still playing with….

…fedoras and fabric. I’ve found it’s possible to stitch bias binding around the edge of the brim (very very carefully and slowly, with Gemsy), and I think it’s worth the effort.

I think I’ll wear one of these when I nip down to Pick n Pay later for my supplies – see if I can draw a response from anyone. I tried that a while back with a very over-the-top pixie hat, was expecting to be fallen on by hundreds of people braying with excitement and desire…  Not one. Not a single one. I even lurked longer in the chocolate aisle, hoping to give similar-minded customers the opportunity to see the hat. Still nothing. I hummed round the dairy section, flicking my head around a bit, pretending to be deliberating over the ricotta. Nada. Knocked the wind right out of my sails. But today – today we try again !

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fabric pixies

There’s a very boho little shop in Langebaan called Sparrows & Baytraders, and the owner is keen to stock my pixie hats. The problem is that a crocheted pixie hat can take me up to four hours to make, and even the price I sell them at is low – to charge a retailer any less would not make it worth my while, and for a retailer to double the price I sell them at would be like shooting herself in the foot.  BUT I do not like to turn away potential work, so I’ve spent a few days thinking and playing and sewing and fiddling, and eventually come up with a workable alternative: fabric pixies…

I used strips of stretch fabric, lace and ribbon, buttons, shiny thread, and beads. Being lined, they have a nice weight and hang. They look a lot better on a human head than on an empty coffee jar! :-)
Okay, I’m mailing her now, will let you know what she thinks of them….

biting off…?

…more than I can chew? Eee by gum I hope not. I’ll be setting up at the Community Carnival this afternoon, which starts tomorrow and runs over 4 days. Incredible Rob has taken time off from work to help me. Don’t know how I’d manage without him. I’m still waiting for the printing people to let me know that my signage is ready (hurry UP dammit) and this morning I finished another hat order for the preschool. Almost on my way to Stellenbosch just now to deliver them, I remembered to pause and take some pics…

I cam away with orders for the fleece beanies and aprons for the staff. That makes Gemsy and me very happy. But for now – it’s Carnival time!

local recycling

The biggest problem I had with making newsboys and caps was getting the peak right.

I tried many many different things, from thick batting to thin wadding to ice cream container lids to xray sheets, but nothing was quite right.  However, it seems like the long hours that Rob has spent relaxing at his local haven’t gone entirely to waste — he noticed the guys replacing a keg the other day, and had a lightbulb moment – the disposable beer keg !!! It looks like a gigantic Christmas tree bauble!

Once you’ve sliced into it (I give it a good stab with the bread knife), it’s the perfect material – easy to cut, easy to stitch through (with an industrial machine, not a domestic), fully washable, shrink-proof, and flexible. And best of all, it’s free.

Cheers :-)

Olive in the sun

Meet Olive, Megan and Jeremy’s little girl, and Anne’s granddaughter.

At 7 months, Olive already has a natural sense of style. The duck-egg blue leggings work perfectly with a loose but crisp white smock, which she’s teamed with two accessories that clinch the “modern-baby-about-town” look , an oversized cotton collar* and a handmade patchwork sunhat**.  Trendy babies know that this winning fashion combo can take you through from morning mommy-and-me group to afternoon shopping trip, and is guaranteed to draw plenty of attention.

* model’s own

** by Jam Tarts