My Vintage Hat Collection

I have been stumped as to what to blog about these past few weeks. The weather has been too cold for outfit shots outside and none of my inside ones turn out very well. I also haven't been doing much except job hunting, sleeping, and tidying my room. So since I have nothing new to share I thought maybe I should share one of my many collections. I am natural born "collector" *cough* hoarder *cough* and have many different collections. One of my favourites is my hat collection. I have a lot of modern and homemade hats as well, but I thought I would focus on my vintage hat collection. (Overall I have well over 60 hats so I obviously had to narrow the focus of this post!)

I may have forgotten a few, but here they are:

A very frilly white number

This one has the most spectacular feather I have ever seen. The pictures don't do it justice.

This was the first vintage hat I ever purchased. It is from the 1930's. 

And this is the most expensive hat I've ever purchased. When I bought it it was labelled as a Victorian hat. After a bit of research I think it is more likely from the 20s/30s but I love it none the less. 

This one has the most darling pin. 

I just realized this is the only vintage hat of mine that is not white/cream or black. It looks a bit dark in the photos but it is navy with pink flowers. It is going to be my Easter hat this year. 

This hat was in pretty tough shape when I bought it but I have managed to restore its shape more or less. 

This hat is currently awaiting some restoration work (it needs a good blocking for starters!).

This was my latest purchase. It is a Victorian bonnet. The ribbon at the back needs a bit of work but it was a steal! Now I just need a Victorian style dress to go with it!

This last one may not technically count as a "hat" but I had to include it. It is a 1960's nurses cap and came with a matching cape. I love that the original owners name is printed on the inside. It needs a good press though, so apologizes for the wrinkles!

I just adore hats and if you look hard enough at antique stores you can often find them at pretty good prices. Overall most of my hats cost under $20, with the occasional splurge. I keep most of them in boxes with a few on display that I rotate a few times a year. 

That's All.

Latest Sewing Creation

Taking outfit photos is so difficult in the winter! It is much too dark inside and much too cold outside. I did want to get some shots of my new sweater though. I made it out of a very soft knit fabric, with a cotton gingham collar and belt (the buckle and buttons are vintage). This was my inspiration image. I think I came pretty close. I love how it is a vintage style but is still casual enough for everyday wear.

That's All.

Call for Sponsors

Hello everyone! Just a reminder that I do have ad spaces available on the side of my blog. I'm looking for small businesses who wish to purchase some ad space for the month of February (or longer if you want!).
The prices are (per month):
$5 for 170px by 50px sized ad
$10 for 170px by 170px sized ad
(I may be open to exchange of merchandise for an ad too, so send me an email if you wish to negotiate!)

Please email me at purlsofthepast@live.ca if you are interested!

Winter Hats 1922

1920's Sweater and Passing Grades

Hello everyone! Good news! I passed all my courses (I also almost passed out from shock as I was certain I had failed a couple). So if my application to graduate goes through I will have a Bachelors of Mathematics before the end of the summer. Eep! I am so excited to be almost finished. Of course there is the big scary "now what?" looming over my head. But for the next couples days at least, I will be relaxing and sewing myself some much needed winter clothes.

Speaking of winter clothes, I finally finished the 1920's sweater I have been working on. It took a long time but I love it! It was knit from a 1922 pattern, although I had to alter the sleeves since I ran out of the discontinued wool I used. The original pattern can be found  here.

 That's All.

Holidays

I hope everyone had/is having a wonderful holiday. I am absolutely exhausted but am finally getting a bit of a chance to slow down. Christmas was great, however I was doing the Christmas dinner this year and went a bit over the top. I only had 3 days to prep after moving back home, and in that 3 days I decorated the entire house including the tree, wrapped most of the presents, and made 19 different dishes (from scratch) for Christmas dinner. Luckily everything turned out wonderfully, and now that it is actually over I have a chance to sleep and unpack!

Catsy sleeping on the tree skirt

I got a lot of great gifts including a massive DVD box set of Buster Keaton films and another one of Harold Lloyd films. Other highlights include 5 boxes of violet creams (my favourite chocolate which are impossible to find!), some magazines about farming/permaculture, and an insanely heavy cast iron baking tray.

When we went visiting the other side of the family on Boxing day I wore my new blouse (made from a 1940's pattern). I added a vintage headscarf and a pair of jeans for a casual 1940's inspired look. (Ok the jeans were because all my other pants were still packed in boxes. Personally I find wide legged trousers much more comfortable than jeans!)

I was pretty bad about taking photos this year and didn't get any pictures of the many presents I made. The only picture I did get was of Britt in the chunky knit scarf + matching gloves I knit her. Speaking of knitting I have been doing a heck of a lot lately. I am almost finished a 1920's sweater which I am very excited to show you all. I am also working on a blanket. Each square of the blanket is named after a mystery novel. I'm knitting it in cream and grey, although it may be a long time before I finish it. If you are on Ravelry add me!

That's all.

Winter Fashions 1880

Just a few Victorian winter fashions for you. What are you planning on wearing for the holidays? 

Christmas Music

I'm still exam writing but I have written (failed...) 3 so far and only have 2 left! Which means any "free" time has been spent getting the last of my Christmas gifts together and doing what prep I can. While making Christmas gifts I decided I needed some music. Normally I just listen to 40's and 50's Christmas music, such as the standard Bing Crosby tunes. However I thought I would try and see if I could find some earlier stuff. Turns out there isn't much. Most classic Christmas songs weren't written until at least the 1940's and there just wasn't much Christmas music before then.

Luckily I was able to find some tunes and have complied a list of my favourites for you. These are a mix of 10's/20's/30's recordings, which a bit of a focus on the earlier decades. I forgot to save the links but all these songs are on archive.org, you might just have to do a bit of hunting to find them.
(Ok some of these are technically just "winter" songs but I thought they should be included)

1. Winter - Billy Murray
2. Jingle Bells - Charles Dornberger Orchestra (This is by far my all time favourite version of this song!!!)
3. Winter Wonderland - Lew Stone
4. Snowflakes - Harry Resser
5. Will you love me in December as you do in May? - Elysian Singers
6. We've got our love to keep us warm - Paul Whiteman
7. If Winter Comes - Atlantic Dance Orchestra
8. Christmas Bells at Eventide - Gracie Fields
9. Savoy Christmas Medley - Lloyd Shakespeare's New Piccadilly Band
10. The Fairy on the Christmas Tree - Gracie Fields

There are also a few good songs (and rather odd novelty recordings) in the Voices from Christmas Past collection.

What is your favourite holiday song?

Poinsettia's