Blog - The Hat Junkie

Lots of Charlotte Hats and a Turquoise Love Affair

October 10, 2020 by HatJunkie

Hello from beautiful Lunenburg. Today I offer you world respite in the form of a turquoise hat. Before I begin my turquoise tale, I will let you know that I have a batch of Charlotte hats ready to meet their heads and if listening to me wax eloquent about turquoise is not your cup of tea, feel free to jump ahead. I won’t take it personally. And if you have decided to stay, I love you very much.

So, a lady walked into my studio (a noteworthy event these days) and we had a lot of fun together. She came on a mission. On her head was a very functional straw hat that served her well. She loved the depth, the size of the brim and the way it turned up and she wanted me to make a winter hat with the same specifications. With great fake confidence I assured her that I could do this. Actually, these kinds of requests always mildly freak me out. My preferred method of hat creation is to first make the hat and then find the head to go with it, but sometimes you gotta be a grown up and step outside your comfort zone. We played hat shop for quite a while and it was so fun to watch her enjoy the experience. When she tried on this beret….

….she knew that her hat needed to be turquoise. She also decided that she would like a hand felted hat. Music to my ears. I hate to play favourites but my felt hats are my favourite. The process of taking wool and turning it into fabric is just too much fun and with wet felting the possibilities are endless. There was a tiny obstacle in her request, namely that I didn’t have turquoise wool, but it didn’t take a whole lot of arm twisting to get me to place an order and also throw in several more colours while I’m at it. And so, a turquoise hat was born. Would you like to see what it looks like at the beginning of the process? Yes? Oh, good.

Is that not the coolest thing in the world? Wool, soap, water and a lot of friction…that’s it. I’m not done yet with turquoise. I was so wanting to make red flowers, but the request was for black flowers. There will simply have to be more turquoise hats in my future.

Thanks for sitting patiently through my turquoise tale. Now we can chat about Charlotte hats. All of the following hats are available in my web shop. Just click on the photo.

My Scrappy Charlotte hats are one of my efforts to work with fabric scraps that would otherwise end up in landfill. This one fits a larger than average head size. It will fit between a 23″-23.5″ head size. There is no stretch, so make sure you have measured your head before ordering. The inside of the hat is lined with the most luxurious silk/cotton blend. You will feel like scrappy royalty with this hat on your head.

Oh, I’m sorry for this tease, but literally as I was pressing send to my email list, a lady in Alaska bought this hat. The good news is, now I will make another one in different colours. This Scrappy Charlotte was made from an old wool coat and scraps of locally handwoven wool. It is lined with a cotton and hemp fleece. Super cozy and soft, not to mention very warm. It will fit a medium to slightly above medium head size. It’s a wonderful hat to wear in the most inclement weather. Wool is naturally water repellent and the thick lining will make it very wind resistant.

And next up we have some cozy polar fleece Charlotte hats. These ones do have stretch to them. I’d say they work best for a 22″-23″ head size. If you have a smaller or larger head size I am happy to make a special one for you. These are just the ones that I had time to make. Have you noticed that everything takes longer these days?

What can I possibly say about this hat other than cozy? I will mention that the band is not black. It is a dark forest green. It looks a bit darker in the photo.

If you have been following my blog for a while you’ll know that I am using up the polar fleece that I have, but not buying more. I have plenty of some colours, but the turquoise is now officially gone. This is the last turquoise fleece hat I have. (but there’s always felt)

I always think brown and black are so beautiful together.

Purple and green is another recurring colour combination in my life. Did you know that they were the official suffragette colours, along with white? Oh, fine, since I mentioned Suffragettes I’ll show you my Margaret Suffragette hat that I just shipped out to Virginia. A voting hat if there ever was one.

I almost forgot…my finished sweater! I’m calling it Pocket Full of Posies. During the Middle Ages people put flowers in their pockets to ward off plagues, so I thought it couldn’t hurt.

…and with that, I wish you peace and love and health. I will chat with you all again, soon.

My Off The Grid Sewing Machine, Custom Masks and My Market Day Socks

September 13, 2020 by HatJunkie

Well, I have done it once again. Despite every best intention to write things down as they come to me, I have piled up the many things I want to tell you about and created a lot of clutter in my mind. And now I will have to pass my cluttered mind along to you. I have got to begin somewhere and it won’t be with the above photo. I just thought Leslie’s adorableness might draw you in. I’ll tell you about this talented girl later.

