7. Hat Parade #4

I am really glad that my hat sew-along inspired Cam of Curly Pops to finally pull out her Kids' Hat pattern and use it after it lingered in her stash for about four years! Doesn't it look great? It's in her favourite colours too! It is good to know that the largest size in the Kids' Hat pattern is most likely going to fit my head too, since it goes all the way from 48 - 57cm. I am betting Cam's nephews might be finding hats under the Christmas tree this year.



Rachel from Four Wise Monkeys made a hat for her daughter, Maya, using the Oliver + S bucket hat pattern, which is also available as a free download. Even though it was the largest size, it was a little small. It looks very professionally made. I expect there will be plenty more hats in Maya's future too.



Michka from Lilli May Designs made this beautiful sun-bonnet, which she markets as the Cassandra Cap through her facebook page.



Wendy, from Sew Biased made these two hats, and another third hat, using the Oliver + S bucket hat pattern from the book Little Things to Sew which is also available as a free download.



This was actually going to be a wrap up post. There are still hats coming in though, so I think there is at least one more blog post in it. I am so excited by all the hat sewing that has been inspired by my little sew-along. I might just do it again next year!

2. That's what little boys are made of

Before the dead-line, I managed to scrape in two more hats. There is nothing like leaving things to the last minute! Of course, I once again used Nicole Mallalieu's (You Sew Girl) Kids' Hats Pattern. I should mention that if you are looking for options, this pattern has them. You have three sizes, small, medium and large. Then added to that, you have a range of different brim sizes and also brim finishes to make your hat just how you like. I personally like to go large when it comes to brims and give my boys lots of protection from the sun, so my brims are the second largest brims and the boys are wearing medium sized hats.



My favourite thing with these hats, I wasn't really sure wasn't going to work. I love the appliqué. I applied some Steam-a-Seam 2 to the back of some left-over lining fabric and then cut it out a couple of frog motifs, really carefully. I then peeled off the backing and ironed them onto the (already interfaced) crown pieces. I lowered the feed dogs and used my free-motion foot to stitch them down.



I was really worried about those long, skinny toes, but it seems to have worked. I did three laps around each frog, matching the main colour of the frog on each one. When I did the toes, I didn't so much go around the edges as I did kind of meander along them.



I have made these hats before using corduroy, which has really stood the test of time. The boys hats have been through the ringer and so abused, yet they still look really good. The lining in the old hats was a Kokka cotton-linen, so it will be interesting to see how well the quilter's cotton holds out.



I'll be back here very soon to do the wrap up from the sew-along...

1. Blogtoberfest 2012

I was in two minds about joining in this year. Should I? Shouldn't I? Am I too busy this year? So I wrote a list of things that I could blog about and whilst I didn't come up with 31 blog posts, I figure I have enough to get a jump start on the month and maybe I'll figure the rest out as I go... So I'm in!

My goal: 31 blog posts in the month of October.


I will be back in a couple of days to do a wind up post for my hat sew along. It went really well. There are still a few people who haven't come back and told me they finished their hats, though. So if you managed to get a hat finished (or even close to finished) in the month of September and it isn't on the list, please let me know. If you need a little extra time to finish your hat, that's okay too, let me know. I managed to scrape in two more hats before the deadline. I will be back with those, too.

Hop to it!

Working on Liam's and Noah's hats for the hat sew-along. Less than three days left. I like to believe I flourish under pressure. These scissors with the big handles and tiny, pointy blades are great for accurate cutting.

Do you leave things to the last minute, too? What are you making today? Do you have a favourite pair of scissors? Would you like to see some more Creative Spaces?

Hat Parade #3

Suzie, aka Floosy Girl from No Moa has been sewing up a storm! Suzie has made several hats, all using the Oliver + S bucket hat pattern. I love the Hilco fabric she has used for this one (above)



Two of Suzie's hats have been made of fabric that was hand-printed by her daughter for a school production. One of them sports a bouquet and a feather. She will definitely stand out from the crowd in that!



You can read more about Suzie's hats here, here and here.

Next up we have Aimee from All the Pretty Threads who has made two reversible hats using the Oliver + S bucket hat pattern.


