Wanted: Hat Model

My current hat obsession is resulting in the creation of numerous hats…

several of which I actually like!

And although I have hat blocks I realized to successfully photograph my hats to sell on etsy

 ( lemonntwist is my shop name ) 

a hat model was required.

a weird hat head not even for sale! 

I looked online and even ugly hat heads were over $300 !!! 

Or else pathetic wig styrofoam things.

one of many crammed full antique stores

So I headed to the antique mecca of Orange County; 

the Orange Circle in ( where else ) the city of Orange.

Numerous antique/vintage/retro/stores are scattered amongst hip trendy gastro pubs and restaurants.

It's been easily 15 years since I've been to the Circle and it has really changed into a happening destination.

these weird whicker heads were everywhere but, none were for sale

Well, the hunt was on an I saw lots and lots of hats and lots and lots of hat heads but, none of the hat heads were for sale; only for display. 

The store keepers kept saying it was really difficult to even find a hat head, much less a cool vintage one.

But, I soldiered on to store after store trying hard not to be distracted by cool vintage hats.

I didn't even peek at the prices because I was on a mission…

find a hat head!

so cute!

Great hat, great head…for display only

Sweet torture! 

The perfect hat head but, of course it was not for sale. 

I even made the shop keeper take it off the top of the shelves to make sure.

And then my luck changed! 

This is the first hat head I found for sale and even though it had no personality and was pretty ugly I seriously thought about it. If it hadn't been $169 I might have bought it!

Then I stumbled upon this odd dismembered mannequin. 

The earrings were permanent and the piece was just a little too creepy. 

I definitely would not want to come upon it in my studio in the dark...

Then I finally found a real contender. 

The only negatives were that it was very modern looking, the head circumference was a little small and I thought she had a really snotty look on her face. 

Remember I was seeing lots of really lovely hat heads ( for display only ) so I hoped for something better. 

And then I found my perfect hat model. 

She's not in perfect shape but, she is in perfect spirit!

Shop keeper says she's from the 1950s and she needs a little TLC…

This is my sweet Irene and she was a super sweet deal at $60. 

My hats already look better :) 

And if I hear a bump in the night she won't freak me out...

How Does your Garden Bloom...

Four of my flower creations 

I have been seriously distracted by a pursuit to make pretty fabric flowers. 

This has been going on for decades and I usually give up...

but I feel I am getting closer to my goal.

I have recently purchased enough ribbons, trims and velvets to make zillions of flowers.

Okay, maybe only 20 flowers.

But, I have to plan for rejects; I have a steep learning curve :(

Out of the many, many, many, many, many, many books on fabric flowers I have purchased these two and they are okay. 

Somehow directions and diagrams just cannot convey how to truly recreate the essence of a flower.

Guess that's best left to Mother Nature.

I will try to be content ( but not satisfied ) with my own creations.

Another Quickie

J Crew had this very attractive shirt in their window display and I very much liked the beading detail.

If anyone had been with me I would have said " That's so easy to do ! ".

So I did it!

Later that week I was at Michaels and all things jewelry were 40% off and remembering the J Crew shirt I bought these beads.

Important to plan lay out and then try on the shirt because beads in awkward places are just embarrassing.

This is how I clustered the beads and then in the evenings watching Hulu I stitched those little beads on one by one.

My finished top looks pretty luxe. The tshirt is only a $12 tshirt from H&M but, I like it.

In fact I liked it so much I wore it to my Mom's birthday the morning after I finished it!

Piecemakers

On a beautiful sunny October afternoon I found myself in the vicinity of the amazing, well stocked and controversial store Piecemakers.

The emporium is located at 1720 Adams Ave in Costa Mesa, CA and I have visited dozens of times over the past 20 years.

The controversy is the frequent run-ins with government officials and inspectors over candy displays, events without permits, tree swings and more.

Who are these hoodlums?

Middle age ladies that live communally and answer to God, not anyone else.

So visiting the store is a real pleasure because there are not employees, just really nice ladies who really care and are completely into what they do.

And they do ALOT!

Half a dozen classrooms and everywhere you look there are zillions of supplies, displays and ideas for a huge array of handcrafts.

