Weekly Themes: Floral!

For those of you joining in with the snood wearing, there will be four weekly themes, or challenges, if you like, to give some specific direction to your snood wearing. Totally optional of course, but something to try if you feel like it. I wanted to make myself branch out a bit, plus I was full of ideas after all the research!

Here are the themes:

 
So, what can we do with this week's floral theme? Here are some thoughts and some vintage inspiration!

From The Australian Women's Weekly, 27 Jan 1945

A couple of big flowers

The classic (and for good reason) look is to add a few hair flowers as a statement accessory to your accessory. If you already have hair flowers equipped with combs or clips, just add them after putting your snood on.  If you just have some artificial flowers, you can slide a bobby pin over one of the bottom petals and then into your hair.

Flowers on the mesh

The vintage precedent is to go as crazy as you like with them! You could practically cover the whole mesh in flowers, or have more at the top, thinning further down the snood (as in the Lilly Dache example above).

From Vogue, Nov 1 1939

Sewing the flowers on by hand isn't super quick, but it isn't too bad, and it means you can easily experiment, then snip the threads and try a different idea. I've used small artificial flowers from my stash, with a bead in the centre, but little ribbon flowers would be cute too.

I'm planning to try this as is and also with additional flowers around the front. We'll see how it goes!

A flower crown

The "News" of Adelaide, 27 September 1944, suggested:

"Take one half-circle of made flowers, attach one snood on a narrow elastic. And there's your new party hat for Spring....The flowers are brilliant reds and blues, the snoods match, or contrast violently. No in-betweens."

Sprays of Small Flowers

For a low-slung snood (can I call them a half-snood or something?) the Weekly Times of Melbourne, 7 March 1945 suggested a spray of flowers at the top of each side. They do remind you to remember that if you are using real flowers, they won't last too long!

From The Weekly Times, 7 Mar 1945

Types of Flowers

All kinds of artificial flowers can be used, from random cheap ones to nice silk or velvet. Real flowers, as mentioned, could be a fun one-day experiment. Consider ribbon flowers, floral brooches or clips, crocheted flowers, and don't forget that you could explore leaves too!

Flowers can brighten up a plain snood, add volume and interest in the places you want it, draw attention to your hair (or away from it!), bring in colours from your outfit, and just make you smile!

I hope you will give some floral experiments a go this week!

Guest Post: Free Vintage Australian Crochet Patterns

My first guest post (ever!) is courtesy of my lovely and wise sister Rhiannon, who is talented in many crafts as well as being a historian with exceptional knowledge of the past. Her blog, Parlour Duck Crafts, chronicles her embroidery, crochet and sewing projects, as well as experiments with vintage recipes.

While Rhiannon and I were both taught to crochet as children, it is a skill I've let slide. I flatter myself to think that if I brushed up on the basic steps and followed a well-written modern pattern, and took my time, I could probably make something up successfully. Rhiannon, on the other hand, has continued to learn and practise and has become rather a crochet master. She tackles everything from chunky baby blankets to fine lace work, has learned all kinds of specialist crochet types I've never heard of, battles confusing vintage patterns, and can even make things without a pattern, which is a concept I can't even get my head around.

So naturally, when I started thinking snoods, I was frequently relying on her expertise. During my research I came across a number of patterns for crocheted snoods. But I didn't know if they were any good! I didn't want to share links to patterns that were incomplete, confusing, or just the same old snoods you will have already seen. Rhiannon agreed to look them over for me, and the result is this post.

All of these patterns were found via Trove, the database of the National Library of Australia.

Over to Rhiannon.

 

A general point to remember if you are planning to try any of these patterns: they are all from Australian newspapers and therefore use UK terminology.

Snood and collar set

Weekly Times, Dec 6 1944

Why try this one? A matching collar and snood set isn't something you see often, and a shell pattern for the snood makes an interesting alternative to the more usual mesh patterns. How are the instructions? Overall they are clear and don't have too many places that will seem strange to users of more modern patterns. There are a few things (slip stitching to finish off rounds, etc) that aren't specified but are easy enough to recognise that you'd need. The big lack is tension/gauge information. There is a yarn suggestion of "linen thread or two-ply wool" but then we are told to use a crochet hook "to suit" so that doesn't add any information. The collar at least gives a starting length. Pattern here.

