1920s style with felt, fabric flowers and arrows

There's so much to love about 1920s hats, and many fun styles and materials to explore, but blocked felt cloches are a favourite of mine! There's something extra special about this one though. Any guesses?

Well, there are the arrows. They are pretty fabulous. Not as neat as I wanted them, naturally, but a really lovely feature. The whole hat is a close-ish copy of one from a 1920s catalogue, that I fell for as soon as I saw those arrows! But there's more that's new and different.

This is the first hat I've blocked on my 19 inch hat block - that's toddler size! I'm really excited to work on some hats for young kids. Naturally it's going to be nice to be able to make lovely things for my own daughter, but I'm also just enjoying working on a smaller scale and seeing the way it influences me.

Although I imagine I will make some cutesy, clearly-just-for-kids designs as well, I really want to create hats with classy vintage elegance that adults would be happy to wear too. I want to stay true to my taste, and see these hats as just another opportunity to explore the mountain of vintage inspiration bubbling up around me.

Yet I think as I made it, I found myself happy to make some decisions about trim that I might not have done on an adult hat. I don't mind this cute little fabric flower, but I do feel it has a "little girl" quality to it.

The arrows save it, I think, keeping it different and interesting. Expect to see more 1920s influences in toddler size, because I think cloches are a pretty but practical option for small people, and there are so many lovely trims and shapes to try out.

What other vintage styles do you think would be fun for toddlers?

Miss Fisher Season 3 Costume Exhibition

This year saw another round of the Miss Fisher Costume exhibition, and once more I attended and enjoyed the display very much. Since many exciting cultural events are in the centre of Sydney, which is quite a trek for me, I loved being able to just go as far as Parramatta for this one, and avoid the traffic and parking hassles that I have grown so used to not having in my life!

I still haven't seen the show but I have now read the first few of the books. I'm sure I'll catch up one day.

Old Government House is a great venue, conveniently located in a park so your toddler can run around afterwards and lie in the dirt and try to pat magpies.

Like the last one, cameras were allowed, so I took what photos I could, while Teacup was happy in my friend's arms instead of mine. Actually, although I think the dramatic staging was even better than before, the lighting was not particularly conducive to getting good detail photographs.

My friend was wearing a blouse that almost exactly matched this fabric! That's pretty special!

There there were fewer hats this time around, and I really missed the whole room of hats from last time.

Some of the mannequins were rotating, which did allow a really fabulous 360 degree view of the outfits.

Another fun feature were two dress up rooms. They had 20s-style dresses that were made so they could be thrown on over your clothes (with open fronts or sides), gigantic fluffy velvet coats, and aviator hats and goggles. I love the look of the 20s coats, and they feel rather decadent and fun to play in, but they aren't something I can imagine myself wearing.

The images I took last time are here if you want some more hat eye candy.

Are you a fan of Miss Fisher or 1920s style? I think that first brocade coat with the purple hat is the outfit I'd choose from here, how about you?

Felt, faux fur, and more felt

Over the years I have made quite a few hats for my family and friends, and my mother has the biggest collection. So I didn't take many with me on my recent holiday, but instead planned to borrow some of those! My favourite was a small black felt hat with felt feathers and a snow leopard fur trim. I enjoyed wearing it so much, I decided to try some similar styles again.

I would be wearing this hat right now if I hadn't accidentally made it a bit too small for me! Instead it has gone, along with the rest of the hats in this post, into the Blackheath Hub with the berets for my first restock of winter.

I tried again with red and black, but I don't love the black faux fur on me. I guess I'll just have to make another one for myself!

Something that is so lovely about vintage hats is how different they look from different angles. This is particularly noticeable in those that sit on the back of the head, as these do, and create a frame around the face, with hidden details at the back. In this case, none of the red is visible, and it creates a nice bright surprise as you turn.

This next one I have mixed feelings about. I was going for a sort of heart-shaped halo effect, but I think I've arrived at fluffy tricorne instead. What do you think?

While those experiments had their ups and downs, it is hard to go wrong with a classic cloche. There is so much inspiration to draw on, but a swept back brim and velvet ribbon is hard to beat. And the dove grey vintage wool felt was lovely to work with and is such a subtle and classy colour.

