Hats for Art and Artefact
When my friend Helen McIntosh suggested we make objects and art for our up coming exhibition Art and Artefact. I thought I would love to make hats.
Because the journey into hat making has been so interesting I thought I’d share some of the process.
Research into hat making
Originally I made drawings of characters wearing strange hats but was not sure how I would go about recreating them. I had to really think about how to make 3D patterns to fit a head. It really tested my brain.
I researched youtube and pinterest and bought a few hat making books for ideas. I even bought a hat pattern. I used part of the pattern to make a crown for one of the hats.
Using Recycled Objects to create hat shapes
I amassed a collection of interesting items from the local op shops to think about the structure for my hats
Playing and Possibilities
I began playing putting things together some of the objects together to see what shapes I could make.
The Fruit bowl stand was in the end way too heavy but I did create a pattern from the bowl stand using artistic wire.
There is a real joy in putting interesting objects together
Fabrics, Flowers, Trims and Feathers
I also started sorting my collections of fabrics, flowers, lace, beads, jewelry, and objects I had made. I put together colours and materials that I felt worked well together.
Hat Blocks
My friend Lucille lent me her Aunt’s hat making wood blocks. The blocks are old and beautiful and some are adjustable. I used one as a mold for one of the hats.