Snood with rosettes

Weekly Times, Aug 6 1947

Why try this one? It has frilly rosettes. ROSETTES. Although I'm not convinced the instructions as written will give the volume of frilliness shown in the illustration. It is still a charming idea and I'm curious to try it. How are the instructions? The snood and the two rosettes are started off around curtain rings. No size is given except "small". No tension/gauge information but we do get some yarn suggestions. Once you've covered the curtain rings the snood is a very basic and easy chain and double crochet mesh and it should be quick to work up. The rosette instructions are clear too. The method given for the elastic is also clear but is fiddly and would take ages. Pattern here.

Snood cap

The Age, Apr 27 1940

Why try this one? It looks chic and daring, and solves any "what do I do at the front?" questions. I have a slight suspicion this would look less chic with the twisted cord cap in the "red, yellow, royal, white, emerald, candy-pink and turquoise" listed as the pattern example than the neat black and white illustration, but who knows? How are the instructions? The snood itself is a basic chain and treble mesh, which would be easy to get into a groove with as there is no shaping, and the instructions are perfectly clear apart from the almost expected lack of tension/gauge information. This has yarn and hook suggestions. The instructions for the twisted cord cap and the felt or ribbon bow do have size information. The instructions on how to fit cap and snood together seem a bit daunting actually, and I think I'd want a second person there to help. Pattern here.

Solid snood cap

Weekly Times, Oct 10 1945

Why try this one? It is unusual in being a solid crochet snood (that seems more common in knit ones). The stitch pattern for the snood part is rather pretty but I confess that the whole thing is not to my taste. How are the instructions? This is one where you'd need some crocheting experience, as the cap requires increasing "as necessary" to keep flat initially. While it doesn't have explicit tension/gauge information, it does give an idea of the number of stitches to a certain point in the cap, and the wool and hook suggestions are more precise than in many others. I'd start with the cap part to experiment for gauge, and then move on to the snood. Pattern here.

Snood with bow

Australian Women's Weekly, Mar 21 1942

Why try this one? The picture is amazing, (You can understand why advertisers were eager for a weekly paper with the picture quality of the Women's Weekly and helped in its creation.) The large bow looks striking worked in the same mesh as the snood. How are the instructions?  The snood itself is a basic chain and double crochet mesh and while the instructions are straightforward, they lack any tension/gauge information apart from yarn and hook suggestions. I think the making up and edging instructions are a bit scanty. The bow is a long strip of mesh and it just says 'sew bow in position as in picture. Do not knot' so... what exactly should I be doing? Just tacking the strip into a loopy bow? (Tanith's note: I would say so, it's commonly done to make ribbon bows.) And surely to achieve the look of the picture the bow should be starched? Pattern here.

Elastic thread snood

Argus, Jul 11 1944

Why try this one? Tension information! An unusual elastic edging method and a mesh with a longer chain than usual. But really, helpful tension information. How are the instructions? A basic mesh with a long chain, with little shaping so would work up quickly. The edging method (involves twisting outer loops into figure eight shapes and working into the top) is a little fiddly but it can be forgiven for all the time you will save thanks to the incredibly clear and obvious tension information. The very outer row is crocheted in elastic thread which I've seen some people complain about (difficulty maintaining their working tension). Pattern here.

Basic crochet snood

My artist's impression. Weekly Times, Dec 23 1942

Why try this one? Although it has no pretty picture, it is great basic mesh snood pattern with excellent making up instructions that I think will give a nice result with a ribbon bow tied in front. How are the instructions? So at this point it shouldn't be a surprise that this has no tension information. It doesn't even have yarn or hook suggestions. What it does have is excellent size information, so you could make a mesh of whatever density you prefer. (Indeed, you could even make a solid crochet snood by making up a different stitch pattern to these size specifications.)  The instructions for how to gather the fullness are useful for any snood, and the finishing method to give a ribbon bow tying in front are very nice. Pattern here.

