Porkpie and a Cocktail - 1 Hat into 2

Be amazed as I tell you how we turned one ordinary unassuming cowboy hat into not one...but TWO totally new hat creations just like magic!  Yes, you read that right.  We created this porkpie hat for Mr. Sam...



...and a cocktail hat for me... 



...out of one used cowboy hat!  Well, okay, it might not be too terribly "amazing" or "like magic" in any way.  But, it is definitely thrifty, right?! :) 

Not so recently we acquired another cowboy hat (this one is from my dad who heard us yammering about our interest in reshaping felt hats).  Right away Mr. Sam had started making it into a short top hat style like the previous brown one, but he didn't like how it was turning out due to the red vent holes on the sides and gave up.  After it sat for awhile in our craft shelf, I finally pulled it down, reshaping and shortening it even more on top to the porkpie style we've come to know and love. 



This one is much shallower than the brown one because of the deeper fold.  When he put it on I kinda thought he reminded me slightly of when Johnny Depp wore a porkpie in "Benny and Joone", except that this one is black and the brim is shaped slightly different.

 

After finishing it, I don't think the red rivets look so bad.  Though, I think it would be nice with an extra wide hadband with red in it.  You think?  I'm contemplating making a band out of seed beads.  Perhaps a snake pattern or something.



Then out of the blue, I managed to pull a second hat out of the first.  Or, should that be off of it?  All I know is there's one thing we keep accumulating from all these felt hats.  (I think 8 now actually, not including our gazillion tabistry and leather hats!)  It's lots of scrap felt from the excess brims.  Cowboy hats tend to have really wide brims.  And, we keep cutting them down to about 1 1/2-2 1/2 inches, leaving me with a pile of felt rings.  And, you probably know by now that I can't throw anything away.  :)  So, the other day as I was straightening up the craft room, I was inspired by the coiling of the scrap felt as I put it up.  It looked like it would make a unique little cocktail hat for a rockabilly-ish night out.



I made a kind of tapered slanted pill box by wrapping the felt around in a more deliberate coil.  The top was then covered with a piece of scrap felt.  I embellished the front with a big black removable pin.  This way I can be indecisive and change it to match my outfit.  Like the red paper hat I posted about, I used a piece of netting (probably from produce or something), this time in black, to make a short veil.  Later, I went back and added the black lace trim.  (Forgive me for "photoshopping" the top of the hat in this pic.  I actually didn't put on the lace trim until a few days after the event.)



For this last mintue event, I just pinned the hat on my head using hairpins.  There is a ridge created just under the outer ring by the overlapping coiled strip that I secured the pins so that they weren't visible.  But, eventually I will sew in a clip/comb or two to keep it in place.  I have to say, the hairpins kept it in on my head pretty well considering how wild we can sometime dance!  :)

 

We had a really good time.  Watched some talented performers and, best of all, listened/danced to some great live music.  Need to do it again soon! 

In other news, I've got a mile long list of crafting to get back to on top of tutorials to write.  And, Halloween is approachng very sneakily.  So, if you don't hear from me for awhile, don't panic.  :)  I hope to have some spectacular stuff to show when I come up for air.  Until then, be craftastic!!