Hope you’re not all sick of NY, cause, well, I’m not finished yet!! So, there I was, skipping down 6th Avenue when I came across a couple of cool stores for crafty folk : M&J Trimmings and Toho Shoji. There are probably other cool supply places in NYC (I’m just an ignorant tourist!), so please [...]

While in New York, I was lucky enough to go visit the Schmalberg flowermakers! I was shown around and they explained to me how their fabric flowers were made (and as you can see, I was allowed to take photos!). So, here are the basic steps of how the flowers are made :
-first off, each [...]

It was boiling hot here yesterday, so what did I do? I put my iron on full heat, got my bowl of water, some buckram and prepared myself to sweat! Ok, I admit, it has been a while since I’ve worked with buckram, so I took an easy rectangle to shape on my mannequin head. [...]

I was planning to do a lot of sewing this weekend and finish this pink straw hat (and to blog), but I caught a really bad cold with a sore throat , hardly managed to sleep…I’m sniffing as I type! I really want to make some flowers to go on the side, hopefully I’ll get it [...]

I  came across a video by Threadbanger the other day, which has milliner Victor Osborne (that’s some of his lovely hats up above) showing how to make a quick  hat block using an old hat and foam gap filler, see it on here on Youtube. I think it is quite an interesting idea, I wonder [...]

 
When I want to get down to some hat making  (or cleaning the bathroom!) I always have to put some music on, it helps me get motivated and all. So, obviously, there are a  few CDs that I find most effective. Here are my fav three (in no particualr order), a Genesis compilation album (’Turn it on [...]

So, I got my blocks finally! It was great opening the boxes and having that wood smell float out! Really no problems with them, they were so well packed (lots of paper, bubble wrap AND foam). I thought I’d try out my cloche multi-block first, it is made out of obeche wood which is a soft wood so [...]

I was luckily given this chain stitch sewing machine a while back (my bosses gave it to me for free!) but I’ve never really gotten round to using  it. Today, I gave it a good clean down and oiled eveything that moves and hopefully will give it a serious try-out tomorrow. The machine is linked up [...]

 
Here is a quick update on my hat block quest! I’ve placed an order with Guy Morse-Brown! Yay!! I’m so excited! The blocks  above are part of my order - I also got a brim (plus a collar to go with it) and a block stand (it’ll make working easier). All this for a total of £562 (661 euros), that’s with [...]

 
At the moment I’m looking into hat blocks to buy! It’s really quite exciting! I’ve been looking into a few suppliers (Van der Broek in Holland, Guy Morse-Brown  and Hazel’s Hats in the UK) and there is a lot of choice. I’m not quite sure exactly what I want yet, it all depends on the prices [...]