happy hat making instructions and what not for my collection: “17 sultry summers ago: daisies in the dust”

Alright so i have never made hats before, let us keep this in mind huh? no formal training etc etc. But i tried really really hard and this is what i came up with!

boater worn with flower wreath

birdssssseyeee beautiful

the boater

mum and dad's rainforest

flower wreath

boater again

floral fancy

saucy saucer

and again

and again

and again

wearing it this way almost looks religious..?

babin'

pillbox slash turban

mustard magic

squish top turban

a folding experiment

safety pins and straw

sideways backways frontways allways always

redhead beauty

i put together a few headpieces as well just for fun

green garden

black and white floral slide

naturally stunning

ex oh

darling

so what i have made includes:

1. the boater

2.the saucer hat

3. the floral wreath

4. the folding experiment

5. the pillbox/turban hat ( actually not properly completed, the bottom seam is unfinished)

6. the black and white floral hair slide

7.the orange and white floral headband

how did i make them?!! well the headband and the hairslide i will assume need no explanation, just a bit of fun (actually not so fun) hand sewing bits and pieces together. the floral wreath is much the same, i pulled the flower heads off their stems and hand stitched them to an old piece of black ribbon i had lying around.

the folding experiment’s construction lies in its name, it is literally a simple man’s straw hat folded inside out, up on the sides and flipped inside out again on one end, then safety pinned into position, wallah! SIMPLE.

example one

example two

example three

the pillbox/turban style hat is constructed from just three pieces of fabric which make up the pattern: two identical rectangles 10cm in width and  25cm in length and one circle, which is cut on the fold with a diameter of 18.5cm, the radius is then measured from the centre of the diameter line, 9.75cm, and the circumference of the circle is drawn in by hand.

the next step is to sew the rectangles together at both ends.

sew the seams together, then fold them open and straight stitch them flat

then you must pin the cylinder of fabric you have created to the circular piece of fabric. like so:

leave just enough seam allowance so that it is possible to fold down the excess and straight stitch it flat, i found 7-8mm was perfect

better view of the pillbox/turban on the right

cyclinder and circle joined

the next step is to cut triangles into the unfinished seams where the cylinder has been sewn to the circle, this hopefully prevents the seams from buckling..(it still happened to mine, i guess i need to work on that a bit more)

heres what i mean for you to do next though:

triangle cuts

repeat on the facing seam allowance and then straight stitch over both lines of triangles

the next step would be to attatch a band around the bottom, however i did not finish the bottom seam on this hat, so you will have to leave it to your very own imagination. sorry

the next hat: the boater! the boater top is made exactly the same way as the pillbox/turban however the width is only half that of the previously mentioned pattern measurement. Also, in the case of the boater, due to using an old men’s jacket for the fabric, there were no pieces big enough to cut another circle out on the fold, so it is in two halves.

the straw brim of the hat was taken from an old kids straw hat which had ripped in three places on top so i just cut the top off.

headless hat

after making the pillbox top the same as before, slide it onto the straw and hand stitch it to the brim. create a lining exactly the same size as the outer pillbox shape and hand sew it to the inside. then hand stitch a ribbon around the bottom of the pillbox shape. wallah! done!

in this picture it is only pinned together

flower placement, before stitching them to ribbon

the final hat: the saucer

this one was the toughest, but after many many trials and way too many errors i got there in the end, here’s how:

THE VELVET USED THROUGHOUT CAME FROM THIS AWFUL JACKET AND, THIS IS THE CHILDRENS STRAW HAT USED FOR THE SAUCER

firstly i separated the brim of the hat from the top.then i traced the brim shape out on the velvet and cut out the velvet piece.

brim pattern

mucking around with shapes, originally i thought i would use velvet on the underside of the brim as well. decided not to later

lovely lucy modelling for me

and from behind

then i cut four rectangles about 2.5 cm larger on each side then the circumference of the hat when it sat on top of the fabric.

four rectangles to fit one circle? im sure there was an easier way..

i then pinned these four pieces together to form a larger rectangle and pinned the centre of this shape, (where all of the seams met) to the centre top of the hat.

i then little by little adjusted the pins in the seams of the rectangle to snugly fit the shape of the top of the hat.

i then straight stitched the seams, cut triangles into all of the seam allowances and straight stitched those down also.

making the rectangle into a sphere shape

example two

sick and tired of the bloody saucer!!

fitting fitting fitting, gritting my teeth

more fitting

from the inside

i then positioned the brim and trimmed the top velvet hat piece to 1cm lower then where i wanted the brim to sit.

brim brimmidy brim brimmidy

another angle

and another angle

and yet another angle! so you can see the excess fabric beneath the brim is what is to be cut off

i then sewed the top velvet hat piece to the brim.

then the velvet pieces are carefully hand stitched to the straw pieces in a million places giving me bruised and broken finger tips.

the final touch is to hand stitch binding to the outer brim of the hat and the bottom of the hat.

