Monday Morning Inspiration/The Beret

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine and I were shopping, not for anything in particular, just going in and out of some fun shops. We popped into a store that sold shoes (I can't walk past a shoe store without going in!!!), tights and hats. We both spotted the cutest little hat, more of a cloche style. She pulled it on, and it looked so cute. About that time, her husband walked in and said, "you aren't going to wear that hat." I felt like telling him to walk right back to where he came from. Rather than reply to him, she handed the hat to me and told me to try it on. Now, I love hats, and maybe it's because I love hats that they always seem to look as though they were made for me. As she looked at me in the hat, she said, "Oh, I love that hat, but I guess I don't need it." Since I too loved the hat, I decided to take a gamble and purchase the hat as I thought she would change her mind, and if she didn't, I had a super cute new hat. When we got back to my house, she walked into the bedroom and then came back out with the money for the hat. My gamble paid off :) And...she wore the hat a number of times before while they were with us. 

What is it about hats that draws us in, but then makes us hesitate? There was a time that we wouldn't leave the house without a hat on our head. 

A few weeks ago, I saw a delightful piece on a Sunday morning program that I enjoy. It was all about the French beret, and not just any, the Laulhere Beret. I've attached the video below. Take note of how the employees banded together to save the company. Just such an incredible story.



For most Americans, when we think of a beret, we visualize something like the picture below, a svelte Parisian woman in a striped top with a red beret.

Another lovely look, a sweet blouse, tweed trousers, and a plaid wool beret. The hat just seems to pull it all together.

Another lovely, polished look. This beret, if not from Laulhere, it's the type that they make. If you think you might like to have one for yourself, I found THIS SITE that carries the Laulhere label.  

Berets can be made in any type of fabric, even hand knitted.

They can be customized with a wide trim. You can find this hat HERE on Etsy.

If you enjoy needle felting, a beret will lend itself to anything the mind can imagine! 

The above hats came from a cute shop called Elves In Glass. Click on the link to see other delight concoctions.

And how cute is this?!! Is she a fox or not?!!! :) I found this hat HERE. Just so whimsical!

After watching the video, I too want a Laulhere beret. A hat company with that type of history is well worth owning at least one for myself. But...if you would like something a little more customized, you can find my free beret pattern HERE.  

I think berets are the perfect hat. They help keep your head warm when it's cold or chilly out. They look great with everything. And they can easily be popped off and thrown in your bag if you would rather not wear them all day. 

Oh, and one last thing...whenever I wear my berets, I get so many compliments. Nothing can turn a day around like a lovely compliment :)

Fabulous Free Pattern Friday/A Winter Hat

The last few days have been really chilly here in Chicago. While I was out for my morning walk yesterday, I kept overhearing people talk about how cold it was. I had to laugh a little, not at them, but our perception of cold. On this side of winter, we all think that 40 is cold. Once we've actually been through the winter months, and we finally get a day that is in the 40's, everyone thinks it's warm!

With the cooler temperatures, I've needed a hat, and as it goes, I can't find my hat, so time to make a new one. 

When I scrolled through the blog to find the hat that I made, I couldn't believe that it was actually 4 years ago. Wow, where does the time go?  

This hat is nothing more than a rectangle. It's a little quirky I guess, but I really like it.You can find the original post and instructions HERE. See the feather in my hair? 

Well, I'm still wearing feathers from time to time and if you look closely at the picture below, you'll see a little blue in my hair. I look at it this way, life is just too short not to have a little fun!
So, this is the exact same hat I made originally. Just a rectangle. In the original post, I instructed you to measure around your head and to not add ease. The hat should have a snug fit. I suggest measuring around your head and then sewing the center back seam and trying on the hat before you progress. I ended up cutting mine down a couple of inches to give a truly snug fit. Some of you may want a looser fitting hat, so just be sure to try it on before you sew the top of the hat together. 
I decided to make one that is a little less quirky, just a rectangle with a circle on the crown.  This is truly a very easy project, perfect for the beginning sewist.

For a medium size head, cut a rectangle that is 
20 1/2" long x 8 1/2" wide 
The measurements include a 1/4" seam allowance for the crown and a 2" turned up hem along the bottom of the hat.
For the crown, cut a circle that is 6 1/2" in diameter. This measurement also includes a 1/4" seam allowance.

The best way to make your crown pattern is to fold a piece of paper into 4ths. From the corner, measure out 3 1/4" as you see below. Cut along the dotted line and you'll have your circle pattern! 

To make the hat, simply sew the center back seam of the rectangle. Then sew the circle to the one of the open ends. finish the hat by turning up the lower edge and stitching it in place. The hat takes no more than 30 minutes to make.

One aspect of the first hat that I really like is that it folds flat. The hat with the round crown will fold flat, but it isn't as nice and neat as the simple rectangle hat.

Whichever hat you choose to make will keep your head nice and warm, so a winner either way.
With Christmas not so far away, the hats make great stocking stuffers! 

Thrifty Thursday

Well, I am a day behind. In my defense, I told you last week that I was sick. I'm still struggling a bit with whatever it is I have. The worst part is an ugly fever blister that is just about to drive me nuts. The mittens that I made for this Thrifty Thursday post came in handy as a great cover up!!

