Does This Hat Make Me Look Old?

Last week I set up my wares at Lady Luck Boutique in the Hydrostone Market in Halifax. Gloria walked into the shop looking like the text book definition of elegance. She tried this hat on and asked, “Does this hat make me look old?”  We all agreed that it looked beautiful on her and she went home one hat richer.

There’s something wonderful about this question coming from a 90 year old woman.  It means that in her mind, she is young.   She wakes up every morning and dresses to meet the day.

Although I meet plenty of women who have convinced themselves that they can no longer dress to be noticed, I am inspired by the ones who expand the rules.  Beauty doesn’t stop at middle age.  It just changes.

Randi also came by the trunk show. Just so happens that she has an entire room full of my hats. I don’t think she’ll mind me telling you that she is 65.  Every time I see her she is more beautiful.

And then there’s Linda, quilter exraordinaire.  I could tell you about how Linda is always dressed so beautifully, but a picture speaks a thousand words.

 I made this hat last week on my new straw braid machine.  It was one of those labours of love where I just give up on calculating my time. I expected the hat to live with me for at least a few months before finding its rightful head, but Linda walked by my booth at the market at 9:30 a.m and that was that.   It left me without so much as a backwards glance.

 Here’s a side view where you can see all the silk flowers that I made, petal by petal.

And this is what the hat looked like before it decided to become a hat. That’s wheat straw, by the way.  My new best friend. We didn’t like each other at first.  It cracked every time I looked at it.  But then I discovered that it likes to bathe before becoming a hat.

This is the straw soaking in a bucket of my tears. If only there were a manual.  It’s all trial and error and I’m not always the epitome of patience.

When the tear bucket fills up, Tony is always there to mercilessly mock me. It’s probably a good thing that he refuses to take me seriously.  (shameless promotion warning) Check out his beautiful doors and furniture HERE.

 And when I truly lose the ability to laugh at myself, I go for a walk.

 …or work in the garden. Dustin wanted me to tell you that I was quite adamant that there would not be any ripe strawberries yet.  Good thing he doesn’t listen to his mother.  I let him eat both.

So, yeah, all in all another charmed week in Lunenburg.  See you soon.