bird hat…
The BIRD HAT.
This is one of my earliest sewing patterns. It came to be with my youngest asking to be a Bird Princess for Halloween. It should be noted… she changed her mind several times by the time halloween arrived and while I did get a picture of her in the dress I had made, there was never a formal recording of the Bird Hat with the Princess Dress…. I believe in the end she scoured our ‘dress ups’ and wore a red cape as Little Red Riding Hood. My kids were notorious for this, actually only the youngest two - wearing an entirely different ensemble than planned (aka made) for Halloween. It makes my heart smile.
To construct the Bird Hat I used a template for a bonnet I had made years earlier and with some trial and error came up with the final Bird Hat. In the beginning, I was tempted to make a bird with a shorter neck, like a sparrow or hummingbird, but a swan was what my daughter chose and suited the occasion best!
The bird hat was quite an endeavour at the time… but the seeds had been planted long before. My grandmother’s name is Birdie and hence, everything related has always felt a little bit fated. Around the same time I saw a couture doll that wore a ‘Bird Hat’ and was enthralled. All the stirrings to bring the final Bird Hat into creation!
Recently, the magazine Hatalk reached out and requested an interview on the creation of the Bird Hat. It was such a treat and it felt very cool to have someone interested in the creative process - and even more thrilling to check their blog and learn so much about hat making. Learning about what makes others light up will always enthralled me. And I definitely want to make hats now… I did go down a rabbit hole of fascinators at one time… I will find some photos and attach them at the end of this post… maybe…
This is the first pattern that I am revamping over the next couple of months. I hope to have to revamped ready by mid-September!
The current sewing pattern can be found in the SHOP or on Etsy!
Here are some photos of my obsession of fascinators and mini top hats… the whole thing is so 2011. Photography scene was all about layers and props. As ridiculous as it looks… I found such delight in playing dress up with my kids… and they were so willing!
I still remember posting the photoshoot to a photography forum and there was one comment that said something along the lines of ‘I don’t get it… what does all this stuff even mean?’. I remember feeling taken aback, maybe offended. But the comment stuck, and the commenter was right. What does it all mean? What was the connection? For me, as long as my kids were involved it meant something.
Looking back, I can see how styling a photoshoot was about creating opportunities to try new things and step into something I craved to do. To everyone else maybe it was just stuff. It allowed my inner world to become a little bit bigger through creating a whole elaborate set up, full of making and learning.
Sigh. I am so glad I did and have so many photos to look back on. My kids are DARLING.
