Day 3

The top hat (shown from back) all stitched together and finished with a raspberry velveteen ribbon

  So class today started with putting the finishing touches on our felt hats.  She encouraged us to be dramatic and experimental with our trimmings, but I thought, for a chocolate colored top hat, a simple velveteen raspberry ribbon with an adorable bow in the back would be just right.  People hat feather flourishes and complicated ribboning that all came out great.  The girl sitting next to me used a soft fur rose to decorate hers.  We're not supposed to take pictures of each other's work (or the teacher) or else I'd show you, but you'll just have to content yourself with mine.

I made me a flower

The top hat all stitched together and ready to be ribboned

  Since my trim was so simple, I used some of the time to learn how to make a felt rose.  Granted mine doesn't look especially rose-like, but I think it's pretty enough.

The vaguely hat-shaped thing that you start with

  Then we got our floppy straw hoods and went to pick out blocks.  This time (thankfully) we were doing an all in one, instead of doing the crown and brim separately.  I was considering doing only smaller brims to make it easier to get all my new hats home, but I decided a bigger brim would be more fun:

The straw beat into hat shape over a block

  You block straw like you block felt only more carefully.  Tomorrow I'll be finishing it up and possibly starting on a patterned fabric hat!  Three hats, this class is awesome!