Thank you Rhiannon! Such amazing detail and information. I hope you guys found this helpful and I would LOVE to see some of these made up. Not that you should do it just to entertain me, but if you happen to, please let me know.

Snoods for beginners and useful resources

Snoodtember is here! It's time to spend a fabulous month getting to know snoods a little better. Whether you are a beginner like me, or an experienced 1940s snood fashionista, I hope you can enjoy the program and expand your horizons in some way.

Today I'm focusing on getting us all going and ready to wear our snoods from day one. So let's start at the beginning.

From The Australian Women's Weekly 6 Jan 1940

What is a snood?

A snood is a type of headwear that encloses the hair at the back of the head. They are most commonly made of some kind of open net, often crocheted or knitted yarn, but can also be made of solid fabric. They can cover the whole back of the head, or be more of a low swag on the back of the neck with a band across the top. Around in various forms since the middle ages, they have moved in and out of popularity. Snoods were a major fashion trend in the 1940s, both in practical everyday use and highly decorated for evening wear.

If you are searching online for snoods, you will also see that the term has started being used for looped scarves of the infinity scarf variety, which makes searches a bit annoying!

Let's get all sentimental about snoods with Helen Frith! I love it. From The Macleay Chronicle, 8 May 1940

How do I put it on? What do I do with my hair?

Putting on a snood is relatively simple, depending how it is attached. Some will have an elastic around the opening, others will have a ribbon tie, like a drawstring, to be tied in a bow at the top. Some bobby pins can help hold your snood exactly where you want it.

Because you will have hair showing at the front, they are great for showing off fun vintage hair looks, all the fun curls and rolls and so on, but that can be a bit scary for those of us that are not strong in the ways of hairstyling. Vintage images often show the hair simply pulled back, and if you have a fringe (bangs) it works well too.

Here are some great resources for snood wear and hair, and in the style inspiration posts that are coming soon, you can get even more great hair ideas.

Casey has a great detailed post on how to wear a crocheted snood, and Brittany at Vavoom Vintage has a post on how to put on a snood, and 4 ways to do your hair (and a hat) with a snood. On the Chronically Vintage Youtube channel you can watch a video all about snoods in which Jessica talks all about snoods and how she wears them, and shows off some of her collection and their different features.

Youtube is full (OK not full, but there are plenty) of tutorials for hair styling with a snood, and they are also a great way to just watch someone putting one on, if you aren't confident.

From The Australian Women's Weekly, 6 Jan 1940

Where can I buy one?

There are a lot of fabulously talented people selling handmade snoods on Etsy, in a huge range of colours. I believe you can also get cheap ones elsewhere, but you know me, I believe in handmade and paying a fair price for things.

How do I make my own?

I'll be sharing how to make a fabric snood here on the blog this month in our Snood-along, but if you are keen to crochet or knit yourself a snood, here are some useful links:

• My sister has used this pattern to crochet two snoods, including one that I will be wearing this month, and it looks beautiful, I must say!
• My mum has also used this pattern and said it was nice and easy, and it came out looking wonderful too. I'm not sure but I think it is the same as this one shared by Bonita on Lavender and Twill. My sister tried this one two and also said it was quite quick.
• Brittany has a link post of 12 Free Vintage Snood patterns
• I found a lot of cute patterns by searching Trove, but I didn't know whether they were any good. I asked my sister to cast her eye over them, and the gave me such good feedback that we turned it into a guest post To whet your appetite, I can tell you that it includes the one pictured below.
• Want to tie a snood from a scarf? Casey has got you covered again.

According to the Weekly Times' Jacqueline, you can also net one, "using the same pattern you use for camouflage nets, or string bags" but I would guess not many of you happen to have a favourite camouflage net pattern on hand.

