it and added some French knots in black embroidery thread. It looks simple enough to wear every day, but with just an added bit of glamour that I love. Plus, I'm a fool for a cute button.

Going... Going... Gone!

This lovely lady came into the shop and bought the grey flat cap I made! She was so happy she decided to share it too. I love the feeling when someone truly likes a thing that I've created, it's unlike anything else.

Forever Autumn

After seeing these beautiful colours start to come through yesterday I had to share them. I always find autumn a strange time of year; it's cold and rainy and the end of summer, but it brings such richness of colour that always inspires me, and evokes the thought of cosy evenings in.

Now the weather has turned we've taken all the very summery things out of the shop and started focusing on nice warm accessories. Chrissie's sister Pat is a wonderful knitter and she makes beautiful berets and gloves for the shop (among other lovely things). We moved things around and there's a lovely warm, autumnal feel to the shop this week.

At the beginning of the week I made a neck wrap from some lavender-tinted grey boiled wool, with a super soft purple lining. It looks so cosy, and several people have tried it on already! 

It fastens with a popper and I embellished with some cute little buttons and French knots to the side. I'm happy with how it turned out, it was nice to have a bit of a break from hats and try something new.

Coming up to the end of week 3...

It's Thursday, and I actually felt very productive today. I put the finishing touches on the gorgeous tweed Adele Cap I'd made so that it could be posted off to it's new home (eek!). Then I started making another Adele Cap, this time in a checked waxed cotton fabric with the softest lining ever. For real. And it's a little sparkly.

This cap only has two pattern pieces, the main body that has two darts at the top, and the brim. I like the shape of this cap because it has a lovely volume to it, which looks really nice with the pleats we put in. The two I've made were also topstitched which I think is a lovely little detail.

See how nice that fabric is? I loved working with it, and the same with the lining which, did I mention, was super soft? The good thing about this is it's shower proof, so it's a great cap to have made this time of year. When I'd finished this hat this afternoon, we were trying to decide whether to put a trim on it or not, so I had a root through one of the button boxes and immediately spotted a red one that suited it perfectly.

I had fun making this cap, and I'm really enjoying my time at Hat Therapy. Next we're going to work with felt which I'm looking forward too, and I'm going to be making a trilby. Woo!