My Fabulous Hat!

Gaya Island, Sabah

I was recently inspired by the hat-making adventures of Savage Coco (here and here) to embark on my own foray into millinering (is that a word?). And what better occasion for a new hat than an impending holiday to Borneo?

Upon consultation with Coco, I was informed that I should use Vogue 7600 in 'fat-headed diva' size. I chose view B, for maximum sun coverage.

 After pondering my stash at length, I decided upon this brown lace for the hat. I had bought it as a $2 remnant from Textile Traders, so nothing lost if I didn't like it. The brim is made from a double layer of my thickest interfacing, which I heat-fused together. I sewed the lace directly to the interfacing brim so the white showed through the lace. The crown is lined with white cotton fabric to match the white of the interfacing. The join of the crown and brim is neatened with a wide ribbon, which doubles as an adjustable elastic casing.

The hat was straightforward and enjoyable to make, although the rows of stitching around the brim (1cm apart) took a lot longer than expected. The interfaced brim holds well when folded up around the outer edge as shown, but did tend to droop a bit with wear (and water - explained later), requiring adjustment. I would probably add a third layer of interfacing next time. The hat also folded neatly into quarters for storing in a bag without damage, which was very handy for travel.

The verdict: I love this hat. I really like the uniqueness of the lace and the brim provides wonderful sun coverage. My sons, however, were less than complimentary about it. To cause them maximum embarrassment (isn't that what mums are for?), I began referring to it as 'my fabulous hat' and made sure I strutted about in it at every opportunity. I was doing just this on our first day in Kota Kinabalu, when the brim drooped and I walked headlong into a small and dainty local lady. LJ, aged 11, practically wet his pants at this and brought it up every half hour for the rest of the holiday for renewed hilarity.

Shortly after the collision incident - Kota Kinabalu waterfront markets

A few days after that we headed up Mount Kinabalu for the day. Unfortunately it rained, but my fabulous hat provided splendid shelter for the five of us (my mum came on holiday too). Eventually though, the torrential downpour proved even too much for the fabulous hat. All were downcast at the hat's demise, except my mum who's $2 plastic bag raincoat kept her drier than any of our hi-tech raingear!

I'm happy to report that the hat is now restored to its former glory after a quick dry on the clothesline. I wonder what adventures I will have in it next!