The hat is called the Whirling Hat and I thought it was rather ingenious and cute. Although, I am not the cutest model!!

I found the pattern HERE. The original hat was made form an old wool sweater. I stopped in the resale shop and found a wool sweater that had conveniently for me, been lightly felted. I have a feeling that someone accidentally threw the sweater in the wash and of course it came out too small. Their bad fortune, my good fortune :) Thankfully they had the wherewithal to give it to the resale shop.

The hat can be made from fleece or any stretch knit fabric. She even gives instructions for lining the hat if you would like.

The pattern looks a little like a flickering flame. The shape of the pattern makes the hat automatically fit the shape of the head.

You will cut 6 pieces for the hat. I used the lower edge of the sweater for my cut pieces. This worked out great as I had a nice ribbed edge all the way around the bottom of the hat. 

To sew the hat together, sew 2 pieces together. Repeat with the other 4 pieces of the hat. And then sew the 3 sets together to create the hat.

I rather like the unfinished edge on the outside of the hat, but you could also sew the hat so that the seams are on the inside.

I decided to give my hat a little 1920's vibe with the matching flower. This was made by cutting 6 circles, folding them into quarters and then stitching them together. There are many tutorials on the internet for these flowers. Here's one that you might like to use.

Please forgive my incognito photos. Hopefully, the fever blister will soon be a thing of the past and I will be back to my normal self. In the meantime, I just may see about making another hat as I REALLY like this pattern.
One last thing. If you try the hat on and it's just a little large, you can easily take it up by just stitching in along the opening end of the hat and blending the stitches back in towards the crown of the hat.

Thrifty Thursday

Well, I'm late once again. I started on a project early yesterday morning thinking that it would take just a few hours, and I would have it posted by noon. Obviously, that did not happen. Last night at 9:30, the project went in the garbage, and that's the last I'll say about that.

So on to a great little free pattern. Isn't this the cutest baby?!! This is from the blog by Purl Soho called The Purl Bee. If by chance you don't follow their blog, please check it out. I find it to be so lovely. They post lots of projects that are easy as well as useful. When I saw this pattern, I knew it was a must make. So many of my friends are having babies as well as grandbabies, and a little sun bonnet makes a great gift.

The two that I made are for a friend whose daughter is turning a year old soon. The bonnets are perfect for shading the sensitive skin of a baby.

The directions tell you to line the bonnets, but I decided to make mine reversible. Yes, those are airplanes on the blue bonnet. The baby's father is a pilot, so I had to do a little something for him!

 The visor can also be turned back.

I really enjoyed making the bonnets. There is no taping to the pattern, just print and go! You can find the pattern and instructions here,  http://www.purlbee.com/the-purl-bee/2014/4/8/corinnes-thread-baby-sunbonnet.html

For the most part, I made the bonnet exactly as instructed. The instructions say to hand stitch the pleats into the back of the bonnet. I sewed small little squares instead.  

I also edge stitched the visor. The instructions also say to trim the interfacing, I did not. I used a lightweight cotton fusible for the visor. Worked just fine. The bonnet is not interfaced.
This is a great pattern to have on hand for impromptu baby gifts. The pattern is sized for 0-24 months. I made one of my bonnets in a size 12-18 months and the other in a size 18-24 months. I thought that as she grew, it would be nice to have a little larger bonnet.
Enjoy!
Rhonda

Thrifty Thursday/Super Cute Summer Hat

I found the pattern for this free hat pattern on Pinterest. 

My first impression was, "oh how cute!" The pattern was free, so why not give it a try. The hat was laying on my bed this afternoon. I heard my husband say, "this is really nice!" He picked up the hat, brought it to me and said, "let me see it on you." He loved it, so I think it's an all around hit. By the way, I really like it too! In fact, I plan on making at least one more as it's perfect for summer.

Actually, the hat would be a great winter hat as well, just make it out of wool and maybe line it with fleece and you'll be ready for the cold.

I really like the fact that it does not have a solid brim. The opening in the back makes the hat super comfortable to wear.

I added a button to the top of my hat, just for a little decoration.

The pattern can be found here,
http://blog.bozontee.com/tutorials-anleitungen/anleitung_cloche/. 

The instructions are not in English, but this is not a problem as you can translate them if need be. The pattern is not sized, so there is only one size. My head is a little large and I found the hat to be quite comfortable. So if your head is a little small, you will need to reduce the sides of each triangle. My suggestion would be to make a muslin of the crown, try it on and see how it feels. Just remember that you will be adding a brim and the seam of the brim will reduce the interior circumference of the hat, in other words, make it a little smaller. You don't want the hat to feel tight on your head.

A few notes on the pattern;

A grainline has not been provided. Grainlines are important on a hat, so fold the pattern piece in half and draw in the grainline as you see in the picture below.

The seam allowances have been included and they are 3/8". I suggest trimming the seam allowances down to 1/4". Also, mark the seam allowance at the tip and place a dot there. Be sure to transfer the dot to all 6 of the pattern pieces. Sew to the dot and not to the very tip of the triangles. I did not interface the crown of my hat. You can if you would like.   

 The brim should be cut on the fold and you will need to cut 2.

The brim should also be interfaced. Interface only one  side of the brim. I used a fusible cotton interfacing.

As I said, I am very happy with the hat and I look forward to enjoying it all summer long!