All black flatcap

Here, for my dear customer's vieweing pleasure, and since our emails are simply not sending photos back and forth....

is your very chic, all black hat :)

Prototype of custom hat lining

The sample came for the new custom Trulyhat linings!!

The printing looks so awesome, I'm about to burst. It's SO much clearer than I expected. I need to figure out how to make the tops be all smooth, but I have several ideas about that.

Now - I wonder which hat I'll try it in.....

I'm SO jazzed!

Red Flatcap options

These flashy orders are so much fun.

Here's an awesome red velveteen flatcap, pictured with three different trimming options

 for my lovely customer to peruse.

 (Heloooo lovely customer!)

I've placed these from least pricey to most pricey.

First one has on a simple,band, ready for her to pearl or bling up further as she desires. It's a particulary classy piece of  $10/yd gold guimpe that I picked up at Mokuba in Toronto.

(http://www.blogto.com/design/mokuba)

This trim would add $5 on top of the base custom flatcap price.

Option 2 looks like many portraits I've seen. Would be hard to "bling up" further, but It might be my favorite anyway - cause it looks like the portraits.
This band would be $10 more than the base custom flatcap price, or $20 more with extra floofy feathers - which I think she kinda wanted, so I thought I'd mention it.


Option 3 wears seven metal brooches with cherubs holding small stones in the centers, with beads and glass pearls between them. I wish they were red stones, but they ain't. I wish I had 20 of them to put all the way around, but I don't. Still - it's definitely the flashiest, and is very VERY pretty. (I would not leave the other gold trim underneath this band - too distracting). I also stuck an extra feather on her, since this band NEEDED the extra floof. This one, with the brooches and the extra feather, would be $30 more than the base custom flatcap price.

Closeup of the awesome simple gold trim:


Closeup of beads and glass pearls. Beads are plastic, but they look very nice.

Closeup of the blingy one.

If she were yours - which would YOU prefer? I'm really torn, myself.

23.5" beaver hat available

I have another hat on the shelf, and it's kindof awesome, so I thought I'd feature it here.

It's my first try with the black beaver blanks I picked up last summer. It came out Soooo pretty.

It's very shiny and pettable. It would require occasional brushing to keep its "hairdo" all in order, but that's quite easy to do. A nail brush works, or a proper hat brush, of course.

See? Shiiiiny:

 I LOVE the centered swirly bit on the very top - it's such an undeniably "Beaverish" trait.

So - since this was my "trial run" hat - even though it came out perfectly, this one can go for the standard on-the-shelf price. ($110)

After this, hats made with these beaver blanks will be $25 extra - just for the cost of the blank. I have a couple of dozen of these blanks, and I don't know if I can afford more after those are gone.

If someone wants the hat, but wants it trimmed differently, I can do that - but it becomes "custom" at that point, which adds $20. (Still a $25 discount, since I won't likely be using these blanks for "on the shelf" hats very often, if at all.)

Field hat

A particularly awesome customer (The Hat Pimp himself) sent me this image:

wanting a "field hat" that would offer him some actual shade while marshalling fencing tournaments.

It's finished, and I like the way it came out very much:

And I've really learned a thing or two about installing the leather sweatbands.

Yay!!

Can't wait to see what he says :)

Couple of orders

Getting work done on a couple of the orders I pulled the other day. They are coming out very nicely. I'm LOVING all the new tricks I learned from my last two mentors!! The difference is so obvious to me.

This one will get a leather sweatband and lining (I've really gotta add that option to the website - it always feels like I'm trying to upsell people when I call to ask at the last minute.)

I have some trim ideas sortof pinned on. Here it is mostly naked:

And here it is from the side with feathers propped on.

The white stem of the large feather  pulls my eye too much
(thank you Lesley Wilson - I am STILL using those awesome feathers you gave me a decade ago!)

So I'm thinking about adding in this little yellow guy to purposefully pull the eye. (plus the outfit has some yellow/gold in it too.

I've been waiting to use this awesome jewelled button forever - and I think it looks great on here.

The feathers are quite lush, and curled cooperatively for me. 

And here is the lovely little Brown and Salmon hat:. (Really classy color combo, by the way.) I love getting to use my natural, undyed ostrich feathers, which are a lovely grey-brown color.

And her closeup:

I hope they send me photos of the finished outfits with the hats!!

Productive!!

Many, many hats pulled this weekend. My hands look horrible, and are pretty actively sore... But I got a dozen hats pulled!! Six orders and six for the shelf. I'm going to have a fair number of shelf hats at this rate. I will need to get busy updating the store page.

I used the immersion method, rather than just steam, so they will need several days to dry, but that is definitely the most efficient way to pull a dozen hats.

I'm almost feeling caught up with orders!! I have a couple of flat caps to do still, and a few "whenever you get around to it" hats, and then I could really start filling my shelves!!
Now-if I only had an event or trunk show in mind for where to sell them, that would be great!! In the meantime, I'm just busy making them:)