I love the Saffron Craig fabric used to make this hat (above), and the Tula Pink fabric in this other hat (below).


Amy from Chapter Fifteen has made her hat using the Make It Perfect Sun-kissed hat, which is perfect for wearing with a ponytail. I love the Doctor Seuss fabric too.


So how is your hat making going? It seems like these hats are coming in two by two, can anybody just make one? We have less than a week left to go, but there is still time to sign up. Click the button below to find the sign up list and make a hat before the end of September.

Hat Parade #2

Mellita of Sew Hot Right Now had buckets of fun making two hats using left over fabric from other projects.



Mellita used the Oliver + S Bucket Hat pattern, which is available as a free download.



Jenni has also made two hats using the Oliver + S Bucket Hat pattern. Jenni has never made a hat before, either. I really like the John Deere hat. I reckon I could easily round up maybe half a dozen little (tractor-loving) boys that I know would love one of those.



If you are looking for some hat-wearing tips, Nikki has posted some on her blog, along with the hats she has been busy making.



Coco of Coco's Loft has made her hat using Vogue 7600. Coco used fabric left over from making a blouse. It has a lovely wide brim.


******** SPECIAL OFFER! ********

As part of my sew-along, 

Stitch 56 is offering my readers a 

10% discount 
off You Sew, Girl! hat patterns.

You can buy one or more of the hat patterns
Adult Hats, Fedora, or Kids Hats

 and receive the discount.

Just enter the coupon code

CARMELS-HATS

at checkout when shopping at Stitch 56

******************************

Have you got some scraps in your stash that you could turn into a hat? You have nothing to lose. There is still plenty of time to join in. Some people have already made two hats. Some of them even in the first week and without having ever made a hat before. This means that potentially, someone of any skill could make eight or more hats in the month of September..... or at least one!


Oh, and don't feel like you need to have a blog in order to join in. You don't have to have a web-address to add yourself to the list, just leave that bit blank. Let me know when you've finished your hat and we can add it to the flickr group and talk about it in here. The more the merrier!

Doe, a Deer...

The main reason I started this hat sew-along was because I went to put Amélie's hat on from last year and it didn't fit. Amélie didn't care, she wore it anyway, on top of her head.



I went looking through my stash and found this fabric with baby fauns and apples on it. It has been in my stash for years. I originally purchased it from Retromummy, back when she had her on-line store running. It's not quite pink, sort of slightly apricot and has been difficult to match with other fabrics. I decided to match it with the red in the apples and went with this red spot that I found at my local quilt shop.



I made my hat using the Kids' Hat pattern from You Sew Girl. I trimmed the edges with some cute binding that I bought a while ago from The Haby Goddess. I could see that the hat required further embellishment, so I added a hat band.



I think the hat-band really finishes it off. It is easily removed for washing and can be tied at the back or side, either loosely or in a bow.


If you are thinking about joining in with my sew along, there is still plenty of time. Just push the button above to go to the sign up post. We are only half way through the month and already several beginners have finished their hats. Some of them have even finished TWO. I still want to get at least two more made. One for Liam and one for Noah. Let's see how we go...

More Hat Sew Along links here:

• Sign Up Post

• Getting Started

• Hat Parade #1

• Flickr Group

Hat Parade #1

Ok, so we are approaching the mid-way point of the sew-along, and some people have finished their hats already. I will come back and talk about mine (above) in another post, but is that not the funniest photo ever of Noah and Amélie?



First up we have Ms Midge. Ms Midge effectively got two hats for the price of one none when she made the Oliver + S bucket hat. The Oliver + S bucket hat is available as a free down-load and is also featured in the book, Oliver + S Little Things to Sew. Ms Midge chose to make the hat reversible, and if you check out her blog, you can see how she has made it with NO HAND-SEWING! Gotta love that!



Ms Midge had never made a hat before now, but you cannot tell. It looks great both ways.



Next up, we have Jen from Ava Pot Pie. Jen has already finished TWO hats! Jen also went with the Oliver + S Bucket hat and made a hat for each of her daughters, Ava and Emily.



