I mentioned this in my last blog post. If you follow me anywhere, you have already seen a picture of this hat, but I said I wanted to take some detail pictures.
I have been fascinated by bowlers since I was a child. Although I did watch Laurel and Hardy, I think I really noticed them when I first saw The Avengers. I loved Emma Peel's incredible outfits, but loved Mr. Steed's classy and elegant suits, complemented by his bowlers, brollies, and shoes, just as much.
In 1999, on a visit to California, we went to a huge fleamarket. It's amazing how just thinking about it brings back memories of individual stands and the layout and even individual pieces (I still miss the fantastic tie-dye shirt I bought there and wore until it fell apart).
I can even see the table before my inner eye on which I saw the vintage bowler. It was love at first sight, I just had to have it and didn't even try to haggle. A few stands down, a seller admired it and asked me where I got it. I was so proud of it.
Granted, I haven't worn it often because it's a bit hard with my long hair, my hats tend to ride up in the back where the hair is caught between collars and the hat rims, but it makes me smile just to look at it. Shortly afterwards I got myself a ladies' bowler at an antique shop. I have pictures of both hats here if you want to have a look.
Beaded hat rims hadn't been new to me for a while, there were friends who made them and who also made bead loomed hatbands and beaded embellishments for hats, but although it had always been on my list, I was always too lazy to get a hat and work out a pattern (my bowler is taboo for such shenanigans ;-)).
Then one fine day I spontaneously ordered a bowler off eBay that was a good price, not top quality at the price of course, but also no fancy dress party hat, was quite big (planning to put the hair underneath, but haven't quite worked it out yet, also because I'm growing my bangs out which have been at a very awkward length for months) and had no lining which was perfect for me as I wanted to put embellishments on it although at the time I wasn't sure yet what.
I started on the bowler just as spontaneously (two years after I bought it, lol), putting my seed bead boxes next to me and (quite) randomly choosing from my colors to make a very colorful, very happy looking rim. I wish I could say how much fun it was doing that, but to be honest, as much as I love the result, it pretty much bored me to tears. I doubt it's something I want to repeat anytime soon.
Next I took a break in order to decide what to put on the hat. That's when I made the butterfly pendant with my friend Michelle's fabric design and immediately I thought of the bowler. Make it even happier and more colorful and put butterflies on it!
My first plan was to bead embroider butterflies and make them fly around the hat in a spiral, but then I decided to bead the wings seperately - although I know that wing patterns are different on the front and back, and this would mean, patterns are the same front and back - because I wanted them to look light while for the pendant I had wanted something sturdier. Then I would bead the bodies, sew on the wings, stiffen them in different positions, but not too much, and sew the butterflies to the hat.
As you can see, there's no spiral. I just couldn't stop myself and kept making new patterns, a few after real butterflies, but most with fantasy patterns. I seem to have a problem with empty space (which is confirmed by my walls)? There was even a short moment I thought of adding flowers, but it was really just a moment.
After working on it a few weeks and making 13 butterflies in very different colors, I told myself it was enough. Yes, even if there are two spaces that to me scream for more wings, but enough is enough.
Another long post, sorry, but it was a long project.
Now where are the detail pictures?
I don't have any. I tried it in the garden, in the light tent, inside in daylight, but the variety of beads I used either puts a glare on one wing or one wing is blurry. I gave up for now, but if I ever manage, I'll make a page for it.
What I do have are some pictures in the garden, so you can at least see more than one side.