WALLAH! WALLAH! WALLAH! DONE DONE DONE!!

(sorry that there are no more photos towards the end, i was super excited to finish everything and forgot about taking photos)

last step: tea and butter cake x

yummmyyy x

MANY HATTY RETURNS

ECO COUNTRY LIVING

the bedroom i will one day have

the kitchen i want to have

I am in love with the whole idea of living in the country, not having the availability of city stores, so instead making use of what is already available to you in the earth and by recycling old goods. Misty summer light, trashy romance novels, a country cottage, hot, sticky, lazy, relaxing days on the veranda or in the grass. I would like to name my hat collection ’17 Sultry Summers Ago’. The hats are made from old straw hats and one mens velvet jacket, they inspire a longing for the old and the traditional in terms of values, lifestyle and fashion. I have realised that I am extremely nostalgic and sentimental. I want these hats to remind the wearer of a box of memories full of old love letters. I am revisiting hats, revisiting a sense of appropriateness in dress, of old classic values in life, in style, at heart and in fashion. Homage to the past/Ethical responsibility/Social awareness.

THIS PROJECT

Okay so for me, being initially incredibly excited about this project it was even more of a bummer when i got really really sick. I have had pneumonia this semester by the way, may explain my lack of attendance to you all. I thoroughly enjoyed making my hats, however just found it really hard to stay motivated all the time when I was too sick to attend class. I loved focusing on sustainability and immersing myself mentally in the project and actually taking a real look at my life and the way i consume mindlessly. I actually hope to incorporate some sustainable living mentalities into my final third year collection by perhaps using all recycled fabrics and op-shop finds. It has been so lovely to work with old things and rework them and see them as something that can now be loved and adored rather than ignored.

RECYCLING- RE-USING AND RENEWING

My justification for the materials used to make the hats is explained quite simply. The straw is a renewable and sustainable resource as previously mentioned and the velvet, though it may have been produced and treated chemically is then being re-used. The sunflowers used were from a bunch of fake flowers I purchased in an op-shop, they represent the energy provided to us from our sun, they now serve a wearing purpose rather than just an ornamental purpose. One jacket into 3 or 4 hats, (unfortunately not all of the hats and head pieces from my designed collection were completed due to illness, however I will definitely be finishing them in my own time. The remnants i will be using for smaller decorative brooches and/or stuffing and patchwork pieces for cushions. I think I will definitely live a more sustainable lifestyle now, after doing this project. Instead of consuming, I want to always try to make things from what I already have. I believe I have managed to preserve the previous garments by using these garments which in an op-shop serve no purpose being ill-shapen, ugly and boring, to produce a collection which is lovely, sweet, darling and of better quality, being carefully hand-made. These hats I hope will be items to love and to hold onto. Something to treasure, to keep in your treasure chest. I am more interested in slow fashion, producing your own clothes from home, from old patterns, or by updating old pieces from op-shops for less than ten dollars. Not to create new forms but to play with the old solid ones. I love the idea of having multiple uses for a hat, so the boater has an attachable flower band which itself can be worn alone as a flower headband.

MAD-MIX…MY STYLE

My designer style is eclectic, romantic, feminine, contradictory, decadent and full of amazing mistakes. I love natural and ethereal beauty, dreamy, blurry, clouded and faded photography. I love hats because they have the ability to change, update and completely dress up an outfit. In terms of sustainability I would like to think that alike to a magicians hat full of bunnies, I am creating hats full of integrity, value and goodness.

edie beale

edie edie edie

red head beauty and kitty

classic

babe

my real bedroom feat: my best friend in one of my oldest hats

zoe and me, being fabulously cured of our hangovers with hats

STRAW RECYCLING and SOLAR POWER

straw galore

cutie pie

Straw is readily available in almost all agricultural areas; it is a replaceable, renewable, biodegradable, recyclable and sustainable source. I have become extremely interested in the innumerable energy resources provided by the sun. Present day, the interest in solar powered technology is astounding. We now have electricity, cars, heating and countless other technologies all powered by the sun’s energy.