I’ll begin at the literal bottom with My Pink Market Day Socks. Back in March when the reality of this pandemic was settling in I needed to knit something small and mostly mindless. I knit, I ripped, I knit, I ripped until finally I settled on a mostly stockinette sock with this beautiful little lace chain. Now, I know that there are 5 million sock patterns out there in the world and so many of them are free, but I think this little lace chain is totally worth the price of admission. You really have to knit it to understand what I mean. It’s so simple and cute and addictive and you’ll want to put it everywhere. It’s knit with Lichen and Lace 80/20 sock from The Mariner’s Daughter in Lunenburg. If you make an online purchase from them I will send you the knitting pattern for free. Just send me a copy of the invoice.

I’m currently designing this sweater and that same lace chain is climbing up the fronts. I hope to write this pattern up one day, but it takes months to write a pattern up properly. I love doing it, but finding the time is challenging.

Moving along to the opposite side of the body, I have been sewing a lot of masks these days. The last I left you I had made a batch and then sold them, but as I repeat a task I make new discoveries and I realized that with a few measurements I can easily customize the masks to fit your faces. The words: small, medium, and large can mean so many different things, so now, instead, you give me your measurements and I’ll do the figuring out for you. If you read the description of each mask you will see how to measure. I have actually been having a lot of fun sewing these masks because I am making them on my new, state of the art, off the grid sewing machine.

Behold my beautiful Singer treadle machine, circa 1910. This machine belonged to my great grandmother, Anna, who I was named after. Legend has it that she used it to sew men’s tuxedos. I’m also wondering if she sewed masks on it during the Spanish flu.

This beautiful machine came into my life many years ago courtesy of my Auntie Isa. I always remembered it in my Grandmother’s apartment in Montreal. She had it electrified. When I got it, it still had the motor on it, but about six years ago Tony had it restored to a treadle for me. At that time I tried to get the coordination, but I couldn’t figure it out. With orders in front of me I put it aside and just treated it as an object of beauty.

I’m sure you can all relate when I say that this pandemic has taken away the order of time. In the absence of structure I found myself letting one day flow into the next without any sense of accomplishment. I decided that I would demarcate the weekdays from the weekends by giving myself permission to garden, sew clothing, or take on other projects that I had filed under “no time for that”. So, a few Sundays ago I stared at my great grandmother’s machine, took a deep breath and took the plunge. A little oil, and a few Youtube videos later and I was treadling away like a pro.

Can I tell you a secret? It’s so much fun! It’s not hard and it’s as fast as my electric machines. The whole experience has really made me question this whole new fangled electricity thing. Alright, I will admit that electricity does have a place when it comes to things like light and heat and washing machines, but when it comes to can openers and sewing machines, it’s dumb. I have been sewing for 26 years and I have only just discovered this. The energy required to make my sewing machine work is the equivalent to gently rocking back and forth on a rocking chair. I think the treadle just needs a good marketing campaign to get it back into common use…Off the grid, energy efficient, green, burn calories while sewing…….

After the success of treadling on my Singer, I decided to tackle my antique Wilcox and Gibbs Chain Stitch Machine. This one takes a bit more foot power, but it sews beautifully. These old machines were built to last and built to be repaired. No planned obsolescence here. Can you tell I have a bit of a thing for old sewing machines?

That’s why I couldn’t say, no when my friend asked me if I wanted her aunt’s sewing machine from 1959. I tried to say, no. I swear I did, but I see these beauties like orphans. So, I took this one in and it got a bit crowded in my studio. I wanted to move it into the house, but it was causing a bit of marital strife. Tony started asking me questions like, will you take another sewing machine if someone asks? Like, what does that have to do with the price of milk? O.K. fine, I might have a problem.

So, this brings us full circle back to beautiful Leslie at the top of the page. Just when things were beginning to come to a head in the “just one more sewing machine” marital conversation, my friend Allyson came for a visit with her daughter, Leslie. Leslie has, completely on her own, taken up the hobby of sewing historical costumes. I mean Victorian dresses. She is teaching herself and doing an incredible job….all by hand. Not because of any allegiance to hand sewing, but because she doesn’t have a sewing machine. Are you thinking what I thought? You don’t have a sewing machine?…Would you like a sewing machine? She was so excited and I was so happy to pass along that beauty to a young girl with a passion for historical sewing. And we all lived happily ever after….

