Fall & Winter projects on my work bench.

Kicking off Autumn with pop-up tables back-to-back in September at Neill-Cochran House and an evening swim shindig at The Line Hotel (sponsored by Future Front) is how I ended in-person events this year. As other makers consider the holiday season their busiest year, I am using my time to dream about next Spring.

Waiting patiently on my work table are several new-to-me vintage wooden blocks, and a custom set from the friendly block makers in Australia. (Collecting wooden blocks is a universal weakness of milliners worldwide.) This is the time of year I look forward to working with luscious fur felt hats. The only thing that would make this process better is dyeing them myself. Here’s a hat I have been playing around with on my work bench. I have a lovely hand dyed yarn I used to adorn the base of my crown. The felt is vintage and has lost a bit of its vibrancy, but it oddly adds a little character to the hat.

I was also testing a few brim curlers on the same hat.

It was really hard to decide which one I wanted. I really couldn’t go wrong with any. Mark DeCou is the master carver of these gems. Give him some love at his Etsy shop HERE. I have a feeling I’m going to be a devoted customer of this gentle man.

If you haven’t seen my latest hat Jessie, it’s available in the store right now. (Update, just sold!) I just created it using one of my new Australian blocks. See it HERE. I am currently running a promotion on Jessie for my Instagram followers, but by the time this blog gets published it might be over. I plan on making a few more Jessie hats in different materials and colors through December, and some Spring time midi top hats in brocades and leathers.

I moved everything off my Etsy shop last month. It’s still open but there is nothing listed. Etsy had removed the bulk of my hats with no reasoning except saying I violated copyrights even though all hats are designed by me, and two weeks later they put everything back. Between all the ad fees, and commissions, I was basically earning less than half in what I sold. When they removed most of my listings and left me with a single hat, and still charged me advertising fees…I decided I had about enough. I take it as a sign to get out of the mouse trap. My focus is on producing smaller single collections. Chasing the event calendar has also been stressful, and I will not be doing that anymore next year. I have much to focus on with new textile and sewing projects. My creative energy is yearning to branch out.

How about the holidays? I feel like it’s almost too late to plan for Christmas gifts. I was hoping to make my family presents this year, but time keeps slipping by. I oiled and tuned up my Singer Featherweight to handle a quilt I am planning on making for a new grandchild, and then there’s all the knitting to be had. I hope everyone is more organized than me this year.