You would never know that Jen is also a novice to millinery, having also never made a hat before. I have a feeling lots of people will be getting hats this Christmas.



And finally (for now) we have a hat made by Melanie (who also happens to be my cousin) for her daughter, Adara. Melanie made the Kids Hat by You Sew, Girl! and also, had never made a hat before.


So don't be scared. You can do it. You can find the sign up post by clicking the button above. Join in. Make a hat before the end of September. Have you finished your hat already? Be sure to let me know.

Hat Challenge - Getting Started

So how is everyone going with the Hat Sew-Along so far? There is still plenty of time to join in if you haven't already. I spent a bit of time last week sorting through fabric and patterns deciding what I was going to make.

Before you get started, you are going to need some fabric, a pattern and some good interfacing as well as a few bits and pieces, like matching thread.



The best way to begin is to select your pattern. The pattern will tell you which bits and pieces you need for that pattern. Once you have the pattern in your hot little hands, it is easy to work out if you need to go and buy some fabric, or if you have what you need in the stash already.



Looking at the list of participants, there is quite a range of different hats being made. If you're still trying to decide, here are some suggestions:

Kids' Hats, by You Sew Girl **recommended
Adults' Hats, by You Sew Girl
Fedora, by You Sew Girl **recommended
Beret, by You Sew Girl
Kids' Beret, by You Sew Girl
Bucket Hat, by Oliver + S **free tutorial
Reversible Toddler Hat, by Sew Much Ado **free tutorial
Vogue 7600
Sun Kissed Hat, by Make It Perfect
Lazy Day Hat, by Make It Perfect
About a Boy, by Make It Perfect



There are also a couple of lovely baby hats in the "You Sew Girl book by Nicole Mallalieu.



I have nearly finished my first hat, I'm thinking it needs a little something extra. I will come back and show you all when I'm satisfied with it. I will also post it in the Flickr Group when I'm done. I would love it if you posted your finished hats, or even a few sneak peeks/peaks and progress shots in the Flickr Group too.

Sign-Up post here.

Leave Your Hat On!

It was a beautiful, sunny day here yesterday. I put Amélie's hat on and noticed it was a bit on the small side. It's time she had a new hat. The boys could both use new hats too, and as spring is coming, and with it the warmer weather(!) and UV rays and all that, it is time to get hat making. I figured that I'm probably not the only one who needs to get onto this, so decided to make it a sew-along.



I've made quite a few hats over the years, the first hat I made was from an old Top Kids magazine, from when Liam was about six months old. I then made another hat for one of my nephews, using the same pattern.


Later, I discovered Nicole Mallalieu (also known as "You Sew, Girl!"). I had seen her bib pattern on-line and had read a few of her blog posts. Then I went to a Stitches and Craft Show and actually met her. I saw the Kids' Hat pattern and ummed and ahhed about it. Honestly, I thought it was a bit expensive. I really had only ever bought commercial patterns and had never had a boutique pattern before. I ended up buying it and boy, am I glad I did! It was definitely worth what I paid for it and I have made heaps of hats using that pattern. There are heaps of hints and tips in a "You Sew, Girl!" pattern that you will never get from the big commercial pattern companies, and I've been hooked ever since.



There are heaps of other hat patterns out there. I also have Nikki's Fedora pattern, and her book, which has a couple of cute baby hats in it. Some of my friends are really happy with the "Make It Perfect" bucket hat pattern and another recommendation I've heard is the Oliver + S hat pattern, which is available as a free down-load.



I'm not fussed about which pattern you use. We'll all motivate each other to get our hats finished before the end of September. I plan to try out a few new embellishment techniques, you might want to try them too? If you have any trouble with your hat(s) you can leave a comment on my blog, or message me if you want to be anonymous and we'll try to help each other, ok :)



So, are you ready to sign up? Just add your name here:





And grab your button here:

<a href="http://liamsolomonsmummy.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/leave-your-hat-on.html" target="_blank"><img alt="SOLOMON SEWING" src="http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd284/carmel_m/HatButton1.png"/></a>

So, now that you have signed up, tell me about what you plan to make. Which pattern are you going to use? Who is it for? Are you planning to embellish it a bit?