Wait, I am almost done organizing the clutter in my brain.

I would like to thank you all so much for my most successful Imaginary Craft Show (from my last post). I sold every single cap and more. I edited the caps section in my shop, so that you can now preorder one in your size. Click on the above photo to get there.

Making a batch of one type of hat and then posting them at once has been a very good way for me to keep myself motivated. I really can somehow convince myself that I have a deadline. Imaginary or not, it works. Currently, I am working on a batch of Charlotte hats. It’s slow going and happens in between filling orders, but as soon as I have enough to bring to the (imaginary) market I will let you know.

Hope you are all keeping well. Until next time..Happy Hatting.

Caps and Masks and a Make Believe Craft Show

August 10, 2020 by HatJunkie

Caps with Buttons for Holding Masks.

They are Here! They are finally here! And before I sail off into my typical long winded tangential tale of how I came to be making caps and masks I will first direct you right to the shop and then if you’d like to listen to me ramble you can meet me here afterwards.

Here are the caps. These caps are already made and ready to ship and have sizes. Please pay attention to the size before ordering. Most women will fit the medium size. If your head is very small then the small size is for you and if your head is quite large then choose large. Slightly smaller or larger than average should choose Medium. If you don’t end up with the cap of your dreams, I promise there will be more.

Click the photo to go to caps.

Upcycled Denim Cap with Buttons for a mask

Click the mask photo to head to masks. (more sizes and fabrics coming soon.)

OK, Now for the rambling part…..I have never thought of myself as a cap girl. I have pretty much been waging a war against baseball caps for the past 27 years that I have been working as a milliner. Convincing women to throw away the baseball cap and don a pretty cloche instead has become something of a mission for me. And I probably would have left that opinion of mine unchallenged had it not been for a certain Pandemic.

Every solution begins with a problem……I would get to the post office, boxes in hand and then clumsily try to put my mask on behind my ears. My ears would project out from my head at a 90 degree angle, and then when my glasses would be completely steamed up they would fall off my face. I really started dreading my trips to the post office.

Then I saw an Instagram post from another milliner who was putting buttons on caps to hold the mask…no ears necessary. Seems this idea had been circulating in the millinery world for some time. I’m afraid I can’t credit the genius behind the buttons, but if anyone knows I will be sure to give credit where credit is due.

I made this straw cap at about the same time, but I really wasn’t thinking of masks. I just wanted to see if I could come up with a cap shape that I love.

Mission accomplished. It’s a cap, but still feminine and kinda flappery. When I realized I could sew buttons onto the side I was doubly in love. I meant to sell this hat, but it ended up in my personal collection. I will happily make more if anyone is interested.

This has been my go to hat all summer. It is so easy to put the mask onto the buttons and I am no longer afraid of the post office.

But the thing with this hat is that it’s a bit of an investment. Such is the nature of sewing a hat from a braid that is 1/4 inch wide. So, the wheels in my head went round and round until I figured out the equivalent design in fabric and because I have been very focused on keeping used textiles out of land fill I decided to use upcycled denim. I’m also making them in hand dyed cotton canvas.

Now, usually I will make one hat and then put it on my website because I get excited by new designs. But I had to do things a bit differently this time. When word of this pandemic first got out, I wondered what the summer would look like in terms of visitors to my studio. In a good year I might have 6 visits a week. This year I have had 4…all summer. Don’t cry for me, Argentina. I have been enjoying my garden and our nearby lake and am way too comfortable with being a hermit, but it has been difficult to keep myself motivated to keep making hats. Summer is usually the time when I get to sell my more artistic one of a kind hats and the best thing about selling hats is that it gives me the excuse to make more. But in the absence of live customers and a studio filled with hats I was in danger of drifting into a slump.

So, I decided to play make believe. I told myself that I had a big craft show coming up and I needed to make as many caps as possible. I must say, I did a fine job of fooling myself. I have been a busy bee. I even managed to stress myself out about being busy. Sometimes Tony would have to remind me that it was OK to go swimming because my upcoming craft show was not real. I managed to make 10 caps. Well, 11 really. My neighbour, Kelly, walked away with one of them.

