Oklahoma Hats- Part 4

From lengths of silk selvedge...

...leftover bits of silk...

                                                 ...and bright merino roving...

                                                ...a rectangle of felt is created.

                                    A circular resist is used to fashion the hat top...

                                                  ...so the shape stays 'true'...

                             ...and so it can be cut apart and used to make two hats!

                                                          Once the felt is dry...

                                                 ...the hat is quickly assembled...

                               ...by machine stitching the felt rectangle to the circle...

                                   ...and sewing the ends of the rectangle together.

                             Voila! A bright and cheery hat for a grey and gloomy day.

Oklahoma Hats- Part 3

My finished hat...

                                                  ...with its bold colourway...

                                                 ...really kept the chill away...

                                

                                         ...while I was in NYC over Thanksgiving!

                                                       Once home, however...

                                  ...I decided to 're-style' it into more of a cloche.

              
                                                   I soaked the hat overnight...

                                           ...trimmed 5 inches from the bottom...

                                                ...and fashioned it into a new...

                                                 ...and radically different hat! :)

                                     Next time: a hat made from (mostly) scraps!

Oklahoma Hats- Part 2

Mid-way through felting...

                                                 ...the hat begins to shrink...

                                   ...and the silk fabric becomes one with the wool.

                                             Fulling the nearly completed hat.

                                 (It looks like a face (nose on the left)...doesn't it?!?)

                                                     Our three Okie hats!

                                                          Kiki and Judith...

                                                     ...charmingly modeling...

                                                      ...their gorgeous hats!

                                         Last, but not least...a view from the back.

                                             Next time: my own finished hat...

                                            ...and a bit of 'surgical' millinery!

Oklahoma Hats- Part 1

In my friend, Kiki's high-ceilinged...

                                      ...light- and plant-filled studio in Oklahoma...

                                                     ...we made some hats!

Strips of hand-dyed and printed silk...

                                           ...are applied to the resist surface...

                              ...and are covered with a layer of bright merino roving.

                                            After flipping the project to side two...

                                                    ...the process is repeated.

                                                   The fiber is then wetted out...

                                        ...and a second layer of roving is added...

                                                   ...to each side of the resist.

                                                     Mid-way through felting...

                                     ...it's nearly time to turn the hat right-side out.

                                                  Next time: felting continues.

Rochester, NY (Small Ceramic Works)- Part 2

With all of the wonderful pieces on display...

                                                   ...at the Genesee Center...

                    ...who could blame me for stopping by the gift shop on my way out?

                             This rat mug (by Lynne Hobaica) really spoke to me...

                            ...and after trying to walk away from it several times...

                                          ...I finally succumbed to the temptation!

                                  I also had to purchase this cunning jewelry box...

                                ...with its fanciful snail design and subtle colourway.

                                     There's actually even a functioning jingle bell...

                                               ...baked inside the wonky lid!

                                                  ********************************
                                                             In other news...

                   ...I purchased a rather choleric ceramic head in Oregon recently...

                  ...and a fabulous strong man painting in downtown Philadelphia.

                  My daughters tell me it's 'startin' to look a little weird up in here'!! ;)