Several people have requested an update following this post that I wrote following a felt-making session I led for the Farnborough Embroiderer’s Guild. We met the following month with the intention of adding some stitching to the pieces we had made and these are the results. They are all work in progress so please don’t judge them too harshly (not that you would, I know 🙂 ).
It has been and exciting couple of months in the London craft world, first we had Collect at the end of February, then the Contemporary Textiles Fair in March and most recently London Hat week. It has been a real treat on so many different levels! I would have dearly loved to try some of these hats on, if the organisers allowed that I am sure the atmosphere in the exhibition would be buzzing with giggles and laughter 🙂
There were literally hundreds of hats on display under the “World Garden” theme so I have selected just a handful of my favourites to share with you here, starting with those made from felted wool, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did…
Las Vegas Creamsicle by FeltHappinessBeech Glade by The Crafty BeggarsWendell’s Tussock by The Crafty Beggars I love their clever use of wool locks to create a very wearable tuft of grass!The Animation from Within by Anna Utko This was a very deserving winner of HatTalk prize The label said it was inspired by feeling emotions and finding your inner balanceUrban Garden by Antonela K Millinery It is hard to see with the dark background but the felt of this top hat is lacy and see-through, a curious idea but as someone who wears hats to conceal my “bad-hair-days” it might be missing the point! 🙂Tango by Jilby I have often seen needle-felted fruit and vegetables on Pinterest and wondered what people do with them, now I know! 🙂Winter by Sherry Richardson I was immediately drawn to the ethereal nature of this hat made from sinamay and crin.Crista Galli by Nikole Tursi This hat is modelled on the Ceibo, the national flower of Argentina and is quite breathtaking to look atCrista Galli from a different angleIrony – Ration of Thorns by ITAM Designs I’m still not sure if I am drawn to or repulsed by this hat, the black spidery tendrils leave me a little bit frightened but morbidly fascinated at the same timeNature’s Way by Hat TrickAutumn Days by Fascinators of FlairMade in Holland by Marianne Jongkind Hoeden This hat made me do a double-take, initially it looks like a large hat to fit a large head but then you realise it must have a double shell to accommodate a normal size head. The visual trickery appeals to my sense of humour.The Rose Trellis by Wendy Scully MillineryLife Scenery by SuteniButchart Gardens by Sova Design Millinery I love the Ann Boleyn style hat form body of this headpiece.Fiona by Vivian Blooms The shadows cast by this hat are magical aren’t they?Peacock by Verna Wass Millinery I so want to see airline cabin crew wearing these!Peacock from a different angleShura by Viviane Go This hat fascinated me, wondering first if it was a creature? I settled on it being an armadillo only to then read the label and discover it was a Pangolin. Then came the question of how one would wear it, I concluded the tail would have to sit across your mouth and the point would sit over your nose, like a very ornate balaclava. Even though it isn’t made from wool I think this was my favourite hat in the exhibition.
