I am trying to get my hat business going stronger and am sincerely hoping that my hats are a good idea whose time has come.
All of my hats use natural fibers be they, wool alpaca, silk or cashmere. Many of them also include acrylic fibers as accents. Each hat starts its life as a ball of yarn and after five to eight hour of knitting an object that mildly resembles a small sleeping bag (Hats start out about the size of three sweaters). The next step is eight or more hours of "felting" (A process of distressing the fibers until the scales inside them open and close around each other) this results in the hat becoming a seamless piece of heirloom quality material. theses particular pieces that I'm working on are part of a collection featured at "Glassy Alley" (1940 TX Ave Lubbock Tx). Here is a blurb about that collection.
This collection is a peek into what has been on my mind. Each hat is a portrait "drawn" of a friend, a family member, strangers whom I've bounced ideas off of, conversations I've eavesdropped on and women who have inspired me, and a few of the hats were made on dares.
I have been making hats since 2006. I love the them because they are beautiful covers for your head that keep you warm and protected (I am always cold). I like to think of millinery work as labor it takes me 14 hours to get a hat from a ball of yarn using knitting, crochet, wet felting, dry felting, embroidery, ect.....That does not include the "idea time" it takes for me to figure out how to accomplish what I want or the MANY failed attempts at felting due to the fickle nature of the process.Each hat has it's own personality and flair, some are shocking, others sweet and all on some level enchanting; Just like the beautiful women who inspired them. I use hats to represent women because of their similarities, they are versatile, they change their role as the situation changes they both beautify and protect.
I consider art an intimate peek into the mind of another person, a visual conversation that either inspires or confuses but none the less communicates to me about the person who created the piece. My hats not only convey something about myself but they "speak" about the people who wear them, not to mention they always cause a stir! Just in case you were wondering now you know "What's On Her Mind".