Snood with bow, from The Australian Women's Weekly, 21 March 1942

Remember you can see my own snood wearing efforts over on Instagram, starting today, and that you can join in using the hashtag #snoodtember and tagging me @tanithrowan, or by emailing photos to tanithrowandesigns@gmail.com or on Facebook.

If you have any other favourite patterns or any resources for snood wearing, please let me know in the comments.

Happy Snoodtember!

Millinery Movie Moments: The French Line (1953)

Ok, I admit it, I'm just reviewing random movies I found on late-night TV, not the ones with the best hats, necessarily. On the other hand, I think you'd have to look pretty hard to find a classic movie, or at least a classic romantic comedy, that doesn't have some fabulous hats. Even just watching the extras can be inspirational.

Well anyway, today we're talking "The French Line" from 1953, with Jane Russell as oil heiress Mary Carson. She has some stunning high fashion outfits, but I also really like her "Texas girl" look from the beginning.

She looks stylish in the bath too. I'm pretty sure that Jane Russell never looked anything but stylish in her life.

I had to share this number even though it is hatless. It's the most ridiculous thing but so lovely, flattering and sparkly and bold. I couldn't get a good full length shot but it's, well I guess it's a fitted strapless jumpsuit? With sparkly boobs. And a drapey chiffon robe.

This is her outfit to impress the fiance she hasn't seen in weeks, but it doesn't work. He bolts. He likes to wear the pants, he says. Mary assures him he would but he says "But I'd be afraid to spill something on them, because you'd be paying for them."

Black hats may be classic and stylish and versatile, but they are hard to see well, especially the details! But I like the way Mary's hat curls around her face with the little tails at the bottom.

This is her "old-fashioned" outfit before she gets her new wardrobe from her fashion designer friend. I love the way these movies incorporate as many models and performers as they can, to excuse fashions shows and musical numbers.

Or just a party full of young pretty ladies across the hall, who keep coming to the wrong door. That is relevant to the plot but it still makes me laugh.

This is a plain cap in shape, but the trim is all happening. Our suave Frenchman wears his hat pretty well too. Honestly, I'm not a sucker for the suave Frenchman deal. Is it just me?

I have mixed feelings about this movie in general, mainly because I've ended up watching it so many times while I got around to reviewing it, but it's a bit of fun, although quite weird. The millinery doesn't take centre stage (Jane Russell's sex appeal does), but there are some really lovely hats, and the dresses are even better. A decent laugh and pretty to look at.

Get ready for Snoodtember!

Here's a heads up for you on an new addition to the calendar. I'm declaring September 2016 to be the inaugural Snoodtember, a celebration of snoods and a time to wear them and love them. I hope you'll enjoy the ride and maybe even jump on board!

From The Muswellbrook Chronicle, 18 October 1940

Why snoods?

I'm a bit fascinated by snoods. Knitted and crocheted snoods are quite popular with vintage loving girls and they look fabulous. They are distinctive, easy to wear, and keep your hair under control while looking chic. But for some reason it seems that only one branch of the snood family tree is popular in vintage circles at the moment, and there is so much more to the snood than just these styles. I want to explore all that the world of snoods has to offer us.

Snoods came in different shapes and sizes, were worn by themselves or with hats, re-appeared in a number of time periods, were made of all kinds of materials, and decorated in all kinds of ways. I won't have time in one month to explore everything, but I want to expand your horizons a little and celebrate the snood in all its glory!

From The Australian Women's Weekly, 27 Jan 1945

My Snoodtember plans

On the blog I'll be sharing some posts with more information about snoods, and how to wear them, as well as links to knitting and crochet patterns. There will be outfit inspiration featuring looks from some lovely ladies with killer vintage style. And, of course, there will be the snood-a-long! I'll show you how to make a fabric snood and trim your snoods.

Even though I have never once worn a snood before, I am boldly venturing into these waters and I'll be sharing how I go with my own outfit photos. Plus I'm going to have weekly themes to give me a bit more guidance and inspiration.

From the Western Mail, 29 February 1940

Join in!

I'd love for you to join me in celebrating the inaugural Snoodtember by wearing a snood, sewing along with me, and/or using the weekly themes to expand your snood horizons.

