Some lovely orders finished

Just finished up some orders - for the most patient of customers. THANK YOU for understanding the huge delays of a giant move. This one came out so totally classy -and I LOVE the combination of elements to make up the ornament. Gives me all kinds of new ideas.....

And here's a really voluptuously feathered Cavalier.

Feathers were SO floofy, that I couldn't get them all in the photo - even at the full length of my arm. (need a better photo setup.)

And two very sassy flatcaps. A forest Green:

 And a black and silver

Yay for lots of PROGRESS!!!

Historical Hatmakers!

 

I just love the interwebs.

I now have a collection of images of historical hatmakers! I do wish they showed a few more of the tools.

 

 

 

 

 

And: Best for last?

 

Updated to add!: and below, 1635. This one shows a tool the other images didn't show!

 

Here's the link to that site: http://collectie.atlasvanstolk.nl/collectie/data_gb.asp?display=1&q0=34068&f0=ID&search=Record

 

Leather Sweatbands - choices! choices!

Very exciting mail today!

In my attempt to continue my wholesale supplies trend, I've been trying to source out really affordable leather sweatbands. I found a place in New York (I know you're shocked), who has three different price points, and they just sent me six of each as samples!!

Here they are, with the highest quality (Roan - $450/gross) ones on the left, and the lowest quality (bonded leather - $150/gross) on the right

The Roan ones(below) are very thin and extremely smooth. They feel like they would not change the head size much and would be lovely to wear. I would have to choose whether to use brown or black, as I can't afford a gross of each right now. (Maybe they would split it for me....but I doubt it.)

The bonded leather are 1/3 as expensive and much thicker.  They honestly look quite serviceable. I could afford both brown AND black, which would be several years worth of them.

The one in the middle (below) is real leather and quite thick, and is right in the middle, price point wise and smoothness wise. BUT - It is so thick that I'd be concerned about the sudden effective downsizing of all my blocks. Could possibly afford both colors.

Best news, though - ALL of them are awesome - ALL are affordable, and I have enough to really test them out to see which I like best. Watch for updates as I start using them!!!

Just HOW structured is that flatcap?

I had a customer tell me recently that she didn't like the way she looks in the really floppy flatcaps. I replied that the choice of interlining has a huge effect on the way the bag part sits, stands, or drapes. I took some super-classy cell phone photos to send her to show her the difference between a flatcap with a very soft interlining and one with a stiff, canvas interlining, and it occurred to me that some of you might be interested in them as well.

Please pretend I have, you know, makeup on, and my hair is, I dunno -brushed, and that I am not in a sweatshirt in my hallway. K?

Here we go:

The FLOPPY one. This is a medium weight fuzzy black wool, interlined with plain old broadcloth. It's very soft.

This is a smooth, lightweight navy blue wool, interlined with canvas and tafeta. It is quite stiff, and can be reshaped in a number of ways, and stays where it is put.

Both of them have plastic that is edged with wire inside the brims, with no seam on the brim edge, so that they are as thin as possible, to show off the curve I put in the wire.

They pack totally flat, are completely waterproof, and are *almost" indestructable. Three people I know have worn theirs almost completely out - but it took them about 11 years to do so.

Yeah - you know who you are Greg, Amber, and Dave.