My only disappointment is they discontinued millinery supplies about 10 years ago :(

But the ribbons, trims and buttons almost make up for it.

 It is difficult to fully describe the variety and sheer volume of the inventory.

And since there is a small restaurant inside there are always delicious smells of fresh baked goodies and homemade soups. On the afternoon I stopped by a man was singing and playing his accordion in the dining area.

Piecemakers is such a feel good place that fires up your imagination and can feed your body and soul.

It is just an uplifting experience.

And obviously I am not alone in this sentiment since Piecemakers total operations ( other sources of income in addition to the store ) are about $3 million a year.

That 's a whole lot of happiness!

Here's how I contributed to Piecemakers profits; vintage buttons, velvets, ribbons, trim and the perfect turning 50 card for a friend.

The ladies say God tells them what to do and I for one am glad they listen.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert AND the Costume

I had the very good fortune this week to see the musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

The entire play is a costume spectacular with over 500 costumes, 150 pairs of shoes, 200 hats and 60 wigs!

The main three characters are always in drag and one was so convincing I actually thought it was a woman playing a man playing a drag queen ( if that makes sense ).

The lobby of Segerstrom Center for the Arts was full of fun show facts, props and merchandise.

But make no mistake,

this show was 100% about the costumes,

Gillian Austin, the wardrobe mistress for the show.

the music;

 and both were completely over the top!!

That's me in the green glasses :)

 So if Priscilla Queen of the Desert comes to your town I strongly suggest you hop on that party bus and go have a very good time.

I Made it My Way

This extremely green peplum top was irresistible on the sale rack at Anthropologie. 

I loved the fit, the lace, the silhouette...everything but the overwhelming green.

BEFORE

Thought about tea dying to soften the green but, was afraid it may just turn an even more jarring muddy color. Finally decided to change out the sleeves ( my newest obsession ).

AFTER

After placing a safety pin where the sleeve cap lined up with the shoulder seam I then carefully removed the sleeves and I had the perfect pattern for new black sleeves. 

( In Los Angeles I had found a wonderful polished cotton/linen (?) that really looks like leather )

Sleeve caps are asymmetrical so I folded the fabric on the lengthwise grain ( the stability of the lengthwise grain will also help prevent sagging elbows ) and traced the shape of the front sleeve cap and then traced the back sleeve cap on other side of the side of the fold adding seam allowance.

After unfolding the fabric I double checked the measurement and marked where the sleeve cap lined up with the shoulder seam. It is usually about 1" towards the front from the middle of the sleeve cap.

Cut the sleeves out so there was a left sleeve and a right sleeve, sewed the sleeve seam and then basted the correct sleeve into the correct armhole. Tried on the top to be certain sleeve cap was not tilted too far forward or back and then used a permanent stitch to secure each sleeve...

and the top was just not pleasing.

Somehow I needed to bring the black INTO the green.

So I decided to outline a few of the lace flowers with a machine sewn black satin stitch because I am not good at hand embroidery.

Selected the flowers and then pinned and hand basted the lace to the lining fabric. But, the machine foot  massively interfered with seeing the flower outline so I had the great idea of tracing the flower with a black fabric marker. 

Problem solved :)

I am very happy with the final result of my never-ending quest to change the appearance of my irresistible sale item.

And if you're wondering what happened to the lovely green lace sleeves well...

I told you changing sleeves on my clothing is becoming an obsession!!  

LifeTime Leather

I have a confession: 

My wardrobe borders on excessive. 

The only new acquisitions I am interested in must be either unique, practical, funky or one-of-a-kind treasures.

etsy.com/shop/LifetimeLeather

When I stumbled upon master leather smith Kye Rorie IV on the streets of San Francisco his gorgeous hand tooled leather goods fit all my criteria. 

Plus I adore old hippies. 

They just make my heart sing.

 Mr. Rorie has been working with leather for decades. His tools, know-how and love of his craft were inspiring. It was a real pleasure to make his acquaintance.

The beautiful one-of-a-kind leather belt I selected from the large inventory was custom fit to my size.

And a phenomenal deal at $35 !

I'm lovin' my new belt because it is a hand-made piece of Americana.

And it's beautiful.