It has taken me forever to get this post written. It wasn’t because it was hard to write, I just couldn’t seem to find the time… I thought I better do everything I could today to make sure I was talking about something “dolly” related… especially those hats!
So here’s the deal in a nutshell. I LOVE making these little straw hats for the dolls. There’s something fun about going round and round until you get to the top of the hat and then it’s especially fun to pull out the paper roses and flowers and see what looks best on them. Well, combine that with all my fabrics and you have a match made in heaven… well, almost!
I decided it might be fun for the ladies who sew, to be able to buy the hat and then have a piece of fabric already matched up with the colors of the hat and flowers. So, this idea was born… I’d make the hats and decorate them and then offer a few different choices of fabric for the winner to choose from. They buy the hat and the fabric and then they can make the dress for whatever doll they want. I’m offering 1/3 of a yard of fabric for the hats…(in some cases only a fat quarter) They work for the 13″ Effner Little Darlings, Ellowyne, and 10″ Patsy Tonner and friends. So they are sort of Hat/fabric kits in a way.
Now, not everyone sews, so I decided if they only wanted the hat, and not the fabric, I would send them back $3.00 in their box.
This is sort of a kick starter for me to see if it works this way… I guess we’ll find out! I took new pictures outside today of the hats on the fabrics to try and get the colors as close as possible to what they really are…
Here they all are at a glance… it’s like a little hat shop, isn’t it?
If you have any suggestions or think of anything I may have left out, let me know. My listings are scheduled to go on Ebay just past 8:30 Thursday evening…(Central Time)
I hope you’ll check them out. I’ll list them over at the right side bar when they become active listings on Ebay.
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
What a perfectly clever way to sell the hats! It certainly adds variety to your shop and offers people a way to have a wonderfully designed hat, AND a way to sew a little dress too! Those hats you make are so pretty and professional looking, who wouldn’t want one? I’m thinking, maybe Betsy would want one, but do I want to sew a dress for her? You made the perfect solution for that!
Good luck in this endeavor, Jeanne!
Thank you Linda,
I forgot about Betsy… I need to try the hats on her head too… mine has such super thick hair… it might not work, but I better give it a try.
I’ve been worried all day that this might be a flop…but if it is, I’ll just sell the hats all by themselves or make dresses to go with them! ;o)
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
I agree with everything Linda said. What a creative idea.
When I first started reading your post, the pictures reminded me of ” why it’s a hat shop!” How neat! The way you presented your idea is really genius.
I have wonderful memories of going into millinery stores with my mom. She and her best friend took trying on hats very seriously although I must add, certain hats broke that seriousness into fits of laughter depending on the look of the hat.
Love the brown hat and the green hat! And the matching material.
HI Paula,
I got the idea about the hats with the fabric in the middle of the night, so it might not be “entirely” all my idea.. I think I had some help! :o)
I should find some little hat boxes to sit them all on and make my presentation “LIKE” a hat shop… that would be cute and fun!
We used to laugh at trying on the “cake hats” as we used to call them, for Easter.
I like the brown one too… that might be my favorite!
Thanks Paula,
Blessings, Jeanne
Love those hats! And now there are five. Would be very difficult for me to choose only one fabric to go with them though. They all look so tempting. Perhaps, after the ebay show, it may be possible to do listings for the same in your Etsy shop. Offerings can be for just a plain hat too or a hat and removable hat band. Then the hat could be used with many outfits.
Can’t wait for your women friends to view the new and amazing transformation of your home. Know they will comment and appreciate.
HI Joy,
I thought about selling them plain and the winner could decorate them however they wanted… and I still might do that, but I had so much fun decorating these, I wanted to see what happens… I like the idea of a removable hat band… hmmmm…
I brought my mom over to my house today to see the floors and she did plenty of oooohhhhing and aaahhhhing to suit me for now!
Thanks Joy,
blessings, Jeanne
May your idea work well, Jeanne. Your hats are beautiful and the combinations with the fabrics are inspiring. Might you be willing to let us know the diameter of head that these hats would fit on? I don’t have any of the dolls you mention but perhaps there are other dolls that have the same head size?
This will be a fun endeavor. I’m looking forward to the outcome of it all. Thanks for the new fun.
Blessings.
HI Becky,
I don’t know why I forgot to include the measurements on the hats on my listings…oops… Maybe I can go in and revise them before they go on tonight.
The distance across the hat from brim to brim is 4- 1/2″.
The opening inside distance where the head sits up in the hat is about 2 – 3/8″.
The circumference of the inside of the hat is 8″ around. Any doll with a head circumference of 8″ or slightly less should be able to wear these.
I’m sort of anxious to see what happens too… :o)
Thanks Becky,
Blessings, Jeanne
I went through the hats carefully and decided that I like the brown one best. Then I read the comments, and I’m not the only one. Maybe it’s because fall is coming.
I sometimes wonder if you should have a side business arranging doll’s hair, especially for Addy and Josefina.
I think the smart thing to do is what you do — make something and then sell it. If you get behind, you aren’t under pressure to have something done on a particular day. Not being under pressure is worth gold. Still, a whole lot of beautifully groomed Addies would contribute to the peace of mind of owners everywhere. You are a woman with too many talents.
I’m glad your mother loved your floor. How do your knees feel? How does George feel?
Thank you Marilyn,
I think the brown one reminds me of chocolate, and who doesn’t like chocolate?
Oh dear, adding something else to the things I do already…??? What was I thinking? But I do really enjoy making them…
My mom did enough ooohhhing and aaahhhing to make up for the men. She thought it made the rooms look bigger…I think so too.
My knees are getting a little better each day. George didn’t actually get down on the floor…I did all thevlaying. He got the planks for me and laid them out for me to pick from. He also was the cutter…he used some vintage tin snips sort of like scissors and they worked great. Better than the recommended utility knife.
We will be back to normal maybe by the weekend…
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
The hat/fabric idea is so clever! Will be fun to see what happens. All the fabric choices are good matches and especially nice.
If your knees still hurt try Blue Goo from Walmart and pair that with Aleve …a great combo. It really helps ?
Thanks Kathie,
I sold 3 hat sets tonight so we’ll see what happens with the others.
I have some BioFreeze but didn’t think of using it…thanks for reminding me…I’ve already been doing the Aleve part!!!
Thank you, Kathie,
Blessings, Jeanne