The other thing I have been resisting is making masks. There have been so many people making masks and for way too little money that I couldn’t really see how it would be feasible. I also hadn’t found a mask that I truly liked. But then I came across this pattern.

3D face mask designed by Japanese Sewing Books.

It’s brilliant. It seals around the face and also provides more breathing room. No more fogging glasses and no more suffocation on every inhale. Because I really believe in the design I am happily sewing them. There are 13 in my web shop right now, but there will be more soon. I will also make a larger size and a children’s size.

I hope you enjoy these last few weeks of summer. These beautiful days have been quite the gift. We will chat again soon.

Cheap Masks and the Devaluation of Women’s Work

July 31, 2020 by HatJunkie

I want to put a thought out there that I know is kinda controversial. I have been hesitant to talk about it, but the thought isn’t going away, so here goes… Masks are too cheap. I’m all for making masks for free for friends and family. I’m all for donating masks to those who need them and can’t afford them, but masks using 2 or 3 layers of fabric and elastic and time should not cost $10 or even $15 for that matter. It is another example of the devaluation of women’s work. There may be some men sewing face masks out there, but I am pretty sure it’s mostly women.

I understand the rational. There’s a pandemic going on and there’s a need, so it’s not O.K. to make a profit selling masks. But here’s the thing….crafts people, who make their living sewing, have pretty much lost their ability to make a living. And here’s an opportunity to fill the void…but because there seems to be a collective agreement that masks should be cheap there’s no way for a woman who actually needs to earn a living to make a living wage selling masks. If she does charge properly for her work many people will question her ethics. I know that many retired women out there who are financially secure don’t feel the need to make a profit, but it might be worth considering that charging a pittance for a mask might be making it impossible for a single mother, who really does need the money, to make a living. What other profession out there (connected to the pandemic) is expected to give their work away? I can’t think of any. Now here’s a bit of history that you might find interesting. Going back to the mid 1800’s it was not OK for a genteel lady to make money, but it was O.K. to donate her work to raise funds for her church. So, women have been giving away their handiwork for time immemorial because it was not acceptable for women to make money. We are still in the same place. We are still operating with the same mindset.

What should a mask cost? Let’s consider that it takes a minimum of half an hour to make a well made mask. There’s the price of fabric, the time it takes to sell it and promote it and the cost of keeping the lights on and paying taxes, so I would say $20 minimum. Why not charge an amount that will enable those who actually need to put food on the table by sewing, do so? You can always have a policy of charging less or giving away for free to anyone in need. And if you are financially secure and don’t want to profit from making masks, well, how about donating the proceeds to your local women’s shelter or food bank? Just a thought…

Pandemic Resolutions

June 21, 2020 by HatJunkie

Lupins on Lunenburg’s Back Harbour Trail

When the reality of life in the time of Covid first sunk in, I imagined that I would never sell another hat again. After those initial few days of panic, I made a list of all the things I could do other than earning money that would contribute to our household. I confess, I was really enjoying the fantasy. I would turn my entire yard into a garden…. finally get the house clean…make all our clothes… make curtains… paint the guest room…preserve food…the pioneering list goes on and on. I was ready to time travel back to 1805.

Two things happened that put a damper on this scenario. First, after a week of being the perfect wife, with dinner on the table at 6, granola made, dishes washed, house cleaned…I totally lost my shit. This was entirely on me. I was the only one putting pressure on myself. I also learned that if I take creativity out of my life I become a not very nice person.

The second thing that happened was that I wrote a little post on Facebook asking people to share my page and that little post got shared over 3000 times. I suddenly had a lot of hats to make.

I am nothing but grateful for the orders and to the people who shared that post, but I felt a bit of a loss as I slipped back into busy, busy, busy mode. Those first few pandemic days had given me a bit of clarity into what was truly important in life (not the house cleaning part). And so, I decided to take control. After two demoralizing years of watching the deer eat all my plants, we hired a friend to fix the garden fence. Best money I ever spent.

I now make sure that gardening is a weekend priority.

My hedge of Rugosas that I planted from tiny little shoots are coming along swimmingly.

