Hats By Katrinka

Couture Coat for Poco

It's 21 degrees this morning. I’ve been working on a collage coat for Poco but ran out of thread (free motion stitching uses a LOT of thread!) and then it snowed yesterday when I planned to run out and get more. Snow! Well, now he really needs a coat. So we improvised.

I’d already cut out a fleece liner and he’d worn that for a few test runs (so I could see if he’d tolerate wearing it - he does). I decided to rummage through my fabric trunk for a scrap piece of the Paris couture (Lacroix, I think!) fabric I bought on my Paris trip a few years ago. Eureka!

 
The wool tweed is warm and stylish and the fleece liner adds warmth and traction on my doggie’s curly coat. I decided it didn’t need a fancy front closure and seamed it. The coat pulls easily over Poco’s head.
All it needs now is a belt to secure it (with Velcro) but he’s already wearing the coat proudly. His harness will keep it in place for the time being.

No more will my neighbor shout out, "Where’s his sweater?!"

K Q;-)

P.S. The collage coat will continue apace.

Recycled Jeans Hat

 
This hat has been on my mind for quite awhile. I’ve made several "jeans" hats in the past but have never been really satisfied with the way they look. A big part of the problem is that the denim available in fabric stores just doesn’t have that "worn in" look that your favorite jeans have.

 
Then one day I had a brainstorm. I dropped some things off at the Goodwill Store and went in to do a little shopping on their jeans rack. I found an XXL size pair of jeans for $6.00 which I promptly cut up to use for another trilby. The problem is that the crown sideband of a hat is cut on the bias so I needed a relatively large stretch of fabric to get this. The XXL did the trick. Also, I wanted to incorporate workable jeans parts into the design.
So here’s what I ended up with.

My pictures don’t really do the hat justice but this one will be fun to wear. What do you think?

K Q;-)

Seeing Red (for my sewing pals)

Elizabeth, from my Paris trip, asked if I’d started sewing up the fabrics I purchased there. Faced with packing and moving, not to mention Christmas, my answer is an emphatic YES!

After much debate over whether to make a jacket or a skirt I made the decision and cut into this beautiful Lacroix wool tweed. It has just a bit of brown thread in it so I thought it would go well with this Ralph Lauren jacket I bought last year. Being fabric frugal, I figured by making a pencil skirt I’d have enough left to make a hat. This toque was also intended to brighten up my black coat. (I made the tassel by unraveling some of the wool.) However, I’m thinking this style is not my best. Let’s face it I look better in a brim. Fortunately, I think I might have just enough left of this to whip up my Beryl Trilby in it or, if not, a beret.

Here is another remnant of Lacroix Haute Couture silk. There was only about a meter of this and so it was very reasonably priced and I knew what I wanted to make as soon as I saw it. This is my Marie pattern (the reverse Souwester) and the hatpin will probably have to remain here permanently. The silk is very, very delicate. Many of the threads lay on top and even a rough cuticle pulls them out. It’s definitely dramatic - almost piratical (perhaps if I ever make it to Ascot). My Sweetie will likely hate it but then when he found me I was working in the theater. What does he expect?

Next I took a break from the Paris fabrics and headed to Zürich to a bigger fabric store. We have a wedding to attend in Washington on December 22. It’s at 3 in the afternoon with a formal reception at 6:30. So what do I wear? I have my Inga hat I’ve been holding for the right occasion and I think a winter wedding is it. The hat will go nicely with my black coat. So my dress color options were red, green, black or gold. I don’t like wearing black to weddings so that was out. It being Christmas, I opted for this red Dupioni silk - not a bright red but with a black thread in the weave. I hope that this is suitable and that I’m not breaking *The Rules* wearing red to a wedding. Well, it IS Christmas...

I found this lace at Bischoff Textil last week and added it to the lining to peek out under the hem. I’ll wear black sheer stockings and dressy black shoes (not purchased yet) and will probably check the hat with my coat at the reception. After all, we’ll be dancing.

So that’s enough red for one week. I’ve made up the Lacroix brown fancy weave wool into a shrug but don’t have a picture yet. Next will be the two gold Chanel Haute Couture pieces and the black and white tweed.

K Q:-)