Sewn Hats is here!

IMPORTANT NOTE: 

The original publisher, Wiley, sold this title to Turner Publishing. Please send an email to: info@scientificseamstress.com to get a copy of the patterns 

I am so excited to kick off the blog tour for my first book, Sewn Hats!   It is a collaborative effort that brings you patterns and instructions for a great variety of toppers.  For this project, I got to wear many "hats" (both figuratively and literally).  I was the collection curator, which means I worked with star contributors who provided their signature hat patterns.  My job was to represent their unique styles and highlight their specialized techniques.  As a contributor myself, I got to come up with designs to round out the collection, and also provide styles that were near and dear to my family and lifestyle.  Finally, as technical editor and illustrator, I gave a cohesive, step-by-step approach to construction each and every hat. I am thrilled with the end product, and am very grateful to my publisher, Wiley, and all of the contributors for bringing this to life.
 

Shown above is a gallery view of the styles in the book.  There are all-season offerings for men, women, and children.  Most of the hats come in a wide range of sizes, so you can make them for lots of loved ones.


  The awesome contributors will be blogging about their own hats, so I just wanted to mention a few of my beloved hats.  Above is the Fantastic Fedora, and I was thrilled that they used a picture of my own little Lou to show it off.   He LOVES this hat.  He's also gotten a lot of wear out of a lightweight denim version.  This style is so in right now, and looks great on guys and gals alike.

    Here a little scan of some of the illustrations, just to show you how I infused the Scientific Seamstress style into the book.  If you have used my patterns before, you know I am very detail oriented.  The publisher and editors were great about keeping that high level of explanation, but in a concise and easy to read format.


Another one of my favorites is the Hitch and Pitch Cap (shown above).  It is the perfect baseball/trucker hat!  The skill level is listed as advanced, but like all of the patterns in the book, could be made by a beginner with some time and patience.     What I have shown you is just a smidgen of the great hats you can make from this book.  Throughout the next month, our fantastic contributors will be sharing their designs.  The schedule is as follows:

9/5 -  MODKID Boutique

9/6 – FrenchGeneral.blogspot.com

9/10 – Pink Chalk Studio

9/11 -  LuluBliss.com

9/13 – Green Bee Patterns

9/14 – Goosie Girl Boutique

9/17 – Melissa Stramel from Lilac Lane

9/19 – OneGirlCircus.com

9/20 – Tie Dye Diva Designs

9/21 – Figgy's Patterns

9/25 – Craftiness is not Optional

9/26 – Bari J.

9/27 – Confessions of a Craft Addict

9/28 – Jennifer Paganelli at Sis Boom

10/1 – Sew Mama Sew

10/2 – Aesthetic Nest

10/3 – Blue Nickel Studios

10/4 – Betz White

10/8 – Yummy Goods

10/10-  Wiley Craft

Each stop will include a giveaway, so make sure you visit them all!

Please leave me a comment about your favorite hat style, and you can win a signed copy from me!!!  The drawing will be held next Monday, September 10.

Back at the blog

I analyzed my posting habits, and I realized I just don't blog enough in the summer.  In the past, I've come up with all kinds of excuses - potential move, working on a book, etc.  The truth is, I am hot and I am lazy.  I spend far too much time outside in the a.m., battling evil weeds and nasty squash beetles.  Then I come inside, and have to feed and entertain my kid.  That means slapping together PB&Js and heading to the pool.  In between gardening and parenting, I sew and write about sewing.  I make it sound awful, but I of course love it.  Blogging gets shoved to the back burner, which is inherently wrong because I have so much to blog about!

Soooo...where to start?

BOOK!  
Last summer's excuse for not blogging is this summer's big news!  My first book, Sewn Hats was released on 8/28/12!  Here is the description from the publisher:

35 hat patterns for everyone!
Sewn Hats is a collaboration of hat designs from some of the industry's most-loved fabric designers, pattern designers, and bloggers. Expertly edited by top designer Carla Hegeman Crim, the patternmaker and blogger behind The Scientific Seamstress, Sewn Hats offers a collection of patterns that uses a wide variety of fabrics, from felt to silk, corduroy to cotton, and everything in between.
Sewn Hats is packed with beautiful photography, precise instructions, and detailed illustrations to make creating the hats a snap. You'll find an array of hats for every age, gender, occasion, and style. Most projects are sized from baby through men's sizes and inspiration for fabric selection and embellishments make each pattern even more versatile. All pattern pieces are conveniently located online. Simply click and print to get just the pattern pieces you need—no more tracing or keeping track of used pieces.
Whether you dig vintage or want to craft something cute for your kid, are looking to breathe new life into your own wardrobe or make a hat as a gift, Sewn Hats has everything you need to create something for everyone.