And every morning Lego and I go for our long walk. I’m finding the world extra beautiful these days. I Love the energy and diversity that tourists bring to Lunenburg, not to mention sales, but I’m also loving the peace of a quiet town.

I know that there’s a lot of hardship associated with this pandemic, but it has brought some unexpected gifts.

A Hat Gift From The Great Beyond

June 19, 2020 by HatJunkie

Beautiful Brian who passed away September 2019

Hello Everyone, I’m sorry to have not written sooner. Times are so strange and my mind is alternatively full and empty of thoughts and the idea of trying to condense the ruckus in my brain into words has felt daunting.

I also have a habit of wanting to talk about everything and then I overwhelm myself to the point where I can’t begin. But today I thought, one story, tell one story. So, that’s what I will do.

Last September my dear friend, Brian Davis, left this world with a bang. He had ALS and fought like the dickens (and won) to be able to donate his organs. Apparently his story reached far away places and I am told has set some new standards for organ donation. Anyways, Brian used to like to roll up in his wheel chair and tell me about how much he loved every last thing he was able to do. Seeing someone face death with such grace was one of the most inspiring experiences of my life.

He really loved this hat that I made for him. He sort of became a champion of my garden hats. His daughter Becky fell in love with the hat, so he bought one for her and he left the one on his head to his son. One day, maybe a couple of weeks before leaving this earth, he wheeled up my driveway. I came out to see him and he handed me a fist full of cash. He said, ” Anna, Susan’s birthday is on May 23rd. I want you to make her a hat like this and give it to Susan on her birthday.” Susan is his wife. I choked back my tears and promised him that I would not forget. I immediately put the date in my iPhone calendar, so that I wouldn’t forget. For months this request sat like a weight on my heart. Seemed like a huge responsibility to deliver a gift from the great beyond.

Time ticked on and the date drew closer. I made Susan’s hat and when May 23rd arrived I walked across the street and knocked on Susan’s door. When Susan came out, I said, Happy Birthday. This is from Brian.

Her reaction was pretty much what you would expect. She loved the hat, held back tears and we talked about Brian and gardens and dogs and bees… After a while she said, Anna, I have a confession. Today is not my birthday…..I said, what do you mean? I wrote it down right away. Did I mess up the date? She said, no, Brian could never remember my birthday. Today is his sister’s birthday. Mine is next week. We both cracked up and praised Brian for being consistent even in death. What a beautiful man, maybe not one for dates, but he had a heart of gold.

Flapper and Edwardian Hat Distraction

April 1, 2020 by HatJunkie

Hello hat friends, I don’t have much wisdom to bring you today in terms of the state of the world, but I can offer you some pretty handmade flapper and Edwardian style hats along with plenty of knitting distraction. A friendlier alternative to the news.

I am actually somewhat used to isolation as this is what crafts people do. I often turn to knitting and sewing videos, not so much for the information, but more to bring a friend into the studio with me. So, in the above video I ramble on endlessly about hats and knitting and show you a pretty walk through Lunenburg and even give you a little glimpse into me practicing The Charleston (it strangely helps me). I hope you can use the little video I made in the same way. Have me over for a little visit while you do your chores or drink your coffee…Why yes, I’d love a cup…cream, no sugar, please.

Before I go, I will mention that I have added lots of new hats to my website. Don’t hesitate to ask for other colours. Here’s the one I am most proud of at the moment. It fits a slightly larger than average head size. I talk lots about it in the video. Also be sure to click on the little button for your currency. It’s not exact, but close.

Here are links for some of the designers I mentioned.

From Grandma with Love blanket by Melanie Berg

And, Lastly….I would so appreciate you sharing this post with your circle of friends. If you enjoy the video please give it a like, or better yet, subscribe. I wish you all the best of health and I look forward to hearing from you. Love, Anna

You can find the original soirée sweater herehttps://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/soiree-4

February Really Needs a Hat

February 12, 2020 by HatJunkie

February really needs hats and chocolate. I don’t know if I can send you chocolates, but I can definitely send you hats. If, like me, you live in a part of the world where slush falls from the sky then you might just need a bit of a pick me up. If you live in a part of the world where the sun shines all year long…..can I come stay with you?

