Have you ever seen those stiff black sort-of-felted-like hats in Hobby Lobby? You know the ones that are either derby hats, or cowboy hats or witches hats? I have and always thought there ought to be some way to make them work for other times than what they were intended for. Well, yesterday I bought one of the derby hats… it was just plain (without lace) with a ribbon around it tied in a bow. I thought in the store it looked too small, but I thought maybe I could change it up somehow… (You know how I love a challenge!)
When I got it home, I tried it on Eden but it looked a little “bland” so I added some black lace around the edge using a zigzag stitch on my machine.
I took a “farther away” picture… but still “NO!”
Maybe I was just taking my picture from the wrong angle… maybe this…
No again, so I took the ribbon off and got out my scissors. The hat was only $2.00 so I started cutting… I cut the top of the crown off and left a little less than a half inch for the brim…
I tried it Eden and “already” liked it better…
So I dug around in my laces and found this really pretty lace that was “slightly” flexible and decided it might work. It had these little fringed tassle-like accents and I decided to glue the lace on the crown part that was left standing up… It’s black so it’s a bit hard to see… a few of my pictures I even over exposed so you could see what I did a little better.
So the fringe is laying on the brim of the hat, the lace is curved up on the crown and the netting part of the lace is sort of standing up in the air about 2 inches. I took some black thread and stitched around the top of the netting edge and gathered it up and pulled it to the back side… and knotted it several times… pulling it taut as I did this.
Now I’m really thinking there is hope for this… I started looking at flowers and ribbons and trims and you should have seen my cutting table. It was covered with all kinds of things. I didn’t have any blue flowers that matched the color in the dress, but I had already kind of decided in my head, it might be nice to just leave it a black hat with white accents so it could be worn with more things.
So here are some pictures of how it turned out…
Here’s an over exposed picture so you can see it a little better…
Do you think Eden will pass as a schoolmarm?
I worked on some “other” things for this set, but I’m going to wait and show them to you tomorrow… Maybe I’ll be ALL done by then… I have 2 more things I’m working on…
Hope you enjoyed what you saw today…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Wonderful transformation of a hat! Very beautiful hat and the whole outfit!
Wow, I would never have thought to have done that with one of those hats! You are so creative and ingenious, Jeanne!! This hat looks wonderful, and very much like what a “school ma’arm” might wear.
By the way, I was in Hobby Lobby tonight–they have Simplicity patterns on sale for $1.99 this week, so I bought the overall pattern you got, and found two others for 14″ dolls!! They are #8819, which has several cute variations of dresses, including one that looks like a suspender-skirt with a blouse, and #8574, which has tunics and leggings, plus a darling “handkerchief”-hem overskirt. (As a reminder, that overall pattern is #8940.) When I was there, they still had several copies of each one, but it’s still early in the week, and the sale goes thru Saturday.
Now I wish I’d thought to look at their doll hats, too!
I know I should have read this before I went and picked up my Grandkids this morning. I meet their mom at a Hobby Lobby. I will be dropping them off there tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully they will still have some left. I’m assuming the sale is at all Hobby Lobbys.
I would assume so, Barbara. You can always check online–hobbylobby.com and look for the “weekly ad”.
Very clever, Jeanne! That hat is surely one of a kind, and is exactly what the dress needed! I don’t know though, about those flowers on both sides of the hat. I think I would prefer one side for the flowers. That one picture of her looking from the front looks like they are little horns! Maybe it is just the picture, but that’s what it looks like to me! Eden is looking like a little schoolteacher more and more, and even a little Mary Poppins, although I don’t think her hat was this fancy!
I can’t wait to see what other “things” you have in store for this listing! School starts next week around here, so Eden has to be ready!
I agree with the flowers being on one side, Linda.
I thought the 2 flower bunches looked like ears. Maybe one small sprig centered with the bow. Cutting the top off sure made a huge difference! Plunked right on top of her head says school marm to me. If it was tipped to one side it would be really cute but maybe too sassy for a school marm? Looking forward to seeing what else you have planned. Books?
Now that’s creativity! What a transformation. Who else would have thought of cutting out the crown of a hat and attaching the lace? Congratulations on your new chapeau.
Thanks, Charlotte, for the tip about Hobby Lobby and for listing the pattern numbers. I’ll be there when they open with the numbers handy on my phone.
Incredibly beautiful Jeanne
I do love Hobby Lobby
I have two within a few miles from my house. They are such a wonderful crafting shop
I get all of my Kona cotton from there, as Joanne fabrics misfiles their cottons on the wrong bolts.
Do shop online if you need to
How creative you are, Jeanne. The hat is lovely. The whole outfit is so cool.
I agree with the Linda and the flowers – perhaps on one side or done other way?
Interesting hat. Upon first seeing the hat, it reminded me so much of the hats the Peruvian ladies wear, minus the lace. Cutting off the crown and adding the lace was a great idea to make it more schoolmarmish. The way you added the lace is sheer genius. I like it. So, the black would make Eden in mourning as were most during the Civil War. All I can think of is that one of her students gave her some flowers, and she stuck them in her hat crown? I think I would remove the flowers as they detract, but that is just me. Maybe Eden can just hold the flowers in her photos. A gift from her admiring students. Or maybe she is demonstrating an outdoor nature lesson and teaching her students about botany.
Eden’s hairstyle is lovely and perfect. Exactly, as it was worn.
Slept on our new bed last night. Different from the Tempurpedic but comfortable. Other person loves it. 🙂
Re your answer to me yesterday. Congratulations on your new bed. While we love getting new things it does cause some logistical issues with the things we are replacing. When we got our sleep number bed a few years ago we put the old mattress by the street. It was still in pretty good shape but David has a neck problem and it wasn’t working for him. It was gone within minutes. My old dryer was still useful even though not totally functional so we put it out by the street with a note saying the extended tumble no longer worked. It was gone within a half hour. If we don’t do that we usually give it to Goodwill.
Dear Jeanne, thanks for showing the “evolution” of a hat. I could not have envisioned that. It is amazing how you can look at an item and “see” it as it could be.
Next in the Doll World here, some of the local doll club members are going to visit Sophia’s doll and doll clothes vendor. They have a line of items that fits the 18 inch doll. They also have cute accessories. My girls are encouraging me to go because they know that Mama will come back with goodies for them. Doll children are so much fun (and, uh, expensive – laugh)!
When the packages start showing up around here my hubby just assumes the girls have been online shopping again. He never asks what they’ve been buying. Whew!!
You are so fortunate to have a lot of dolly goings on in your area. Makes me want to move back to PA. That and the temperate climate.
Dear Barbara, come on back for a visit. My girls would love to see their Auntie Barbara.
A totally amazing hat, especially when you see what you started with. My aunt and grandmother loved millinery. Me, not so much. I’ve never been a fan of hats. I was so glad when we stopped having to wear them to church. But I can still appreciate a lovely hat, especially on such a lovely lady. Very school marmish.
In Gunnison, CO, there is a museum that has an old school. There is a list of the items of decorum expected of the teacher. One of them is that she cannot keep company with a man at all. It would be amusing to know what kind of a turnover they had since most young women do not plan on being a spinster.
You sure have amazing creativity, Jeanne! I never would have thought of cutting the hat. Love the way it’s turning out, but for two things. I, too, saw horns instead of flowers and I would hide the top lace gathering on the inside of the hat, instead of sticking up in the top middle. It’s looking very pretty!!l Love and hugs, Ali
That is so creative! I wasn’t in love with the original, but the re-do is beautiful. It’s very inspirational to see what you came up with versus what you started with.