Flora Fedora 2.0

I have never been able to leave well enough alone. Last year I designed the Flora Fedora hat, a rather adorable hand dyed cotton canvas fedora that is perfect for traveling or for simply looking marvellous at the grocery store. While there was nothing wrong with last year’s version, I knew she could be even better.

Last year’s crown was a wee bit taller and I knew that if I shortened it a bit it would suit more faces. Another change is the angle of the brim. I noticed, last summer, that whenever ladies try on my hats they always try to turn the brim up. Some brims turn up and some brims don’t. This one didn’t, but now it does. To be honest, I have that same compulsion to play with a brim. Let’s play, I say. It can be flipped up in the front, the back or at a coquettish angle. Really just depends which 1940s starlet you are trying to emulate.

Two changes should have been enough for an already cute design, but I just couldn’t keep my fingers off the flowers. Last year’s flower was made from silk ribbon, but I was frustrated by my lack of colour options. So, I turned to my fabric scrap pile. To clarify, my fabric scrap pile takes up most of my studio. Every time I make one of my hand dyed, organic cotton and hemp headbands….

I produce fabric scraps. This is the reality of sewing. One of the reasons I love knitting is that the hat or garment grows outward from the yarn. There are still leftovers, but it’s so easy to knit with leftover yarn. I digress, sorry. I seem to be inherently unable to throw out fabric scraps. This is why they need to become flowers.

Or occasionally a hat made from canvas quilt blocks. (I’m still in play mode with this one.)

The Flora Fedora hats in these photos are destined for Beauchapeau Hat Shop in Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, but I have listed them in my web shop as well. I have a few new floral fabrics arriving soon in my mailbox. Very excited about that and making new samples will be at the top of my to do list.

As always, I custom make my hats to fit all head sizes. You can click on any of the photos to head to my web shop. Spring is just around the corner.

That is what I keep telling myself as I look out my window. (Yes, that is my driveway.)