Solar energy is the radiant light and heat from the Sun that has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation along with secondary solar resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass account for most of the available renewable energy on Earth. Only a minuscule fraction of the available solar energy is used. We’ve used the Sun for drying clothes and food for thousands of years, but only recently have we been able to use it for generating power.

solar powered home sweet home

sun sparklin' solar power dreamin'

The Sun is about 150 million kilometres away but it is still very amazingly powerful. Just the tiny fraction of the Sun’s energy that hits the Earth (around a hundredth of a millionth of a percent) is enough to meet all our power needs many times over.

The utilization of solar energy is important in our advances and effort to clean up the environment. Solar power is possibly the easiest to use, and most convenient, of the various clean and renewable energy sources (such as wind, water, etc.).

Solar energy has been used since ancient times, as a source of heat. In the 1830’s, another use of solar energy was developed – when a solar cooker was used on a safari. Since that time, many other solar energy applications have been developed, and almost anyone can now take advantage of this technology.

One of the most common uses of solar power is its use as a source of power (i.e., electricity). Since the 1970’s, people have been installing solar collectors on their roof-tops, and using the power they collected, to run their households. While having enough solar collectors to provide energy for an entire house may not be common, it is becoming more common, as the technology develops.

Most of solar powered homes of this type run their appliances directly from the solar collectors’ power during the day, and store excess power in batteries for use at night.  In this way, the homeowner can avoid ever having to use power that was generated by a non-renewable resource.

When i own my own home one day down the track i will definitely choose solar powered electricity. My parents have just bought a new house on a 6-acre block at Ninderry on the sunshine coast. It is a beautiful country cottage in the rainforest with a dam. They are installing solar power for the house and building a permaculture garden, insulation throughout the house instead of using electricity for heat and cool. A compost for recycle personal waste with a worm farm. They are going to harness Wind-power and solar-power to pump water and generate electricity also.And last not not least… A composting loo for the studio- yuck! But eco-friendly! Go mum and dad!!

It is obvious that my main focus on sustainability has been aimed at recycling. I chose to use only op-shop finds and things already around my house to make the hats with. Purchases included, 3 straw hats at $1 or $2 each and a velvet mustard home made men’s jacket for $3 from op shops. Reading up on straw i have learnt that not only is straw a natural resource it can be recycled for clean energy production. The link below is to a site which gives a pretty good explanation for the energy power straw can provide.

http://www.yet2.com/app/utility/external/indextechpak/34321

The website says that:

Bioenergy technologies help protect the environment by making use of renewable plant materials such as sawdust, tree trimmings, rice, straw, animal wastes and paper components of municipal solid waste. Despite their use today in a wide variety of processes, including the production of clean transportation fuels, electricity and chemicals, these biomass products are currently only providing one fourth of the energy production. A very promising effort that relies on processing straw for feeding power plants aims at increasing utilisation of biomass as a renewable source of energy and subsequently contributing towards the growth of rural economies.

karen walker's darling sun hat

livin' like this is bliss

VINTAGE IS ECO FRIENDLY FASHION

I believe that by sticking to buying vintage, retro and used goods that I am definitely helping the environment. Most used goods i buy are from op-shops too, where all the money is going to charity. By spending on used items rather than new, we are supporting local communities and not supporting big businesses which pollute the environment.

http://finnflair.com/article/vintage-is-eco-friendly-fashion

http://vintageclothing.about.com/od/vintagebasics/a/eco_vintage.htm

Vintage clothing website on etsy- www.allencompanyinc.etsy.com

an apple a day…

http://emersonmerrick.blogspot.com/2008/07/hat-attack.htmlThis is my favourite blog at the moment, it is ridiculously sweet, nostalgic and sentimental. This blog epitomises what is inspiring me right now. Emerson Merrick is a green darling. She is clever, crafty and resourceful. Here are some pics from her blog:a hat she was about to get fixin'

 

stitching it all up

 

adding some ribbon

and a bow!

