Sunday 19 July 2015

Girl's Sassy Clothes - Hat "q"

What are kids like, hey? No sooner has my daughter outgrown something that she had previously refused to wear, and suddenly she loves it?! I'd made Hat "q" twice before (here and here in Flickr) and she was all over the brown wool version recently but it was too small.

I quickly got approval to make another, and yep, it could match her recent coat. When you get that kind of affirmation, you don't hang around, you get sewing!


Yes - that is lipstick. A recent gift that she loves from my MIL and I'm only allowed to remove that which is all over her face, not ANY from her lips. Sigh.

The hat comes from Girl's Sassy Clothes by Yuki Araki which is one of my very well used Japanese pattern books. This is one that I could happily make everything in the book. The hat comes in 3 sizes, 50cm, 52cm and 54cm. The first two I made were size 50cm. I measured her head at 52cm exactly but decided to go up to the 54cm size to avoid it being too small.

Looking back it was two years ago yesterday that I tried to photograph her wearing the first hat. Note the small food bribe and the hand poised ready to rip the hat off any second:


That picture reminds me that I have two cuts of flannelette fabric set aside for more winter versions of the Oliver + S Music Class Blouse. Mentally added to the very long list of things I want to make.


The brim is a really sweet shape with this narrow brim at the back and a lovely face shading width at the front. The brim pieces are cut on the bias and somehow this hat comes together so much more easily than others I've sewn.

The lining is an identical, non interfaced version of the main hat. Both are constructed and then sewn together at the brim leaving a 2 inch gap to turn it all right side out before edgestitching the brim. This is a nice way to sew a lined hat without having to do any handstitching.


I kept it simple on the side this time and just used a little bias tube of the same fabric to cover the join in the band.

Take note: the band pieces are too short to overlap properly. I added the correct seam allowance, but the pattern shows you turning the ends of one piece in, then tucking the other inside the tube of the first. Simply not possible. These only just meet and overlap enough to be stitched. Need to add at least another 1cm to each side in order for a prettier finish.

I should get around to hand stitching the band to the crown to prevent it sliding up like it has above, but also to thwart my daughter in her attempts to remove and lose the band.


So there's my happy hat model and happy hat news.

The sad hat news is that P's Straw Boater, which I had just entered in the Royal Show (for fun!) has had a hole chewed in it by the small furry monster (aka kitten) that is living with us temporarily. I had some leftover straw braid and thought for a moment I could redo the crown and save it, but on closer inspection he has chewed where the crown meets the lid and damaged both parts. It can be patched for wearing but it's not show worthy.

I shall have my revenge as I'm taking him in to work with me next week and will extract my pound of flesh! (so to speak, I imagine they'll only be about 2grams each, not nearly a pound!) :)

18 comments:

  1. OH MY!! Isn't she stylish?!?! That hat just ties the outfit together...

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    1. Thank you. I did wonder if matching the hat with the coat wasn't a bit too much. Maybe, but I like it anyway!

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  2. She is adorable! My girls always beg to wear my lipstick even though I rarely wear it myself except on the occasional date night! They also love my lip glosses which are currently all lost due to Hazel raiding my purse!
    The hat is darling. I can't believe how much she has grown up in 2 years. The changes are enormous! I am really seeing it with Iris now too!

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    1. I'm only a once or twice a year lipstick wearer so her fascination doesn't come from watching me!
      It is amazing when you look back. Other people's kids seem to grow so quickly but mine it seems imperceptible.

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  3. The lipstick! My two year old has become obsessed. It's lip gloss by day and chapstick at night. As she drifts off to sleep, she'll lose her grip on the chapstick and then startle herself awake trying to find it again. I hope the obsession isn't long term - we all need more rest.

    That hat is so sophisticated! You make me want to get the book, but I might try to fiddle with the O+S bucket hat (changing the width and flare of the brim). Hmm...

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    1. I think you could make it work with the bucket hat pattern.
      Wow, that sounds like a chapstick as substitute for dummy/pacifier! Sounds like she needs a bedside table and a gentle reminder of where a lady keeps her night things :) good luck!

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  4. Oh my goodness - she looks so chic in her matching coat and hat! Adorable! Sad to hear about the straw boater - hopefully the kitten will think twice about crossing you again;-) Sometimes I think it would be nice to get a kitten (we recently met a little orange tabby named Freddy who had mischief written all over his cute little face), but then think about the reality of introducing one more agent of chaos into the house...

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    1. Oh the chaos is certainly amplified with as kitten! He does have his moments of being hilariously cute though...
      Thanks for the hat love.

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  5. I'm speechless to see your impeccable sewing, Shelley! Love the hat, coat and little model :). I have the coat's pattern but haven't made anything from that book...my procrastination habit :)

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    1. Gosh thank you! It's a lovely pattern book. I hope you'll delve into it one day. But then it is very pretty just to flip through....

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  6. Oh wow what a great hat/outfit! She looks so prim! We've had such a hot summer, I'm already dreaming of the need for cozy layers.

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    1. Isn't that always the way with the seasons. The extremes are just too much!
      Your Em would rock this style!

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  7. Oof!! SUPER CUTE hat! :)
    The fickle tastebuds you speak of reminds me of the 'gotta taste it up to 10 times before they'll like it' food philosophy. Even for something challenging, it's usually worked by the 4th (often surreptitious) tasting for my Tot & then it's home sweet home for continued tasty banquets. ...Not sure about the literal parallel here. ...then again.... ;)

    PS I've been lurking here a while (after noticing you kept popping up in other sewing bloggers' comments. Haha) & am reading back posts of your blog. LOVE a good read, & loving the sewing inspiration even better. :D Thanks.

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    1. Thanks Renae! And double thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I really appreciate it (in that dangerous blogging narcissistic way! :) )

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  8. Yes, my box of outgrown handmade clothes contains a few items that my little fussy girl did not like until they got too small! Glad to hear your daughter was happy with this hat, because it is oh so cute! Love how it matches her coat. I had a look at a few images from the book you mentioned and I now think I must have it! On a side note... Naughty kitty!!

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    1. Jenya it's a fabulous book. Go for it. Lots of cute inspiration for your cold winter locale!

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  9. Darling hat and coat ensemble! I must look for that book!

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    1. Thanks Karen! I'm really loving the fit and styling of some Japanese pattern books. This one is a gem.

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