TO TOP IT OFF

 

Summer Hat, originally uploaded by the workroom.

As much as I love teaching classes, I REALLY love taking classes. It’s a real treat for me to have such cool and gifted teachers at the workroom, each one having their own special talents. Sitting in on their classes, has been very inspiring.

We had the Summer Hat class the past weekend which was taught by Reva. I met Reva in the shop before the Christmas holidays. I complimented her on her handbag, which she told me she had made from the Lotta Jansdotter ‘Simple Sewing’ book. We got to talking about sewing, Japanese fabrics, craft blogs and printing fabrics. I learned that she was a trained costume designer and that we pretty much had exactly the same taste and inspirations. Naturally, I asked her to share some of her experience by teaching some classes at the workroom.

On Sunday, we had a full house of future hat-makers. We all decided to make the bucket hat, which is reversible. I used a sage green cotton canvas, lined with Amy Butler’s Optic Blossom in yellow & grey. I’m really pleased with mine. I often forget to wear a hat in the summer and I’m quite prone to getting sun stroke, so having a new stylish hat is just the incentive I need to cover up. The hat class is running again in August, so I’ll be making the military-style cap next.

Reva also teaches the very fun lino block printing class. I would love to print my own fabric one day, so lino block printing is a great way to dip my toes in that pool of water.

p.s. I used to have a real thing for hats when I was in high school. I had a large collection, many of them with big flowers and folded up brims a la ‘Blossom’. Perhaps I’ll try to dig up a funny photo for you.