Hat Confessions

Often I have blogged about my love of hats. 

And for the last few years I have seriously pursued learning millinery skills so I could create hats that I would love.

Well, I've made MANY hats and I have yet to love ANY.

The following pictures are of the almost good, the bad, and the ugly of my hat making quest so far...

Recycled hat made from a sweater. B+

Hat I made while learning to knit. C-

Knit hat I totally made up. B+

First fascinator. A-

Second fascinator. C+

Buckram and linen hat that took approx 20 hours to make. C+

Buckram and fabric hat that doesn't fit. D+

Current cloth hat project. B+  ( so far )

First blocked hat. A-

Second blocked hat. B+

 So as much as I love sewing clothes the truth is that I have greatly distracted by hats!

What tops a Hat

Making hats is a very challenging undertaking and without a doubt the best part of the process has been the wonderful people I have been meeting in my millinery quest...

Jasmin Zorlu steaming a hat for blocking

 I was fortunate to take a very informative hat blocking class is San Francisco with Jasmin Zorlu. She really knows hat making and is now living teaching and pursuing her millinery dreams in NYC.

www.jasminzorlu.co.

My fellow hat blocking students

Joan Goodspeed modeling a student's fascinator 

My only other formal millinery education has been a 16 week millinery class at Saddleback College with Joan Goodspeed. She is an extremely entertaining teacher.

Seeds Studio in Jerome, Arizona

Learning about millinery skills is very interesting but, what is really inspiring is finding artisans who are actually practicing the millinery arts.

Sawdust Festival Laguna Beach, CA
www.edithlagunabeach.com

New York Milliner Guild Hat exhibit
www.millinersguild.org

But, of course the best part of ANY creative endeavor is the hilarious, fabulous meeting of fellow wacky wonderful people who totally understand a hat obsession :)