OK, it's been an age since I posted here, and I never got round to writing up part two of the written work (I will add it at some point, but I got side tracked).  I had already fulfilled my brief anyway, as I was supposed to write a minimum of 1500 words.

And the good new is I got a distinction for the Summer Collection brief, so yay!!

In the last six weeks or so we've done another brief - cut and sew hats - or sewn hats from flat patterns.  I'll add some pictures of those that aren't brilliant.  I handed in last week, so when I get them back I'll take some better pics!

We were given patterns for this brief - a bucket hat, and a sort of shaped beret from a pattern by Stephen Jones.  The brief was to make up a toile for each hat, and to create a final hat.  In both cases I messed about with the patterns a bit - much more with the Stephen Jones one - to the point where it's barely the same pattern.
There's a bit of a British influence to both these hats - the tweed and suede of the first, and the definite Union flag influence of the second (well, the brief crossed over Jubilee weekend!).  I think I took the Britishness in by a sort of osmosis, because it was everywhere you looked.

 


In the meantime in non-college hats (i.e. ones not made for college briefs), I made this one:

Made for an English Heritage manager, it's a derby (or high crowned bowler), in a wool felt, and traditionally trimmed with petersham.

I'm also in the middle of making a Victorian stovepipe top hat, based on the ones worn in the Gangs of New York.  And I've just ordered materials to make some more hats!

College-wise, we're just about done for this year - tomorrow is our last day (oh, no, what will I do??), and we're going to be looking at the end of year shows.

That said, there's a competition I'm making a hat for (if I have the time), through college.

More when I have more hats to write about!