FeltHappiness Hats
Mother of the Bride Wide Brimmed Exhibition Hat
Mother of the Bride Wide Brimmed Exhibition Hat
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This Mother of the Bride Wide Brimmed Exhibition Hat was created initially for Feltmakers Ireland's 'Building Bridges' exhibition. I titled this piece, 'Skipping Over'.
Here's the blurb that accompanied the hat during the show:
I'm someone who has experienced multiple geographic shifts: moving from the US to the UK, back to the US, and now to Ireland. The piece "Skipping Over" is a millinery interpretation of my adventures. At times, moving countries is as easy as skipping; at other times, we blindly miss the myriad of layers that make up a culture. Nonetheless, with time, connections between the layers can be made.
Of course, you can wear the hat and have your own interpretation of the design, as it is a pretty thing! And while the hat looks complex and architectural, it is lightweight and easy to wear.
COLOUR:
• This felted hat is primarily black felted wool with a rainbow of jewel tones in hand-dyed silk fabric Nuno felted in. Colours include ruby red, emerald green, sapphire blue, and lime green.
SHAPE:
• The hat has a wide and elegant brim with a shallow crown.
• To give an elegant crispness and excitement, the hat has machine topstitching.
• Five elongated, pointed arches fan out from the side of the hat. Blue glass beads top each of these.
• Inside the hat is a FeltHappiness label and a care tag.
SIZE:
• The hat measures 4.5" / 11 cm in height, 14" / 35 cm in width, and 15" / 38 cm in depth.
• It is a thick-weight hat: 6.9 ounces / 97 grams.
• HEADSIZE - It's a MEDIUM LARGE-sized hat and fits a range of 22.5" / 57 cm to 22.75" / 58 cm. If needed, head size can be stretched; please email me to let me know if this is needed.
QUESTIONS:
Please get in touch with me if you have any questions about this felted hat.
This hat was created as part of the GLO Collection, which premiered at Showcase 2023.
This hat is ready to ship!
Materials
Materials
Merino wool, a layer of sustainable, Irish-raised, natural brown Jacob wool, and professionally dyed silk fabrics. A smattering of ruby-colored sequin fabric for extra pizazz! Glass beads topping the tip of each pointed arch.
Size
Size
MEDIUM-LARGE
Care
Care
Of course, you can wear your hat in the rain. After all, felt is made with soap and water, yet naturally resists water. However, if your hat gets drenched, please air dry it by sitting over a wine bottle, so that the brim can retain its shape.
What is Felt?
What is Felt?
Each FeltHappiness Hat is entirely handmade and created from soft Merino wool fibers using the technique of wet felting. It's an ancient and simple craft that takes patience and lots of kneading to shrink the fibers into a strong, flexible, and warm felt. To learn more, see HERE.
In addition to insulating, wool naturally resists water. Hence, your felted hat will keep you warm in chilly weather and dry in light rain. Plus, wool resists mildew, dirt, and fire!
It's magical stuff!
Measuring Your Head
Measuring Your Head
Every head has its own unique size and shape, which can be measured with a flexible tape measure or even a piece of string.
Take the tape measure and encircle your head, just above the top of your ears. Make sure that the tape measure goes over that small bump at the back of your head. Please don't pull it tightly. Leave a little 'ease' so that one finger can fit under the tape. An ear-to-ear measure can be helpful too.
Measure three times: it is surprising how it can vary!
Inches or centimetres are fine.
Sustainability
Sustainability
While Ireland is full of sheep, sadly, the shearings of Irish sheep are less frequently used. Multiple reasons exist: one is because our local wools do not have the softness of Merino wool. Consequently, farmers don't receive much money for the fibre. Shockingly, it is considered a waste product.
Using locally-sourced materials can have a positive impact on both the environment and the local economy. By supporting local farmers and utilising readily available materials, we help to reduce transportation emissions and promote a more sustainable supply chain.
Here at FeltHappiness Hats, I aim to increase the amount of Irish-raised fibre in my creations to be more sustainable AND still create the unique hats that you love!
As of 2023, every hat in my new collections* has a layer of Irish-raised wool.
In the GLO Collection, a natural dark brown, Jacob wool that is sandwiched between layers of black Merino wool. While in the Celtic Stone Crown Collection, shades of grey Jacob wool are used to make the 'stones'. The wool from both of these collections comes from Kerry Woolen Mills.
(*Not including the GLO Beanie and Cowl styles because they require fewer layers of wool.)
