let the holidays begin!

autumn texture

It’s Thanksgiving eve and I must say that my heart is overflowing with gratitude.  I’ve learned so much in the past year, and experienced so much patience, kindness and support, that I feel like the most fortunate gal in the world!  I can only hope that I gave as good as I got, and this next year I hope to do even better.  Tomorrow I’ll spend some time updating my gratitude list, and brainstorming ways to pass along the goodness.  Besides that, we’ll be having a quiet day, cooking at home, making holiday cards, and going for our first skate of the year.  

If you are looking for a little holiday diversion, may I suggest TED Talks?  I just love this site and have been so inspired by so many of the speakers.  Whenever I need a little pick-me-up, they always deliver. Yesterday I watched the ever-entertaining Isaac Mizrahi talk about fashion, passion and creativity. Hilarious and definitely worth watching!

I’ve been lucky enough to have several kind mentions about my work in blog-land this week, including one from the incredibly talented Mrs. French over at Bliss, and a blush-inducing review from the lovely Celia over at Sicka Than Average.  Enormous thanks to both of them!  And please know that I am eternally grateful to all of you who have taken the time to stop by and read, comment, view my work and support my little business.

I hope your holiday is everything you wish for and more!

happy weekend!

 

Two beautiful movies:

My Best Friend (French, 2006)

The Italian (Russian, 2005)

I hope your weekend is a lovely one!

 

where I work

Good morning and welcome to my studio!  My studio is the spare bedroom of our two-bedroom apartment where I live with my husband in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, NYC.  It is in the back of the apartment, with two windows overlooking the “courtyard” (a nice way of saying that I can look into my neighbors’ apartments across the entranceway – I always wave!).  It’s small, (about 10′ x 12′), quiet, warm and gets a bit of sunlight for a few hours a day – my little slice of heaven.

The door with the “hats” decal on it is the entrance door; the other two doors are to two shallow closets, which are perfect for me.  In the left one hangs all of my patterns, and in the right closet are shelves with bolts of fabric.  The decals are left over from a tradeshow that I did a while ago – I found them recently during a clearout and thought I’d put them to good use.  The shelves in between the closets house lots of my reference books, as well as stacks of tissue paper and hatboxes for packaging finished hats.  Behind the “hats” door is my little packing area with a small table, and stacks of shipping boxes.  

A bit of my work table in the foreground, and my iron which sits on an ironing board just in front of it.  This is where I do all of my pattern drafting and fabric cutting.  I use all the mirrors when I’m designing and need to check a hat from different angles on myself.  In the corner are more bolts of fabric and rolls of pattern paper and oaktag; fancy hat and wig carriers; and on the shelves are vintage hat blocks and display heads. 

My little workhorse of a sewing machine where I sit for many hours.  From that vantage point I can gaze out the window, or watch a movie on my computer while I do my handsewing.  To the right in the picture are shelves with lots of supplies; and in the corner is my little photo snapping area.  The boxes stacked up on top of the shelves contain my inventory and samples – the stars are post-its that list what’s in each box.  The photo strip hanging between the windows, just over my sewing machine, is of my grandmother and my father in about 1930 when he was about 3 years old, taken in a photo booth in Atlantic City.  My grandmother is elegant as always, wearing a beautiful cloche.  I love that they watch over me as I work. Here’s a close-up:

The last picture is my desk and inspiration board above it.  The desk is just a frosted glass tabletop that I got on clearance at Ikea for $9.99, and it sits atop two red file cabinets.  Perfect size and height.  My inspiration board is separated into four sections, one for a calendar, and then a section each for spring/summer, fall, and winter/holiday.  I used to change out the whole thing regularly, but then was always coming across things or ideas that I wanted to hold on to and explore for a different season than what I was currently working on, so I broke it up this way.  It also helps me to see themes or arcs for the entire year.

I’ve got post-its all around my computer with reminders, positive messages, my UPS guy’s cell #, etc.  The “sassy” sign is a gift from a dear friend and acts as a prop for little gifts and finds that remind me of dear ones and lovely times.  Add a cup of tea, a little music or NPR, and let the fun begin!

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit!  I hope your day is happy and peaceful…

hello there

 

winter

And how are you?  I know it it’s been days and days since I’ve written but I’m here, keepin’ on keepin’ on. Feeling very quiet.  Life seems to have sped up and slowed down, all at the same time.  Does it seem that way to you?  I’ve been sticking pretty close to home, head down, working away.  Experimenting really, with how I work.  It’s a fun adventure and I’m so grateful for the time and space that I have right now.  Money is tight and sales are slow, but that’s to be expected.  It’s fine really and quite freeing, in it’s own way.  The extra time has allowed me to focus on designing and trying things that may lead me somewhere wonderful or nowhere at all. Just joyful creating. And we’re staying in NYC for the time being.  Bruce has decided to not continue with the new job in Vermont.  It just wasn’t the right fit, and though it’s not the best of times to turn down financial security, it’s always the right time to follow your instincts and I’m proud of him for that.  I think we’ll end up in Vermont eventually as we do love it there, but we want to go with full and happy hearts.