I'll be sharing images primarily on Instagram, and in a round up post here at the end of the month, and I'd love to see your looks too. On Instagram, use the hashtag #snoodtember and tag me @tanithrowan so I don't miss them. If you aren't on Instagram, you can email photos to tanithrowandesigns@gmail.com or send me them on Facebook if you prefer. (I would love to see your photos even if you don't want me to share them, and I will only share anything with permission!)

From the Western Mail, 23 January 1941

Are you a snood wearer or have you ever made one? If not, are you willing to give it a go with me?

Trove Pattern Project: 1934 "Vagabond Beret"

Today the Trove Pattern Project delves further back into 1930s fashion with this so-called "Vagabond" beret. This free pattern appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on March 1st, 1934, and was by "Elissa".

 
Berets are a fabulous and useful hat, and the illustration looked very promising.

I'm pleased with the results and I might even actually wear this hat. I haven't often used stitching as a design element on hats, especially not anything as simple as straight lines, but I really like the effect (even though it is very subtle on my fabric). I haven't completely decided if I like the buttons yet.

Like most of these patterns, the instructions are brief and require you to make quite a few educated guesses along the way, but I've included mine here to help you.

Note: These are not full instructions, read through the original pattern and instructions for the rest of the information.

Materials:

• Half a yard of fabric. Recommended in black velvet, but it also says at the end that it could be made in "tweed or face cloth to match the coat or frock." I've used a cotton/wool blend leftover from making, appropriately, a 1930s style top. I'm a big fan of wool for berets, and it's less formal than velvet.
• Half a yard of stiffened millinery net. I don't actually know what they are after here. You can get blocking net, and I think it is similar to the kind used in the 50s and 60s, but the 30s? I'm not sure if it is the same thing. It gets cut out in the same pattern piece for the top and sewn flat, so it is basically interfacing to provide more body. So I just used interfacing, a medium weight iron-on, because that is what I had already and it suited my fabric quite well. I actually used it on both pieces, because my fabric is very drapey otherwise, but I think the original is only using the net on the top piece.
• The trim they show, that I've also used, is an "embroidered" pattern and two metal buttons. They also suggest feathers or a ribbon bow as alternatives.
• They recommend buying a ready-made lining. Not as easy to find as they used to be, but I did find some online at Torb & Reiner and also Hatters Millinery Supplies. There are also instructions online for making simple hat linings. You can use the original pattern to make a lining (which is what I would usually do for a flat pattern hat) but because the top is stitched down it won't work as well in this design.

Pattern:

• The size worked out perfectly for my head, which is about 57cm, when I assumed a 1cm seam allowance was included on the pattern.
• A bit of guesswork is required to draft it, but the key measurements are given. This is how I drew up the pattern for the side band:

1. Draw a rectangle 23.5 inches long and 10 inches wide.
2. Find the centre of both long sides, and join them.
3. Measure 4.5 inches along this line from the top and mark this point.
4. We know the bottom edges are 3 inches long but not the angle they are at, so I guessed. I measured 1.5 inches (I think. Maybe it was 1.25) up from the bottom corners then drew my 3 inch lines from there.
5. Sketch in the curves as smoothly as possible.

• I didn't take a photo of all that, but here's a quick diagram for you: 

  
Sewing:

• Attach the interfacing/net/whatever to the fabric. So I just had to iron my interfacing on. The original instructions have you tacking the net to the fabric for the top piece, and the decorative stitches are a part of this, so you don't really have to do extra tacking, just line them up and go on to the next step.
• Sew the decorative stitching on. The original says with "silk", I used regular sewing thread. I imagine embroidery thread would be more appropriate. Mine doesn't show very well because of the dappled fabric but on the plus side it had straight lines I could follow!

• One tip for the stitching - draw on the seam line and don't stitch beyond this. I stitched closer to the edge in some parts and then later when I trimmed my seam allowance, some of my stitches came loose. You could also choose to stitch that seam with a narrower seam allowance.
• I then pressed the piece with steam because my stitching had made the fabric wrinkle a bit.

