We have survived the shortest day and 2020 let’s get focused on brighter tomorrows. The winter months can be a huge challenge, but as with all trials they are only meaningful if we learn from them! I kept my spirits and energy from plummeting by going for long walks during the first lockdown. It seems harder than ever to get the motivation to leave my fireside at the moment but to quote the amazing Billy Connelly ‘Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn’t try it on‘ or more pertinently ‘there is no such thing as bad weather just inappropriate clothing.’ For me that means a warm coat, a silk scarf and a silk lined hat!
Don’t judge me, (no I don’t have a wearable tea cosy, I don’t own a tea cosy...yet...i may yet bring out a line of glamourous tea cosies...but don’t hold your breath). If I go for an evening walk I wear a beanie with an inbuilt torch, I am clumsy and my favourite walk is ambushed with tree roots. I regret it every time as my hair is nightmare of static frizz when I return. I prefer either of my two self made hats, a silk lined fiddlers cap or a large felt hat.
We used to joke in fashion that the colours stay the same every season but the names just change, ecru became pale calico that then morphed into putty the following season. So fiddlers caps are now much more on trend if they are called Captain’s hats. Either way, I make mine from cashmere, line them in silk and they don’t fly off at the first sign of wind and are kind to my hair.
My large felt hat is being ably modelled by my son in this picture, it is large on me but not that large! One of the benefits of a hat is that it covers your hair. If Juliet Roberts admires them saying ‘I enjoy hats. And when one has filthy hair, that is a good accessory.’ who am I to argue? The benefit of the large felt hat is you can throw it on no matter how you have styled (or failled to style) your hair, it goes over scruffy ponytails and topnots and nobody needs to be any the wiser.
I get many queries about making large hats (or small hats) as most stores cater for just one size, making hats from scratch that just is not an issue as I make to my customer‘s specifications.
The final photo is in the frame as after wearing the fiddler cap daily in the winter did a few years jam yearning a beautiful Linton tweed baker boy. I sold my favourite before Christmas but I a length of black tweed enlivened with bright highlights.
If you want me to make something just for you, let me know any we can work on a design together!