Reworked hat stands.

The hat stands shown above were all reworked by tearing them apart until only their crowns were left. All needed to be reworked since they were too large to sell. Their circumferences were 23" or larger. Since the standard adult head circumference is 22", these as originally woven were not suitable for hat displays.

Each, on being rewoven, is now 22" in circumference or less. The hat stand on the left is made from round and flat rattan cane died a light brown with walnut dye. The central one has a darker walnut dye, but it will be lighter later when it dries. It also features sea grass for part of the body of the stand. The right hand hat stand is made from natural round and flat cane.

The joys of a consignment store in Williamsburg, Virginia,

 On the last day of our vacation in Willamsburg, Virginia, Anne insisted that we visit a consignment store there. So off we went. The temperature was approaching 100 F, so instead of me taking my usual practice of sitting out side and waiting for Anne, I went inside the ladies clothing store with her to enjoy its air conditioned comfort.

 I sat down by the water cooler, and enjoyed the cool air and the cold water provided there. Anne selected perhaps six to eight items while I waited.

 I soon was bored waiting, so I too wandered around looking at what was on offer. To my surprise there were a number of ladies' hats on display too. How well would one of these be suitable to highlight the mannequin heads I have for sale?

I selected this particular hat, a bargain for around $16.00 and purchased it along with Anne's selections. It should help "Red Hat Society" ladies see how well my mannequin heads show off their hats.

The evolution of the free standing heads or hat stands

This is how the basic free-standing head has evolved so far.








During the weekend of November 6th and 7th I was challenged by members of the Ottawa Valley Weavers and Spinners Guild to make wicker hat stand forms (free standing heads) on which to display hats. My first models were similar to the one shown here and were very well received.




A local member of the Red Hat Society was also intrigued with the hat stands and willingly allowed me to show off her hats on the free standing heads.






Over the last few days I have been experimenting with more complicated shapes for the hat stands. Could I give them a more realistic shape? This particular design lent itself to a form that included a distinctive and delightful nose. And the addition of a couple of extra inches to the original design height meant that it could be used to exhibit both a hat and a scarf.




This photo, and the one that graces the beginning of this blog, shows how well the evolved form can be used to enhance both hats and scarves in displays.

Two heads are better than one?

My current inventory of wicker hat stands awaits customers. All the wicker heads are hand-woven to the same pattern, but each develops its own eccentricity during the weaving process. All begin with a four through four cross. As I weave around this and separate each stake, I pull the work against my body to create the curving of the head's crown. When the crown reaches around five inches in diameter, I add two stakes to each stake, and switch from a twining weave to a three rod waling weave. I then place the crown upside down in a bowl with a rock weight inside it. I then manipulate the stakes as I weave to develop the vertical sides of the head.

NOTE: Do not forget to remove the rock from inside the body of the structure, particularly if, as you narrow the weaving down to form the neck, the narrowing is likely to be smaller than the rock!

When the head is sufficiently large, I bend the stakes inwards and weave rows of twining. This forms the chin and beginning of the neck. Here I weave around two individual stakes and then two stakes together as if they were one. I repeat this around the head, reducing the 32 stakes to 24. After several rows, I cut off one of each of the paired stakes. I repeat this process a second time and end up with 18 stakes.

I then force these stakes to the vertical once more, and begin to flare them outwards. After several rows I add one more stake to each of the stakes so each will be long enough to finish the neck and border. I add more rows of twining until the head is near its height of around 13" and then finish off with a border.

Red Hats make all the difference

I made an appointment to drop by a friend's house this afternoon to take photographs of my wicker hat stands outfitted with two of her Red Hats. She is a member of the local Red Hat Society and is interested in a hat stand for one of her hats. The hats do add a very elegant touch to the wicker heads. You might say the display would turn heads!



My friend asked me to have a word with her husband. She would dearly love to receive a Desert Dust hat stand for Christmas. I will accede to her request and put a word in his ear.

It takes me from 4 to 6 hours to make a hat stand. Given their immediate success in sales, I will have to spend a lot of time adding to the current inventory of three. And that inventory includes the one on reserve for my friend.

Hat stands

This is the third "hat stand" I made for a customer I met during the Exhibition and Sale. It will be delivered to a local address tonight.






I added this fourth hat stand to my Etsy shop today. It is a little larger than the others. I had the hardest time figuring out which category to list it under on Etsy. It did not meet the requirements of "housewares", the category under which I list my other basketry products. Nor was it an "accessory." Eventually, I listed it in the category, "supplies."



I included five photos in my Etsy listing. This is one of them.








When on an Etsy chat line today, I was asked if I could make a display unit for necklaces. This would be neck and shoulders only, no head. It is something I will consider and try.

A good weekend at the Ottawa Valley Weavers and Spinners Guild Exhibition and Sale.

Thanks go to Jan Scott of the Ottawa Valley Weavers and Spinners Guild for these photographs taken during the Guild's Exhibition and Sale this last weekend.

This is the second of the two "Display Heads for Hats" I made during that weekend. It was sold while still being made! Perhaps I have found a niche market.





The customer was particularly pleased with the spiral affect of the three-rod waling as well as of the vertical stakes spiraling around too. This "basket head" will be placed on a bird table pedestal in terracotta where it will serve as a resting place for hats wet with rain or wet snow. She felt the head had a Modigliani-like appearance.







This is a work in progress,











A moment of laughter as I demonstrate some essential points about rib baskets.











Back at work again.

Custom made "Display Head" for hats

At last night's Ottawa Valley Spinners and Weavers Guild Exhibition and Show, I was given a challenge: "Can you and will you make a wicker display head for hats?" The person who asked this had two such display heads upon which she displayed her custom made hats. I checked them out, saw how they were made and agreed to try to make one the next day, that is today. Here I am making the display head, starting with its crown.



At this stage I have completed the head shape, and have begun to shape it to form its neck.







The finished display head sits quite nicely and is outfitted with a satisfied customer's hat.








This is the finished product, still damp and not reflecting its elephant grey colouring except for a few drier sections. I am assured if I make another one tomorrow I will have another sale and probably more orders.