And how cool is this?  All the patterns are housed online in PDF format - no tracing, no folding and tracing...just click and print!

In fact, I'm kicking off the Blog Tour, right here - TODAY!  You'll have a chance to win a copy, so stay tuned. 

Texas!
I had an absolute ball presenting at Martha Pullen's Sewing Market in Arlington, Texas.  I was really nervous about telling my life story, but Martha had me dance the Hokey Pokey and Macarena with her on stage, and I was ready to rip!  I had my wonderful friend and tester Shannon by my side, and she was such an angel.  It was a treat to spend time with her, and she and her family were so much help getting "goodie bags" together.

 

 
Big Move!
Our family is up and moving from the Baltimore 'burbs to the Catskill Mountains in Upstate NY.  Chef Del got a dream job as the Director of Dining at SUNY-Delhi. So I am in serious "primp the house to sell" mode right now.  We love this big spacious home and the amazing gardens, but honestly, it is way more than we can properly manage at this point.  We are going to rent for a bit, then find a little dream home in the Village of Delhi. In the meantime, I hope to be doing lots more writing, patternmaking, and blogging!

Everlasting Gobstopper of Pants

Check it out - Jessica used the Easy-Fit Pants pattern to make her son Dallas some PJs when he was barely 5 years old. Fast forward 4.5 years, and he is still wearing them! Look how much he has grown - he's gone from cute little kindergartner to handsome young man. His jammies, in the meantime, have gone from long pants to cool board shorts.



His mom is the sewing whiz behind Magical Memories by Jessica Boutique. She makes awesome appliqued shirts, dresses, and of course...PANTS! She says "I really love this pattern. I think this year I made him 3 new pairs for Christmas, birthday and our Disney trip." I love that she is still getting so much use out of it after all of these years!




Easy-Fits are great for boys and girls alike. They are soooooo easy to make (only 1 pattern piece), and are super comfy. The full-fit and long rise allows for years of wear. Louie wore the heck out of the pants he modeled in the picture above, and then we passed them down to his younger cousin. The pattern ranges from sizes 6 months - 10 years, and we have an adult version that goes from tween size up to 3X...Easy-fits Forever!

Divine Devon!

I've taken way too long to introduce the newest downloadable Sis Boom pattern - the Devon Peasant Top/Dress ! Like our other popular peasant, the Meghan, this versatile style is super easy to sew, can be made in a range of lengths, and has lots of sleeve options!



Our sweet friend Judy of Hickity Pickity was one of the first to ask for this pattern. The child-sized Leighanna Peasants she made were selling like hotcakes in Florida boutiques, so she knew there was going to be a demand for the mama version. Of course, the first thing she did was make a coordinating set for her beautiful daughter and granddaughter.




Ahhh...life is good!





My Texas buddy Jenny also made herself a bright and happy Devon Peasant out of Girl's World Vibe Fabric. She is a self-declared jeans and t-shirt gal, but she and her daughter both loved this classy, yet comfortable top. I adore the color on her!




Jeanne has been testing for me for years now, so I feel like I know her favorite colors and prints. This one really brings out her beautiful eyes and hair. Even though I chose the fabric, she gets all the credit for sewing the top and looking so pretty in it, of course!




I always love love love Jenny's creations! Read about the Devon she made to coordinate with her daughter's Marissa Dress! They both look SO Sis Boom stunning!




My awesome Head Technician Cathy rocks the Devon, which is actually named after one of her lovely little daughters! Read her Sewing Story here!




And how is cool is this?...I got to meet up with Cathy and long-time testers/great friends Tom, Marlo, and Shannon at Disney last month! Notice that Shannon has her Devon on - so pretty, and perfect for a Florida vacation!




I got to see this little beauty, too (the kid, not the top). This is Marlo's tween daughter Nicole, and she is such the Sis Boom Girl! She is mature enough to comfortably chitty-chat with all the adults, but not too grown-up to have a blast at the kids' table!




This one is hot off the presses...Monique blogged it just yesterday, and Jennifer blogged it today! My jaw seriously dropped when I saw it - I love this on her! The style, the print, (and as someone commented) the smile - everything is just gorgeous!

Devon became available on YouCanMakeThis.com just last week, and is already holding the top spot in the "Most Popular" section! Can't wait to see all the Devons that are about to bloom this spring!!!