So, until February 19th you can use the coupon code, FEBRUARY to receive 15 % off any hat in my Etsy shop or Slow Hat Shop. If you live locally then you can show up at my door and say the password (February) and I’ll still discount your hat.

Isn’t that green one up there pretty? Spring in Nova Scotia is a purely woman made season. I try to do my bit. Colourful hats with large flowers not only help the hat wearer’s emotional well being, but they also help every person the hat wearer passes.

Here’s another beauty that I just finished. This is one that I will be repeating. I made this one on my antique straw braid sewing machine. If you look closely you will see that the pull on the ties is a vintage spool of thread complete with some of the original thread. Sun protection never looked so good.

Well, hope I get to send you some hat cheer, but looking at pretty pictures of hats is also a pretty cheerful experience. Spring is just around the corner.

Following My Heart, My Latest Business Strategy

January 29, 2020 by HatJunkie

I had a bit of an epiphany the other day. Well, my friend, Aimee, actually hit me over the head with my epiphany, but that’s what friends are for, right?

She surprised me with a visit, so I put down my work and we went for a walk. I must have really needed to talk to her because it all came blurting out. I was not really happy because I was making the hats that I felt people wanted to buy and squeezing in the hats I really wanted to make when I had the time.

In about a two minute time frame, she set me completely straight. Aimee is a straight talker. ” Why the hell would you be self-employed if you are not doing what you love? You may as well get a job and at least have some security. Do what you love and the money will follow!”

I have always known that . Those words have guided me for so many years, but sometimes fear of not being able to pay the bills can make you forget. So, I found myself making the same hats that I have been making for so many years and feeling like my creative wings had been clipped. It got to the point where I avoided going in my beautiful studio and instead would sit at the kitchen table and knit. I have really never been very good at doing what I didn’t feel like doing. Instead of putting my nose to the grind stone and cranking out my best sellers, I became the master of procrastination. Just one more row of knitting, I kept saying, and then I’ll get back to work.

Somehow, Aimee’s sledgehammer over my head made me realize that it was time to be brave and have faith that if I let myself follow my creativity and inspiration that my customers would come along with me. I needed someone else to give me permission to do what I needed to do. Shut one door and open another one. And that’s what I’m doing. I have talked about phasing out my fleece hats, but I have decided to speed up the process. There will still be fleece hats available in my Etsy shop, but I will slowly be replacing them with the hats I truly love to make. I know that I won’t be making everyone happy, but I need to first make myself happy. That means working with natural textiles, working slowly and enjoying all the fine details of slow fashion.

The amazing thing is that when I brought my new knitted and felted hats to the Lunenburg Farmers’ Market, the ladies went right to them. I think people can feel how much I love them. This beautiful mother and daughter duo bought these two berets. And incase any of you out there tell yourselves that you are too old to wear a hat…Joyce is turning 90. She was wearing gold sparkly shoes and wouldn’t let me take her photo until she put her lipstick on.

Joyce and Fawn in their new knitted and felted berets

All these hats take a really long time to make, so my plan is to just list them in my shop as I make them and write a blog post when there are enough to talk about. Here are the knit hats that are currently available in my shop. You can click on the caption to purchase if you feel like you can’t live without one.

Hand knit and Felted Beret from Canadian wool

The sweetest blue, Hand knit and Felted From Canadian wool

Colours to melt the snow. Hand knit and felted Canadian Wool.

I have also been having a blast diving into the scrap pile. Here are two Scrappy Charlottes.

Thanks so much for spending some time with me. See you all soon.

Local Handwoven Beauty

January 21, 2020 by HatJunkie

I just finished making this Maisie hat and I need to wax eloquent for a moment…I love this fabric!!! O.K. that wasn’t exactly eloquent, but I don’t know how else to put it. I love that in choosing to have this fabric made for me by Marrie, of Double Whale Handwoven Designs, that money is kept circulating in my community, but it’s more than that. The fabric is truly more beautiful than any machine made fabric. I did actually consider trying to find another source of fabric to keep the cost down, but once you see such beautiful quality there is no going backwards.

Marrie had thought she could not weave me any more of this fabric, but I whined and begged and she has agreed to try again. My next batch of two colours will be coming at some point soon. Can’t wait to share it with you.