• Assemble the hat. Again, I used a 1 cm seam allowance as it wasn't stated but that amount would give me the correct fit. I trimmed the seam allowance where the top and side joined to about 5 mm so it would sit nicely.
• The instructions say to "Turn in the lower edge until the beret is shallow enough." *sigh* I turned it up about 1.5 cm, and then hand stitched it into place.
• The seam on the side band in this hat sits on the right of the head. (At least, I think that is what they are saying.) Try the hat on, pull the top forward and down until you like it, then pin into place and slip stitch down. This seemed a bit vague but when you have the hat on it does make sense. Looking at the original illustration helps.
• Add your buttons and a lining. I haven't lined mine yet. I'm going to decide how I feel about the buttons first.

  
Wearing:

• There isn't much to the wearing of this hat, as it should fit your head, and the rest is all just deciding how much of an angle you want. How jaunty are you feeling today? 

I might even like this enough to try it in another fabric, but on the other hand, many more patterns are calling me.

What do you guys think of this one?

If you've missed any of the other pattern reviews in my Trove Pattern Project, you can find them here:

1939 Doll's Hat ~ 1953 Scarf Hat ~ 1949 Pixie Hat ~ 1954 Scarf Hat ~ 1954 Butterfly Cap

The first year of my email newsletter: lessons for very very very small businesses and blogs

Recently, I sent out my 26th email newsletter. Since I send them out fortnightly, that makes one complete year! I'm pretty pleased with myself for starting and following through with the newsletter, and I wanted to talk about what I've learned in that time.

The thing is, it feels a bit weird to give advice when I have a very small business, a very small blog, and a very small number of newsletter subscribers.

Maybe, though, there is a need for that kind of honesty. If I listen to a podcast or read a blog post about email newsletters, they always say things like "even if you only have 1000 subscribers" and I think "Ok, what if I only have 10?"

I had 10 subscribers when I sent the first email. And actually, one of them was me. And two were family. But when I started this blog, three and a bit years ago, the only people reading were my mum, my sister, and one of my friends. Even my best friend couldn't be bothered reading it. I don't think my husband has ever read a post. But it grew, and so has the newsletter, and I hope it will continue to do so. Even so, it probably won't reach numbers in the thousands, and that's ok. (It's currently at 40, by the way.)

I'm no expert at newsletters, but I have experienced starting one from nothing, with a small audience, to accompany my very small blog and business. And maybe that is the kind of experience you expect to have to. If so, I hope I can help by being the kind of very small voice that isn't often heard.

Here are the points that were most important to me.

Get inspired

Small business and blogging experts really push that a newsletter is the most important way you can connect with your audience. Both because people usually check their email more reliably and regularly than any other channel, and because you will "own" the email list and control it, unlike your Facebook page and the people who like it.

The main reason I ignored that advice for so long, was that I hadn't seen what a good newsletter could be. In my mind, a newsletter was something a business sent me to tell me sales were on or new stock had arrived or other things I mostly deleted before even reading them. Once I found a couple of newsletters I actually enjoyed reading and looked forward to, I had ideas for what I could do myself.

If you don't have any newsletters like this in your inbox (just one will do but more is good) then go out and subscribe to heaps. You'll probably find most of them boring (or never even receive anything from them!) but you can just unsubscribe again. And you'll learn what you don't like. Subscribe to anything you like, but try to include businesses or blogs that have something in common with yours, whether it is the niche, or the type or scale of the business.

Have a plan

You need to work out what to actually include in your newsletter. Make sure you find a nice balance of content that is a real gift to your reader, and content that aims to benefit you, for example promoting your products. You want your newsletter to be a genuinely good read for your audience.

You need to be in this for the long haul, so make sure your plan is set for the long haul, so you don't run out of steam or time or ideas. Try to pick content types that you will be able to continue. For example, if you frequently post to Instagram, you will probably always have content for a "Social Media Round Up" or you can use those images for a "Behind the Scenes" section.

