Feeling a bit frustrated with the cost of hatblocks and how long it's taking me to acquire a wide variety of interesting hatblock shapes...and not being the type of person who likes to compete with winning addicted buyers on Ebay...I recently started combing the thrift stores for affordable alternatives like salad bowls and oddball things made of wood. It's been alot of fun for me because thrift stores are some of my favorite places to shop...and I've been able to collect some great shapes for mere pennies! While "official" hatblocks can cost $100 or more my salad bowl hat blocks are usually no more than $5.00 and most often 99 cents or less!!! The only disadvantage that I've experienced is that salad bowls tend to come in sizes that are either much smaller or bigger than a typical head size but it's forced me to be very creative in using and adapting the bowls to hat-making...and because of that I feel like I've become that much more experienced as a milliner.
I've been using the salad bowls to create a series of women's perching felt hats that I've trimmed with some of my handcrafted hat pins...here are just a few as well as some of the wooden bowls I've collected:
I'm really quite pleased with the results...and so happy that I've combined two of my favorite things to do...hatmaking and thrift store shopping! So if ever you find yourself in a Portland thrift store and catch glimpse of someone walking around with wooden bowls on her head...it's probably me trying out a possible new hatblock.
always remember that life is a journey...
it really doesn't matter where you're going
just make sure you're wearing a hat when you get there!
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