 Here are some more cool eco friendly hat related crafts:

 Eco-friendly fabric made hats- http://www.wholeliving.com/article/eco-friendly-hats

Recycled sweaters into hats- http://www.craftstylish.com/item/28927/how-to-make-hats-from-recycled-sweaters

GREAT IDEAS FOR USING SCRAP FABRIC

Mostly found at this website- http://www.designspongeonline.com/category/diy-projects

 Vintage shirt quilt- http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/01/diy-wednesday-january-9.html

next home project for me will be a vintage shirt quilt, pure brilliance

Tin can pin cushion- (use fabric scraps for stuffing instead) http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/04/diy-wednesdays-tin-can-pincushion.html

could use all of the cat food tins...plus cute gift for my fellow fashion studymates

 Silk scarf pillow- http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/11/diy-wednesdays-silk-scarf-pillow.html

 Target plastic bag pom-pom- http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/11/diy-project-eco-happy-pom-pom-gift-topper.html

 Plastic bag and wire hanger Christmas wreath- http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/12/weekly-wrap-up-diy-wreath-project.html

 Vintage brooch drawer handles- http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/02/diy-project-kates-vintage-brooch-knobs.html

i want this in my room, such a good idea

 Tin can planters- http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/08/diy-project-sabrinas-paint-can-planters.html

 Fabric floral arrangement- http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/07/diy-project-jane-joss-recycled-quilt-flowers.html

 Fabric envelopes- http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/07/diy-wednesdays-fabric-envelopes.html

envelope beauty...they can be used over and over and over again as well

 Home-made quilt by emmerson merrick- http://emersonmerrick.blogspot.com/2009/06/homeade-quilts.html

Eco ME

I thought i would spend some sweet time looking into ways i can eco my life and be more green. Here are a few websites with some ideas.

http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2007/10/30/35-low-cost-ways-to-green-your-lifestyle/

http://newenchantments.org/v1/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53&Itemid=59

http://www.greenhomeguide.org/living_green/sustainable_lifestyles.html

http://green-changemakers.blogspot.com/2009/07/10-sustainable-lifestyle-tips.html

These were my two favourite change making ideas on the websites:

-         Use a 30-day list. If you still really want to buy something, put it on a list, and write down the date you added the item to the list. Now tell yourself you cannot buy that item for 30 days. It might be difficult, but you can do it. When the 30 days have passed, if you still want it, then buy it. But you can’t buy anything (besides essentials like groceries) without putting it on the list for 30 days first. Many times, our urges to buy something will pass during this waiting period

-         Buy used. When you get the urge to buy something, and you’re convinced that it’s needed, try finding it used instead of new. Look in thrift shops or garage sales or flea markets or similar places

It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing that I am now doing a little bit for our planet, i have spent more time on the internet over this past month than ever before in my life reading blog after blog after blog after blog. Hat blogs, fashion blogs, lifestyle blogs, cooking blogs, eco-friendly blogs, environment blogs, solar power blogs, you name it! To be honest i hate blogging myself, i feel like an idiot writing about myself and my opinions etc, but i love to read others so i have found fun in it somehow I got to thinking yesterday about how and why people become interested in sustainability and i stumbled across this blog yesterday and loved the bloggers reasons for going green…here they are: 

http://www.sarahssustainablelife.com/

Sarah is a vegetarian/vegan mum with an eco conscious and passion for the environment, heres why as she states on her blog..

1) stewardship – this is a term that church people love to throw around, but never really do much with. God gave us this earth to take care of, and everything on it. it just doesn’t make sense to waste anything, from glass & plastic to time & money. if i have learned anything in my life, it’s that anything can be taken away at any time (anything!), so don’t take for granted what you have. make the most of it, and help others do the same so that the effects can be far reaching. which brings me to my second concern with the environment:

2) compassion – have you ever spent any time in a third or fourth world country? if so, you know how much americans waste every single day. overconsumption is a way of life here (and in other first world nations), and it is a good portion of the reason that so much of the world suffers with so little. it is impossible to be a wasteful humanitarian. natural resources are precious and few, and we should be ready and willing to make sure that other people on this planet can have their basic needs met, even when it means that we need to give up some luxuries and work a little harder physically.

SO LOVELY

favourite form of travel: my bike, no petrol pollution!