Have a range of options for content, even if you won't do them all at first, or all in each email. If something you plan turns out to be unsustainable or not successful, you want to have other ideas to turn to.

When I was starting, I struggled to find good advice on this topic that was suitable for me. Maybe I wasn't searching well enough online but everything was geared to bigger blogs, bigger businesses and different niches. So I wrote myself a worksheet and then answered it. It was a really useful tool for me, focused on analysing my own preferences and brainstorming a heap of ideas to consider. It's very simple, but you can get it yourself here if you like.

Don't wait

Once you are prepared and have a plan, don't let insecurities hold you back. You might worry that you don't have time or don't know what you are doing, or that no one will be interested. Did you let that stop you from starting your blog or business? Be realistic about the preparation you need to do, but don't make excuses beyond that.

Don't wait to get "more subscribers" so that your efforts will be more appreciated or worthwhile. If you can write a newsletter that is of value to your audience, it is still of value to an audience of 1, or 2, or 10, or 20.

Once I announced the newsletter, I planned a start date and determined to send the first email then, no matter what happened. With 10 subscribers (well, 9 real ones) I wrote the best content I could, and sent it out.

Be consistent

In writing this post, I keep thinking about newsletters I used to read that I can't remember receiving for ages. I don't remember unsubscribing. I guess they just stopped. Others I know for sure stopped, because it was only after one or two mails were sent. I'm sure there was a reason, and I'm not trying to be harsh here on those people, but you don't want your newsletter to be like that.

Decide how often you will send an email. Pick which day of the week, and probably even which time. Make it something that will work for you. (Abby Glassenberg has a good post on scheduling for sustainability.)

Then do it. As best you can. For the rest of the life of your business or blog.

Change rather than quit

The plan you start with will not be perfect. Perhaps your audience isn't that interested in something you included, or you find yourself bored with it, or it is too much work, or the nature of your business changes and makes different content more suitable. That is totally fine. Come up with some new ideas, or revisit some you thought of at the start, and try them out.

Changing the content or style or even the frequency of your newsletter is not a big deal, but stopping completely is.

One of my favourite parts of my newsletter (and even so it doesn't appear each fortnight) is Hat Style Inspiration, which I only added about six months in. I like having a flexible plan of content to suit what I have to write about. I might review a book occasionally when I happen to be reading something relevant, or include a behind-the-scenes when I happen to have some sketches or photos worth sharing, and then not worry about them at other times. I've experimented with newsletter-specific content, but often find it too much work. I'm happy to try things out and see how I feel about them. You might prefer a more regular structure, but don't be afraid to change it when it isn't working.

The benefits of small

There are really good things about having a small email newsletter, especially at the start. I actually know who my subscribers are, and who is clicking on the links. (I don't know everyone, of course, but I recognise some names from my friends, family and blogging friends.) There is a lot of talk about imagining your reader when you write, and it sure is easy when you don't need to make them up. When I am deciding whether to include a link, or an image, or some information, I have real people to think of. I think, "I know that Jill will appreciate this article, or that Judy isn't on Instagram so won't have seen this great image I shared."

It sounds a bit stalker-ish, right? Try to think of it as you helping me without any effort on your part. And if your name is Jill or Judy I'm not actually stalking you, I just picked a couple of names.

The big picture

For my business it is hard to say if there are financial benefits, since I'm not in a position to quote the numbers of people who bought my product right after seeing it in a newsletter (ok, I am, it's zero). I think there have been indirect sales, in that some people who have ordered from me are subscribers, so it is definitely a part of my communication to customers and potential cutsomers.

But there is also more. I feel like I've gained a lot from my newsletter. I've made connections, started collaborations, shared my own work in a different way, shared the work of others, had great ideas, experimented with content, and above all, the big one, I've committed to something and shown myself that I could do it. Always worthwhile.

For my current newsletter subscribers, thank you for being there, and opening my emails and hopefully reading them. You make me happy by this simple act! If you aren't a subscriber, I send fortnightly emails about hats and vintage style, and you can sign up here.