Sinamay Lilies

I have been working with manipulating my own Sinamay this week. Today I have been testing out making curved Calla Lilies.

Sinamay is great to work with like this because it is soft & flexible, but it also hold shapes & twists and turns into interesting forms.

They’re not finished yet, but you can see how the shape is holding up.

I have used a curled green biot goose feather as a stamen in the large one.

I think as well as using them on my hats I will sell them individually in my supply store too.

The small collection of hat blocks I have amassed just this month

I already have several, but this month there seemed to be loads of hat blocks floating around eBay and Etsy at really low prices. Of these I managed to get my hands on 4 – shhhhh!

Left – 22” flat sided with asymmetric crown dome.
Centre back - 24” regular crown dome.
Centre front – 6” mini beret.
Right – Large beret. (this one arrived just this morning)

Cant wait to get working with them.

The mini beret turns out great -

And right now I’m working on the flat sided one after blocking a buckram base from it.

Help! I Have Nothing to Wear! The Woes of a Handmade Wedding Guest.

1. Ruffles Collection Blue Rose $75 www.liddesignsboutique.etsy.com
2. Big Yellow Silk Bow Aliceband $24 www.liddesignsboutique.etsy.com
3. Pink & White Hoola Girl - Large Kanzashi Hibiscus Silk Hair Corsage $28 www.liddesignsboutique.etsy.com
4. Retro 1940s Pink Rhinestone Encrusted Mini Beret $55 www.liddesignsboutique.etsy.com
5. Starburst Silk Mini Hat $78 www.liddesignsboutique.etsy.com
6. Butterfly Catchers Dream Silk Mini Hat $78 www.liddesignsboutique.etsy.com
7. Pleated Jade Evening Pouch $24 www.liddesignsboutique.etsy.com
8. Yellow Hoola Girl - Large Kanzashi Hibiscus Silk Hair Corsage $26 www.liddesignsboutique.etsy.com
Now, what are you complaining about! Go get dressed you're gonna be late!

Winter Mini Beret Collection

My new hat block and steamer.

A few weeks ago I bought my first proper wooden hat block. I got it from ebay and it took ages to arrive! But it was well worth it. Next mission was to find something to steam the buckram with. I hit upon those handheld steam cleaners that look like a coffee jug, but for what I wanted it for they can be pretty expensive. So whilst looking on the Bed, Bath & Beyond website for other things I came across one for $20 and instead of the pointed nozzle it had a wide flat 'beek'. The first 'experiment' has gone really well. The wide nozzle means that more buckram is hit in one go, and it also helps to 'smooth' the fabric down which helps to eradicate scolded fingers. Take alook at the pictures.

Black Widow Grosgrain Rosette Hat

Grosgrain rosette on a sinamay base with rhinestone detail and veil.
Available from my Etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16478455
$68 + s&h

Jade Green Wedding Hat

Jade green 100% Silk Dupion hat with large AB sew on rhinestones in a starburst, with teardrop pearls on wire tail and scattered self coloured sequins.

Vacation problem solving

So I've been away on holiday for the past few weeks, Cyprus for a friends wedding. Whilst away I made a hat for the wedding, I managed to sew on a British Airways plane with out any problems, although sharps aren't allowed in your hand luggage. I took pre cut lengths of thread with me so that I didnt have to take scissors on with me and risk having them confiscated! I'd already covered the base with silk and was stitching on big AB rhinestones in a star burst.
I didnt dare take on my crochet hooks as they are metal and would probably have been taken off me at security.
I didnt have much time to 'make' as we were really busy for most of the 2 weeks, but I did get the hat finished (with minutes to spare!) And I crocheted a 100% wool mini beret and top hat. I think I may have cracked the problem I was having before I went away (see my last blog entry). Im going to try this pattern in the bamboo yarn and see how it turns out later this week:
-chain 4, join, 1 chain.
-dc 8 times round ring, join, 1 chain.
-dc 2 in each stitch, join, 1 chain.
-dc in join st, *dc 1 in nxt st, dc 2 in nxt st* repeat between stars until end, join, 1 chain.
-dc in join st, *dc 1 in nxt st, dc 1 in nxt st, dc 2 in nxt st* repeat between stars until end, join, 1 chain.
-**dc in join st, *dc 1 in nxt st, dc 1 in nxt st, dc 1 in nxt st, dc 2 in nxt st* repeat between single stars until end, join, 1 chain.
- repeat ** row
-repeat ** row
- 1 dc in each st, end.
Whilst doing my holiday washing (there was sooo much!) I washed the mini beret on a hot wash, and it didnt shrink or felt at all! I have done this process several times before with ideal results, but never in this machine, I washed it on 3 different hot wash cycles with no joy, so Im not very happy now.

Working out how to crochet a mini hat...I'm stuck!

Ok, so today Im trying to figure out how to crochet a mini hat base, similar to the sinamay ones I've used before. Approx 11cm across with a light dome to the centre. I've either gotten too much of a dome too early and therefore it would stick out of the side of the head too far, or the dome starts off gently like I want it to, but then the edge seems to turn up and the piece between the crown centre and the edge dips down. I need to find that happy medium. I've been making it out of Bamboo yarn which can ctreate quite a nice stiff fabric. (Note to self: Get it in Black!) For the Domey version Ive been chaining 3, making a ring, dc x 10 in ring, 2 x dc in each st of nxt row, then do a 2nd dc in join st, then 1 x dc in each of nxt 4 st's, then 2 x dc in 5th st, repeat round ring, then on each row after add 1 to the single dc's ( so the next row has 5, then the next 6 etc, etc). The Turned Up one starts the same as the Domey one, then from the 3rd row I did, 2nd dc in join st, 1 x dc in nxt st, 2 x dc in nxt st, and repeat this all the was round, and then repeat on the next row, then the next etc. Hmmmm will keep on with differing combinations. There has to be one out there! I want to eventually make a mini beret but for now I want little capel style to wear on the side of the head like the 'Cool Girl' from Fridays 'Spot' embellished with self coloured sequins or rhinestones.
Lovesxxx

Cool Person in a Hat Spot

Today while I was walking down Broome St, SoHo, NYC. I spotted a girl ahead of me, all in black and not a goth, with a cute little black beaded mini hat perched on the side of her head. It looked great with her fine blonde hair scrapped back in a knotty little bun just above the nape of her neck. Great way to cover up a bad hair day! Didnt get close enough to get a good look, but she looked cool from far!

Why I decided to start this blog.....

Well I really want to write a book, but I dont know where to start and I dont think I have enough information to fill one yet! So if I start writing this then I'll have an 'archive' of what I know, and hopefully I will impart some knowledge and plenty of hints and tips and techniques on 'How To' make stuff!
I am a fully qualified Fashion Designer. I have my own label - LiD Designs. I am currently specializing in Millinery and am self teaching myself millinery techniques, so as I learn I can share with you the hits (and the misses!)
I also make bags and jewellery, I love to knit and crochet and felt. I get easily distracted when I see a new technique I want to try (Ive dabbled on so many different things over the last two weeks that I have a load of little piles of half started projects scattered around the room!).
I like to make a fabric from scratch and then manipulate it into an item or garment, its far more satisfying that way!
If anyone wants to know how to do something that perhaps I havent blogged about, please feel free to comment, requesting a tutorial on the subject. I may not know how to do it (yet), but I can probably find out and then we can all learn together!
Ok enough from me now, let me get on and make something!(Or should that be finish off something out of the pile)
Loves!xx