Ther uniform project

ONE DRESS 365 WAYS

bored at work today i was flipping through MAP magazine and stumbled across this amazing one woman project aimed at sustainability and to raise money for indian children’s schooling. it’s already a cool project, for those two reasons, but visiting the website is incredible. this total babe wears the same dress every single day (she has 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week) accessorised and styled differently. she only begun the project about 4 months ago yet has already made $10,000! SO GOOD!

here is the website: http://www.theuniformproject.com

here are some lovely pics from the site, my favourites all feature hats…surprise, surprise. HATS SWEETEN EVERY OUTFIT!

The wesbite states what the project is all about, so here is a copy and paste run down.

“Starting May 2009, I have pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. Here’s how it works: There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Every day I will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accoutrements, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies. Think of it as wearing a daily uniform with enough creative license to make it look like I just crawled out of the Marquis de Sade’s boudoir.

The Uniform Project is also a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India. At the end of the year, all contributions will go toward Akanksha’s School Project to fund uniforms and other educational expenses for children living in Indian slums.”

What i find exceptionally cool about this lady and her perfect project is that not only is she wearing the one dress every day, the garments she uses to update the outfit every day are almost all vintage, bought from ebay or donated to her…..PLUS SHE HAS AMAZING STYLE. WHAT A DREAM BOAT.

dreamboat

hats, hat making, hat facts, straw hats, hats.

beautiful boater

mia farrow being absolutely amazing, i want to be her in this photo

 In its simplest form, a hat is any garment worn on the head, whether it is for practical purposes of for protection from the sun, weather or the cold. Hats have been used in many ways throughout history, as ornament, for practical purpose, to portray status or for fashionable/artistic reasons. One of the oldest forms of hats is the wide-brimmed hat, worn to protect against the sun, woven of straw grown in the sun.

 

little me, babin' hat huh?

big me with fat cat

These two sites are concentrated on straw manufacture, straw types, straw hats, basically just everything i wanted to know about the straw used for hat making, check them out..

http://www.hatsuk.com/hatsuk/hatsukhtml/bible/bible.htm

http://www.cowboyhatinfo.org/making_straw_hats.html

straw hat weaving, incredible craft

Leopard skin pillbox hat – bob dylan

The challenge to design with the planet in mind…

D-I-Y

DIY is a movement or a way of thinking and producing that emerged most vigorously in the punk and grunge subcultures of the 1970’s and the 1990’s respectively. It centres around the idea of taking power and central control back from ‘the man’, and, quite simply, doing things yourself- whether that be clothing production, product creating, music-making or self publishing zines, etc.

 

DIY has fluctuated in popularity and momentum over the years, its purpose being that of environmental, social, political, creative, communitarian or all of the above. The pleasures of DIY are simple, its fun, the DIY maker has satisfaction on many levels,  having made the product themselves and possibly from recycled goods, meaning they are doing their bit for Mother Nature and everything is made with love. DIY represents recycling, renewing, re-purposing and realising ones responsibility to the environment. With any DIY project the maker has complete control over choices regarding what materials to use, how to minimise waste and how to be mindful of the environment in the process of production. This makes the concept of DIY an extremely viable method of sustainable practice. This is why I enjoy the freedom of DIY and the experimentation with different mediums, including straw for this particular project, something I had never handled before. It is a huge part of the DIY culture to op-shop for cheap items/fabrics and collect discarded goods to use in the making and creating of things. Used items already have a unique story which makes them special, it is even more special in my opinion to be able to add to that story. This method of making is not only ecologically friendly but also much, much cheaper. I love to make things because it gives me the power or the freedom to express my own individuality and personal uniqueness in what I wear rather than to mass consume fashion trends which might result in having to share a far more similar aesthetic in style with the masses season to season. Although I simply just love to make things, it is a wonderful reality that it is also a subconscious rejection of mass consumerism. Relentless consumption is no longer sustainable and I am really glad that I was given this project this semester, because it is really exciting to see the diversity in design aesthetics and ideas within the class in relation to this topic. We share an extremely colourful and complex web of creations and ideas. 

me making hats!

 

 Whether it be your fashion statement for a month, for a year or for your entire life, recycling will always be cool because recycling is taking your hat off to mother nature, and she’s pretty sweet. I love the idea of re-using a piece of vintage clothing, a vintage garment, a thrift store find which is ultimately ugly to my eye or unwearable, to create something new and more interesting.