Cloche Hat Part 2: Well Ventilated Rooms Are Valuable.

Also, we bought a house.  More on that at the end.

The hat FINALLY dried.  I love that the instructions told me to put the hat in my drying closet.  Because everyone has a special closet to dry hats, naturally.  I took the pins out and removed the excess felt.

 

That done, it was time to remove the hat from the hat block.  I'd read that some people had a hard time doing so without ruining the shape of the hat.  Mine slid right off.

Next I had to apply felt hat stiffener to the entire inside of the hat.  I was dubious that it would really help hold the shape of the hat, but I gathered the tools anyway.

Paintbrush?  Check.  Container to hold the liquid?  Check.  Felt hat stiffener?  Check.  This was the first time I opened the bottle of stiffener and HOLY CRAP.  No wonder you're supposed to use it in a well ventilated room!  By the time I was finished coating the inside of the hat I was seeing unicorns playing Candy Land.  The fumes.  The fumes are no joke.

Hat stiffener applied, I put the hat back on the block and waited for it to dry.  THANK GOD it only took an hour.  Yes I'm impatient, especially when it comes to trying something new.  I was completely wrong to doubt the hat stiffener.  It does exactly what it advertises.  Take a look.

Very unfloppy hat.  I salute you, felt hat stiffener!  Maybe the next time I use you I'll get to see who won that game of Candy Land.

The next step is to sew wire onto the brim in order for it to hold its shape.  See wire above.  I had two choices for wire placement.  I could either sew it right to the edge of the brim and then later finish it off by covering it with ribbon OR I could sew it half an inch from the brim and later fold the brim over to cover it.  Originally I was going to use the ribbon method but I didn't like the color of ribbon I ordered at the suggestion of the supply company.  So half an inch in was the only option.

This took A LONG TIME.  You can see the chalk lines I used to measure the half inch so the wire would be even.  Plus sewing thru wool felt and hat stiffener is tough going and takes a long time.  You have to make sure the wire is lined up with the chalk lines so you don't get a wonky brim.  The further along I go with this project, the more respect and understanding I have of people who do this for a living.  There's a reason traditional cloche hats are pricey.  The one that I own was $40 and it doesn't have near the intricacy and detail of of this hat.  Milliners, I salute you!

Now the house.  SQUEE!!!  Our bid was finally accepted on a gorgeous house.  Big rooms, all hardwood floors, a huge tub for long soaks, newly renovated with a lovely deck and back yard.  And a basketball hoop in the driveway!  Love.  House hunting was a long process and the negotiations went on for over a month.  Kudos to our realtor who knows her stuff, made good suggestions, and was ready to walk away at one point with us.  I learned so much about the realty game and know, without a doubt, it's a career I NEVER want.  Too lucrative.

I am keeping my excitement in check though.  We still have to get thru the home inspection.  But still I can't help dream planning paint colors and rugs and furniture.  It will be so nice not to rent anymore.  Fingers crossed.

Cloche Hat, Part 1: Boiling Water is Hot Y'all

And so it begins!  Adventures in hat making.  I am now a milliner.  Alright that isn't necessarily true.  I guess I have to finish a hat before I can officially be a milliner.  Hat maker. 

Anyway let's get started.  You remember my Christmas present from Charlie, yes?

The hat block shown here surrounded by kitchen appliances.  You'll understand why I did this in the kitchen, I swear.  The first thing I had to do was cover the hat block in saran wrap.

Why, you ask? 
A.  So that the hat block doesn't absorb any moisture
B.  So no dye from hood is transferred to the hat block and
C.  Just so I can get frustrated with saran wrap.  I hate that stuff!

One must also wear special protective gear during the hat blocking process!  IT IS ESSENTIAL.

Specifically an apron and rubber gloves.  Aren't my rubber gloves fantastic and stylish?  I can feel your envy.  Before I block another hat though I need to get a different apron.  One that is waterproof so as to avoid looking like I'm ready to enter a wet tshirt contest.

Here's what you make the hat out of.

 Charming, right?  That is a 100% wool hood.  You have to buy them like this.  I look like Dumb Donald from the Fat Albert cartoon, except he could actually see.

The next step was to saturate the hood with boiling water.  This is where the rubber gloves came in handy.  Once it was saturated I took it out of the water, squeezed out the excess, and put it on the hat block.

Then it's just a matter of pulling the hood downward until it is snug against the block.  Once that's done I used the rubber tubing to hold it in place so any more tugging wouldn't mess up the crown.

The last step was pulling the hood down and pinning it underneath the brim section of the hat block.

