This hat was custom sewn for a woman who had been invited to a garden tour in her community. She wanted a hat fitting for the occasion, but that could also do double duty in her own garden. She chose an organic cotton print in green and cream on brown for the eye-catching side of …
Author Archives: tracyj
Cool Cotton
Like a kid in a candy store, I’m so happy shopping in a fabric store. I love browsing and exploring the array of patterns, materials and notions. Recently I visited a favourite family-run business Gala Fabrics in Victoria, B.C. I was on the hunt for cotton to sew sun-protection hats and I left not disappointed. …
Batik
Batik is the art of decorating fabric—cotton, silk, linen, rayon and hemp—using wax and dyes. The origin of batik is uncertain, but some speculate that it spread from Asia along caravan trading routes over 2,000 years ago. Batik is now found worldwide. The batiks of the pleated skirts of the Miao people tell the history …
Design and Printed Fabrics
There are many stunning printed fabrics from around the globe. In this post, I feature printed fabrics from the Finnish design house “Marimekko” and a homespun cotton printed with a traditional Japanese pattern from “Sevenberry”. When Marimekko fabrics caught my eye, I wanted to incorporate some of the large abstract prints into hats. At first, …
Spring Fling
Thought I would shake up my routine. I’m passionate about making hats, but I felt it might be fun to crochet light weight cotton scarves for spring. Although I shape or “block” most of my finished crocheted hats, the diamond mesh work in this scarf really benefited from spray blocking. I laid the scarf on …
Flat Caps
What do comic strip character Andy Capp, the late professional golfer Payne Stewart, and 1998 Canadian Winter Olympic athletes have in common? All have been seen doffing and donning a flat cap. The flat cap is a round-shaped cap where the crown is pulled forward and attached to a stiff visor or bill with a …
Men in Hats
Men began wearing hats in earnest as a symbol of style and protection against the elements with the advent of organized sport. As early as 1807, a dress code was established at horse races and polo tournaments for attendees at the royal enclosure at the Royal Ascot in Britain. To this day, a black or …
Men’s Classic Beanie
I received a request for “a man’s black toque with a roll-up cuff”. This gave me latitude to try out a new technique. I took my lead from a design for a classic beanie by rich textures CROCHET. Rather than working top down or bottom up, the hat is constructed crocheting sideways. The finished panel …
Pretty in Pink
Is pink reserved for baby girls, Barbie dolls, Valentine’s Day and young women in romantic comedies from the 1980s? Not exclusively. A pink ribbon affixed with a pin has become the symbol for breast cancer, raising awareness for women battling the disease. Consider Pink Shirt Day. In Canada, the last Wednesday of February is recognized …
Scarlet Stockinette
I was lucky to be gifted many balls of yarn, knitting needles, patterns and supplies by Susan, a fellow crafter. A pattern for a cute hat simply knit in stockinette stitch caught my eye. As a novice knitter, I thought it would be a good first hat to knit with the super bulky merino wool and …
Hats by Tracy J 