January's Hat: Snow

Those glist'ning houses that seem to be built of snow
Snow
Oh, to see a mountain covered with a quilt of snow
the song "Snow" from White Christmas (movie)

This photo won 3rd place in the local county fair in the category "Shadows."

I was so happy to have no interruptions for the first day when my daughter resumed school after the winter break, I made my January hat. My inspiration, though it's been scarce this season so far, was snow.

It didn't start out that way; it started out as another practice hat. I had tried the video tutorial for making the pillbox hat and it didn't work. I'm betting operator error, but it looked like she was using felt to make the one in the vid, and since it's naturally more structural, she didn't use any interfacing or lining. I lined mine, but without interfacing or some kind of stiffening going on, my pillbox is too soft to hold its shape. Also, her instructions were not all that clear. The sides of the hat have a bit of a peak; the center of the band is taller than the back of the band, but she doesn't say which side to sew the crown to, and I didn't mark it (she didn't) so once it was cut and the pattern piece unpinned from it I wasn't even sure which was top and which was bottom.

I'm nearly happy with it. I think my contrast-stitching has too much contrast,
and it desperately needs something to give it some body, but it almost worked.

Anyway. I decided to modify (again!) that McCall's pattern #2692 from '86. This new hat uses the same pattern pieces as the hats I made in fleece! I reduced the pieces using Photoshop, scanning them in and reducing them 85% and printing them out. The sides were too long to scan, so I folded it at the center and marked that end of my new pattern piece "FOLD."

Scanned, desaturated, and reduced pattern pieces

I found the random polka-dot patterned dotted swiss material, saw how much of it there was, and figured I'd use that, and added medium-weight sew-in interfacing. I didn't line it. After I cut everything out, I machine-basted my fabric and interfacing pieces together. I stitched the short ends together, pressed open the seam (I didn't use her technique in the video of sewing that down). When I started pinning on the crown, it became pretty clear that reduced the same percentage or not, it was a bit too big. I ended up pinning it together from my basting stitch rather than matching the edges, and then trimming the excess and notching it as usual.

Once I got it all sewn together, I turned under the raw edge and checked the height, turned it some more, adjusting the size of the band until I was happy with it. That got stitched down twice, which gives it a little more firmness as well as securing hem. Most of the side band is now doubled fabric and interfacing, making it pretty sturdy.

Thrilled with my creation, I used matching ribbon and white tulle to make a pouf for the side (sewing the ribbon to the tulle, then gathering the opposite side), securing it with a silver and light blue button from my stash. It still needed something, so I looked to see if I had any white sequins the right size, thinking I'd sew them onto all the smaller dots on the sides. I did have, but didn't like the way they looked, but found some flat clear sequins that I used instead. Each one sewn on using two stitches of white thread... that took far longer to do than sewing the hat! I tried to keep the thread from showing where I could, going between the layers of fabric to the next dot. I could have skipped that and gone faster, but it looks nicer and the threads are not in danger of snagging and breaking.

I have not yet decided what means I will use for securing it to my head, and I'm not certain that it still doesn't need something -- it still looks kinda plain -- but I'm calling it 97% done.

To me, the white spots on an aqua field on dotted swiss looks like snow falling from a blue sky. So, my inspiration, born of a casual "eh, I'll use this," turned into something I'm really quite proud of.

back

front

left side

right side

Making it up as you go is kinda fun!

From the 7th

Nothing edited but the crop. I played with levels and saturation, but decided I liked this better. Desaturation is kinda nice, too, though...

Pre-Xmas Ice

We got some ice and sleet and freezing rain early this morning. After I cut some branches that were threatening power lines to the house, I took my camera out.

The yew outside the front door is really heavy with ice. The temp is warming up a little, so I hope some of it melts off. It's not wanting to break off, and I'd hate for it to be damaged.

My flower garden is rather pretty, even though the blooms are gone. Here's the yarrow, ice-covered:

The hyssop really grew this year, and it looks lovely with an ice glaze:

Barberries are always dramatic, but the ice is especially nice. (So long as it doesn't get any thicker!)

I saw this maple leaf stuck in the branches of one of the shrubs, and upon looking closer, saw that the leaf was actually speared by one of the thorns:

This is Ivan, my Russian Elm. I used flash on this one, because the ice was hardly visible at the distance I was shooting. You can see how grey the sky is. Those clouds are supposed to start dropping around 8 inches of snow any time now.

I love the way the ice looks, and I am grateful none of my immediate family has to go anywhere today. My husband's work declared a "snow day." The school called off. And I work from home. *sigh* Safe and snug, all of us, out of the weather.

More Snowy Images

Cattails, as my camera (Canon Rebel XTi; UV, polarizing filters) saw them:

Desaturated 50%, sepia filter 25% in Photoshop (same photo):
Total desaturation (black and white):
Same black and white photo, but with the shadows/highlights adjusted in Photoshop:

Different photo, same pond. Similar to the shot in the previous post, but that one was taken further down the road by several yards.

Desaturated 75%, sepia 35%:

Different shot of the cattails.

Desaturated (100%), sepia filter at 25% run twice:

I think I like the partial desaturation of the pond the best. The colors are soft, but not completely gone.

Beginning to Freeze

A nearby pond, just starting to freeze, the day after the first significant snowfall of the season.

First Snow of the Season

DD before school this morning, trying to catch and eat snowflakes. 

A not-great shot out the car window on the way home from yoga this afternoon. The snow has been of the wet-and-sticky variety, so the branches all look frosted. It's really beautiful.

I hope to get out tomorrow before the temp comes up and all the snow is gone again.