This is where the waterproof apron would have come in handy.  You use your upper body as leverage against the top of the hat block as you tug a section of the hood down and then pin it underneath the crown.  Here's the entire hat pinned.

Now all I had to do was wait for it to dry.
Wait for it to dry...
Wait for it to dry...
Wait for it to dry...

Still waiting.

Hats!

Hey!  A picture filled post!  Let's start with some Christmas pics.

Since I said I would post some forever ago.

Also I finished knitting the Everdeen Hat.

Now for the new way of hat making!  For the past two years I've gotten interested in making cloche hats.  What's a cloche hat, you ask??

That's a cloche hat!  But they aren't sewn or knitted.  They're made with a hat block.  Again, are you asking wha????

That's a hat block!  Charlie got it for me for Christmas.  It's a three piece set and I'll be able to order different hat tops and brims from the company in London.  Next post will be all about getting started making my first cloche hat, which requires saran wrap, boiling water and rubber tubing.  Kinky!

So This is The New Year

And already it feels very different.

Different in a good way!  New Year's Eve we got a call from our realtor who told us there was a "miscommunication" about a house on which we'd made an offer.  We've been given the go ahead to submit our bid so tomorrow we start the process.  Hopefully things will go well and we can get into this amazing and huge house.  Fingers crossed.

The holidays were crazy busy and oh so much fun.  Yes I have pictures.  No I don't have them uploaded on my iPad, but I will get them posted.  We had so much fun with the nieces and it snowed pretty much every day that they were here.  Love it!  Plus the snow isn't going anywhere now that we're in a cold snap.  Charlie goes back to work after being off for the last week and a half.  The cold has kept us inside a lot lounging around in PJs and drinking hot chocolate.  Yes it sucks that Charlie has to go back to work but I guess it isn't that bad when your spouse works from home.  :)

2012 started off rather crappy but wound up being an amazing years.  There's lots in store for 2013 and I'm happy to say we've already got things started and a lot more planned.  Plus, as usual, I got spoiled rotten at Christmas and have deemed 2013 the year of the hat.  Well, only because Charlie got me a hat block so I can make cloche hats.  Won't that be fun kids???  Hats!  In different colors!  Plus hopefully moving into a house that we will own where we can paint and I can get into all sorts of home improvement messes!  And nieces having babies!  So more baby things being made!

Thank God the Mayans were wrong.  By the way have you repented for all the debauchery you were up to when you thought the world was going to end?  No?  It's  okay, I'll light a candle for you.  No it's no trouble I live right across the street from a Catholic Church.  Aw, how sweet of you to say that!  Well, no, as a matter of fact I'm not Catholic.  What do you mean it doesn't count then??!!?  Fine.  I'll bribe some of the old ladies.  The things I do for you and your soul.

All You Need is Love

Last week one of our neighbors passed away.  Terry was good friend and a good man who was taken very quickly by cancer.  In a little over two months he developed an inoperable tumor that resisted any type of treatment and left him in horrible pain.  It's a terrible loss but I'm glad that he is no longer in pain and is at peace.

Terry is the first friend I made when I moved into this neighborhood.  He was a one man neighborhood watch and he really did take care of me.  He questioned anyone that stopped by my house.  When he hadn't seen me for a few days he  would come knocking on my door to make sure I was okay.  We helped each other thru times when we were struggling and celebrated good times together.  I miss his laugh and his stories about his younger days.  And I miss the kids he would shove my way who were really interested in going to college.  He would sit in on our talks and if he didn't think the kid was serious he'd tell them to get the hell off my porch and quit wasting my time.  But the ones who were serious came back again and again.  I helped them fill out applications and thru the financial aid office.  When a couple of them were accepted to college we all celebrated together and Terry was the hero because he pushed their sorry butts because he knew that they could do more and that they could get out of this town.

Terry was by no means a saint, but over the past nine months or so we had a lot of talks centered around viewing life and how to live it.  Years ago he had a massive heart attack and basically had his heart rebuilt from various veins in his body.  He's been on disability for years.  His heart doctor told him that it was time for surgery again as his heart was only working at 30% capacity.  This was months before his cancer diagnosis.  Maybe that's why he became so reflective about life.

We both came to the conclusion that really what life boils down to is love.  Loving your fellow man.  Loving and forgiving, two of the hardest things to do, but both essential.  And you can do both and have it reconciled in your heart or even let the person know, but they don't have to believe you.  That's okay.  People are skeptical.  They always think you have an angle or that you want something. But maybe if the world could see it as Terry did, and as I'm trying to, things would be simpler.