Fascinator LEVEL UP! | Week 28 | #52wonderfilledweeks

Calgon take me away...that's the kind of day it's been.  And wouldn't you know that I showed you all a sneak peak at a BONUS project earlier tonight and of course we had a failure at the very end so I can't show you it and even worse we can't use it yet...and we REALLY need to be able to use this with the four year old like ASAP.  Hopefully next week...

I did manage to make my main challenge project this week and it turned out awesome but not without its own set of problems...I had the seam ripper out more than I care to admit but it was so worth it in the end.  So for week 28 I give you Patterns for Pirates Set Sail Hat!!! This is a FREE pattern and comes in sizes for the kiddos all the way up thru adults and has several different brim sizes.  I did the largest brim size at 7".  I have wanted to learn how to make hats, like haberdashery hats, for years.  This  made me feel all sorts of leveling up... after this project I am on the lookout for an opportunity to make a new, over the top, hat for a special occasion.  If you know of one let me in on it, HA!

I know the fourth was last week but I had these two cotton woven prints just burning a hole in my stash (for a few years) and thought it would be perfect to try out the pattern with.  I was unsure about the stripes but in the end that was my favorite part!

The pattern is pretty basic.  You have a three piece cap (center and two sides) and a full circle brim, just like a full circle skirt.  And you do all the twice since this hat is fully lined and therefore completely reversible.  Interfacing is a must.  I used Pellon 809 per the instructions.  I'll address the "flop" factor at the end.

At every step I would think, "this is the hardest part"...until the next step! Ironing the seams to the cap was certainly challenging.  I ended up having to iron the seams on the edge of the ironing board.  What a pain! So I think I've added a pressing ham to my project list.

When I put the two hats together they didn't exactly match up around the brim so I had to do some trimming. 

I opted to do a spiral top stitch on my brim instead of the repetitive circles.  I didn't want to deal with starting and stopping and the possible mess that could look like.  My spiral was about 1/4" and it took forever to work my way from the outside in.  Once I got to the cap I wasn't paying attention and accidentally caught the under layer (stripes) of the cap in my top stitching of the brim...ugh..out came the seam ripper.  I ended up pinning the cap together near the brim to keep from doing the same thing a second time. Thankfully Bubba slept thru the whole ordeal and I was still able to finish the hat during his nap.  He seemed to be just as excited as I was to have it finished!

     

This is a great beach hat with the 7" brim but even with the double layer of interfacing it still flops quite a bit.  I was hopeful that I could use this hat on my walks when I take P to school/camp to keep the sun off my face and neck but it's so floppy I feel completely unaware of my surroundings.  However, if you're reading a book at the beach it would be perfect.  I am going to whip up another one but with the medium, 4"brim width and see if that doesn't work better for my walks and gardening. My mind is also racing with ideas on how to really level up my fascinator game...wire in the brim, fold and tack points to create depth and texture...oh this isn't the last hat post from me for sure... I also plan on making Bubba one that fits his head but is the full 7" brim because he really likes walking around the house with stuff on his head for some reason...it's like we're living with Cousin It! 

Look at that stripe matching!!

I'm all set for July 4th, 2019!

Oh did I mention that this is fully reversible? Go get the FREE pattern right now!

____________________________________________________________________

BONUS PROJECT:

Have I mentioned that the 4 year old loves a good project? Now I thought that going to camp and playing outside in 90 degree weather and 80% humidity would tire her out...well it doesn't apparently! So anytime I hit JoAnn's or Michaels I try and check out their little project kits for kids.  I don't go to either of these stores very often now that I buy the majority of my fabric online BUT I had to get the interfacing for my hat and when I did I stumbled across these paint kits in the 50% section.  I will pick these up usually around the holidays but at 75 cents a piece I grabbed a handful of them.  

Here's one we haven't used yet.  They come with three paint tubs and a brush.  Super simple.  Unfortunately it takes her about 10 minutes, if we're lucky, to finish...meanwhile I can stretch it out a good half hour since I actually try and paint in the lines...but I digress.  Since they had pirate day at camp this week we did the pirate themed ones first and when we needed some down time today we sat down with Super (aka Daddy) and painted the other three.  The brushes they provide are kind of crappy but I have discovered a few tips if you're into these types of projects.  First, when you're done with one of these don't toss the brush.  The paint cleans up really easy and quick with some hand soap and water. Save the brush for the next time so you can have a brush for each color! It's one of my pet peeves when paint get's mixed.  We had 5 brushes today and didn't have to mix paint at all. Each color had it's own brush.  Secondly you can paint over the black lines and just use a sharpie to re draw the lines when the paint is dry! I don't know why I never thought of this until this week but boy does it make a difference.  Third, don't just display for a week and toss! Put those puppies to work for you! You know how I like my green tips, so here's one to use with these little projects.  You know the magnets in the shower curtain liners? When it comes time to change out your liner cut those magnets out and save them.  I've been doing this for years and have a whole collection of them.  You really have no idea when they will come in handy.  (DO make sure you store them away from curious kids though as they are extremely harmful if swallowed.) I used some of my magnet stash on the backs of our freshly created pieces of art and have some new fridge magnets now! How perfect is that?!?! These would also be perfect little mementos to make for grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc. I am more apt to buy and use little projects like this if I know it will get some use (and smiles) out of it for longer than a few hours.

P's popsicle and pirate ship, Wonder's pirate and cupcake and Super's awesome dino (we're looking for a googly eye to add to him)!

I used two magnets per piece since the magnets in the shower liners are not that strong.  Plus since these wood pieces are so large I didn't want them to fall or tilt funny with just one magnet on them.

Seriously, how stinkin' cute and functional are these?