So in between working, I’m making holiday cards and gifts and I have a couple of loved ones with birthdays this time of year too.  My friend Mark’s birthday was yesterday, and the image above is from the book I gave him to celebrate.  Mark is a very talented musician and the book was an old children’s songbook, published in 1900.  All the songs are about nature and how to care for it – very au courant – and there are lovely illustrations throughout.  So beautiful, and I think Mark really liked it. 

Beginning tomorrow, I thought I’d share more of my process, both designing and making.  I’ll start with some pictures of my little studio, where I’ve been spending so much time.  Until then, I’ve been making weekly shop updates and there are a few new hats there, including more Fedorables, for which I’ve had some requests.

Be well, stay warm, and thanks for stopping by.

I should take breaks more often

Wow! Since my little break, the Phillies won the World Series, Obama won the White House, the Democrats won the House and Senate, and a big-name editor called me asking for samples.  Yippee!!  I hope everyone had a great fortnight as well.  I must say, I’m just now recovering from all of the excitement!

In the meantime, I’ve done a little updating to the shops, adding a few new hats & fabrics, as well as a new style, the “Confidante”. My idea for Confidante was to create something that would look great any day of the week, and be the perfect hat to take while traveling.  So I designed a combination of a sleek little skullcap and an asymmetrical cloche.  What do you think of her?  Here are a few pictures:

 

confidante in wool

 

confidante in wool

 

confidante in wool

 

confidante in wool

 

confidante in wool

available here, here and here

Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you!  I’m participating in Indie Fixx’s Holiday Galleria from now through January 5.  There are lots of great designers showcasing beautiful work, so it’s definitely worth checking out for your holiday shopping!

taking a little break

 

sheep in the cotswolds

Today I’m off to the wilds of Manhattan for supply sourcing and to fill up on art.  A few of my stops will be:

art in odd places

ny art book fair

chanel mobile art

I’ll be taking a little blogging break next week to finish up a couple of projects and complete my holiday collection.  Have a fantastic week!

yoga and hat of the day: 10

 

my yoga mat awaits

Now that I am solely self-employed, and I work from my home, I have to be very disciplined about taking breaks, using my time effectively, and especially, making sure I get some daily exercise.  Running used to be my very favorite way of working out, but since I was injured a year ago while training for a marathon, I haven’t fully recovered and I’ve just never been able to get back into a regular rhythm with it.  Money is tight, so I don’t want to join a gym and even some of the yoga classes in my area have become cost-prohibitive for me right now.  So I was very happy to find Yoga Today.  Have you heard of it?  They have a great website where you can stream dozens of one-hour classes, at all different skill levels, and it is completely FREE.  I’ve been “taking” classes 4 or 5 times a week and am loving it!  I especially like that I can do it at any time of day, and I can choose whatever class is right for how my body is feeling at any given time.  I highly recommend it.

The other thing I have been making a point to do is to get out and take a long walk every day.  Today is a gorgeous fall day, sunny and in the high 40’s. I’m headed over to Astoria Park to collect some leaves and I’ll need to bundle up a bit as it’s on the river and can be quite windy at times.  So I think I’ll waer a cozy cream wool sweater, a heather grey merino wool scarf, and this hat, because it’s so lightweight and soft: 

Gemini in wool & silk tweed chenille

 

Gemini in wool & silk tweed chenille

 

Gemini in wool & silk tweed chenille

 

Gemini in wool & silk tweed chenille

 

Gemini in wool & silk tweed chenille

available here, here and here

Thank you for stopping by – I hope your Wednesday is lovely!

hat of the day: 7

 

 

sunday morning

 

  It is quite chilly here this morning, in the low 40’s so far.  I awoke to the sound of the heat hissing through the radiators and a flat flinty sky.  A perfect morning to bake banana bread and curl up with the crossword puzzle.  First, I’m headed out for a walk around the neighborhood and to get the paper, bundled up wearing this:

 

Dalliance in blue wool & cashmere herringbone

 

Dalliance in blue wool & cashmere herringbone

 

Dalliance in blue wool & cashmere herringbone

 

Dalliance in blue wool & cashmere herringbone

 

Dalliance in blue wool & cashmere herringbone

available here, here and here

Have a cozy Sunday!

autumn weekend

 

vermont forest, early autumn

Happy Friday! It’s raining like crazy here in New York (rain hats, must make rain hats…) so it must be autumn.  It’s chilly too, so I started the day off by making a big batch of granola.  Homemade granola has become our breakfast of choice, and I love changing it up a bit each time.   Today I added extra almonds and ginger and now the apartment smells fantastic!

It’s a good day to stay safely tucked in my studio catching up on orders and doing some planning for the next few months.   This weekend, I have a few projects I’ll be tackling, and then Bruce and I are headed to this opening, which I’m very excited about.  

Have a lovely weekend!

past the peak

 

view from the top of mount mansfield

Just stopping in to say hello and that I hope everyone is well!  We had a fantastic trip to Vermont – gorgeous weather, wonderful people and fantastic food.  On our last day there, we took the gondola to the top of Mount Mansfield, which is the highest peak in the state.  I snapped the four friends above while they enjoyed the view – looked like an old-timey postcard to me.  I’m not one for heights, but gosh it was beautiful! Fall is in full swing up there and the leaves are almost at their peak.  It was definitely worth the knee-shaking, palm-sweating trip.  Bruce of course, could not have been happier.  

Today I’m getting back in the groove and catching up on orders.  Hope you are having a lovely Thursday!