This next was a design challenge, since the orange felt hood already had a bit cut out of the bottom (to make the visor on Nicole's 1960's rainbow helmet hat) and I don't work with orange very much either. So it had to make a small hat, leaning towards the 1930s in inspiration, with bow details I saw in a late 20s illustration. This type of hat often doesn't look like much on a mannequin, but is really flattering when worn. It might be the hair that makes all the difference.

Hopefully I'll manage to borrow them back from the shop and do a photoshoot so you can see them looking their best. Actually, I hope they sell out before I get that chance, but the photoshoot would be a nice option too. Although these hats are in the Hub now, non-locals feel free to contact me to ask about prices or about having something similar made.

I know many of you are in the sweltering heat of summer and may not enjoy even looking at wool, but try to imagine yourself in the misty cool of a mountains morning. Here, this should help:

Now, which one would you choose?

Winter Felts and a Vintage Hat Block Addiction

I know that my northern hemisphere friends are enjoying their summer, but here winter is really kicking in. Our fire has been going for months already, and the ground has been frosty many mornings. Consequently, I am going to share some wintry hats today!

The first is one that I made for myself. Today's top tip: don't let anyone else model a hat you made for yourself.

Because of the size (it is quite large) I started off wearing this angled to one side, as shown here. I quite like it this way, but for everyday wear I've now started wearing it on the back of my head.

The beret, and the hat shown below, are both formed on vintage hat blocks I picked up via Ebay last year. As much as I love free-shaping felt hats to my own whim, I have a serious weakness for the cool shapes of old blocks. It is so ridiculously hard to not buy them all. *sigh*

The only downside is not knowing exactly how they were intended to be worn or trimmed. While the beret is fairly straightforward, I wasn't sure about this swirly one at all.

In the end, I just block it and experiment. I'm pretty happy with how this one ended up, and I think it suits Lucy really well.

As you can see, my love of felt feathers is still going strong!

This green and black cloche is one I made last year and finally gave a proper photoshoot outing.

This one, like many of my hats, had me filled with doubt until I saw it worn properly and looking fabulous on a beautiful model.

These last two (and some others from the same blocks) are all currently in The Blackheath Hub, the local bricks-and-mortar that stocks my hats. Meanwhile, the beret is getting a good workout in my own daily wear.

Hat blocks like these are works of art. I just love looking at them! But I'm not going to allow myself to purchase any more until I've blocked more on the ones I own. I have a few others (vintage and new) that I'm only just starting to experiment with!

What's the vintage item or crafting supply that tempts you the most? Do you resist or just go crazy once in a while?

Vintage Magazine Snippets

In one of my vintage shopping hauls last year, I picked up a number of old magazines, mostly British Women's Weeklies. I wanted to show you some of my favourite articles, advertisements and illustrations from inside.

I love vintage refashion advice. It's great to see how they recommend completing each of the trims. No. 1 is my favourite, with the wreath design!

 This illustrated a fictional story, and shows lovely coat and cloche combinations.

This one is illustrating an article about not giving up your life when you find a man, and giving him space too. It probably helps your relationship to look this casually stylish and windswept too!

Advice for dress-up costumes for little girls from the 1920s? Yes please! Adorable. I found an newspaper article about a school performance involving my great-grandmother's aunt (after whom she was named) in the roll of fairy princess. It's interesting that an "inexpensive" costume in those days involved making it completely yourself, which I think would be seen as the seriously-dedicated option today.

Another refashion article, this time, doing up last year's frock! I wouldn't mind reading more of this "New Series".

These are ads for patterns you can send away for. I love the two directions of stripes on this sporty dress.

I'm not sure this would be flattering on many people, but it's a cute illustration.

Simple and adorable!

I love advice column sections too, especially for fashion. "We wear it on everything these days" certainly seems to be true when you look at some old 1920s photos.

I hope you enjoyed these bits and pieces!

Cloches, Forties Felt and Draped Satin

The final sequence from my wonderful photoshoot from June with Dee and Mel! These hats are all already sold, some to my lovely models, and some through the Blackheath Hub. But the photos are so lovely, I still wanted to share them with you.

I have since made a copy of this green cloche in blue for someone who fell in love with it when they saw these photos on my facebook page.

