Some bad-ass hats

I woke up from a nap this weekend to a message on my cell phone: "Hi, Jocelyn? You won! Your hat won the contest. Please call—." I thought I was still dreaming and was all like, "Dreams are so fun sometimes." But then I remembered I did actually make some hats and enter them in a contest. Last week, the ever-creative and industrious Nina invited me, Emily, and Laura over to make some chapeaus for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The combination of a good cause combined with a use for my mountains of scrap fabric inspired me to knock out three of them before I even got to Nina's. O.K., enough talk. On to the images!

This is the one that won. It's a reversible head topper with long ties, made using this ingenious free pattern (thank you, Judy Danz!). It's really easy to make, and it's cozy and cool and inspires people to vote for it and give unsuspecting sewers prize money. Here's one side, with the other side's ties facing up; the other side of the ties match the flowered fabric, of cawse.



The extremely cute Emily finished her hat before everyone else and graciously became the model of the evening. Which was a great thing, because a couple of them hats didn't fit on my big head, don'tcha know.



Here it is in reverse.





I also made a plaid hat with a bow in the back for those who enjoy a more androgynous look.





I can't really explain the purple polka-dotted one. There must be someone out there who would enjoy it. Right? It's soft and won't fly off your head in a windstorm thanks to those burgundy ties.



Emily gives this hat more distinction than it might deserve, I think. Damn, you're good, Emily.



Then, while I was at Nina's, I sewed some ribbon with hearts and silver rick rack, etc., onto a black hat...it turned out O.K.



While Emily, Laura and Nina made their own jaw-dropping head toppers. Here's Emily in her own design.



Now that's more like it. Beeyootiful.



Nina's and Laura's were no less impressive, but I shall stop foisting pictures at you now. Nina, post yours and Laura's on your awesome blog! The organization that hosted the contest is called NYCreates, and the hats all went to the super cool Heavenly Hats foundation. If you sew and have a yen for it, make a hat! It's way faster and more satisfying than many other wacko sewing projects, in my humble opinion.