I showed you this pink cloche on me earlier, but this is its new owner, looking fabulous in it, and showing how well it can work with a non-1920s outfit.

I hardly ever attempt the same hat design twice, but this post features two! Not only did I remake the green cloche, but this mottled brown felt is a copy of a previous hat.

The original was in grey felt, and was a gift for a friend at work, whose generosity with her time and expertise helped me through a difficult year finding my feet teaching in a new faculty. I'm partial to this design for that reason, along with its charming simplicity. It is a hat that doesn't look like much by itself, but looks gorgeous when worn. I may have to make a third one!

This little red felt cap was inspired partially by a 1940s hat, but I strayed off into my own realm with it. I still feel a forties vibe from it, but I'm not sure whether that is the best way to classify it. I love the button and tails detail, which I would like to use again, whether I repeat this overall design or not.

This hat is another one that has been on a long journey from the beginning of its creation to a good photo shoot and a new owner! I began with the main front piece, inspired by this 1950s photo, almost a year ago, when I chronicled the recycling of an old costume dress project into this hat.

I wasn't happy with using an elastic on it, and so it sat unfinished until the International Millinery Forum, and a class with Jan Wutkowski about vintage bandeau styles. I fell in love with "figure eight" attachments after trying on one of her examples and feeling how comfortable yet secure it was. This was the project I worked on in that class, but it took until June to get great photos of it!

Again, I want to try to make something similar, although I wouldn't attempt to repeat the exact design! Too much chaos (not to mention specific parts of the old dress!) went into its making to be able to replicate it. It has been one of my favourite creations, however, so I'm sure to revisit some aspects of it.

Really, this has been quite a post of favourites! So many delightful ideas - drapey fabrics, sweeping felts, little bows, and vintage buttons! Which of these design features do you like best?

(Entry to the competition is now closed. The winner will be announced here on Friday!)

Shop Update - 7 hats in 7 days (and counting)

With my productivity decreased lately, due to my being "in the family way", I seem to have compensated by having plenty of energy for planning and for buying. It is easier to consume than create.

In all my constant browsing of Lovely Things That I Might Like To Buy, I was very tempted by a large lot of vintage hats in need of repair.

While I didn't originally have any intention of selling actual vintage hats, as I immerse myself in research, I've come to admire and covet them more than ever, and my work on rescuing and restoring the sad unloved hats of the world has come to mean more to me. Expanding that mission appeals to me.

But I was strict with myself. It's one thing to say you are too tired to create, but it is another to excuse the fact that I have DOZENS of hats that are made but not listed in my shop. So I set myself a target. To list one hat in my online shop each day for the next week. And I am rather pleased with myself, because I have achieved it!

Let me introduce you to some of the new and not-so-new hats I've listed this week. (Because I was making as an aimless hobby for a while without having the shop, some of these are from last year or even earlier.)

Both of these featured on the blog last year. The purple twirls was one of two hats I made while re-exploring jinsin, and the straw hat I began making in England when I did a day of tutoring with Bobbi Heath.

These two I showed earlier this year, for my weekend of 1920s fun., but I only just got around to taking some more photos and putting them into the shop.

Photography by Carys Arnold

Miniature top hats were the very first type of hat I made properly. I was pretty happy with how they turned out, and all the fun different looks you could achieve with different fabrics and trims, so I made a lot of them! This one is called "Winterwood" (after a Don McLean song) and I couldn't resist editing one of the photos a lot to suit the theme of the hat.

Another of my mini top hats. This one went in a vampiresque direction, possibly on purpose, possibly just because I wanted to use red veiling.

And this one I only did a few months ago. It actually started with the intention of a sixties direction with that little "visor" at the front, but when worn, it was looking much closer to the 1920s, so I changed path and added the diamond shapes at the sides.

Having achieved my goal, I'm still cautious about whether to claim my "prize" of allowing myself to indulge in the vintage hat purchase. I realised, however, that I have at least 20 more hats made and waiting to be photographed and listed, so I'll keep working away at it, and see how I feel! I'm thinking of celebrating the completion of this task with a giveaway, which will be my first. I'm quite excited by the idea.

What do you think about adding restored vintage hats to my shop, alongside my own creations?