Sewn Hats Book Tour and Giveaway

I am so thrilled to tell you about this exciting new book that I've had the pleasure of contributing to. Sewn Hats is a collection of 35 hat patterns contributed by industry experts and curated by Carla Crim, a.k.a The Scientific Seamstress.

People are often curious about how long things take in this industry. I get that question repeatedly... how long does it take for a fabric collection to come out? ... for a pattern to be produced? ... for a book to be published? Well, let me tell ya, it's a long time for patterns and fabric, but not nearly as long as it is for books! You really have to have patience in this industry (and that's definitely not my virtue!). I was curious about how long this one took, because Sewing MODKID Style seemed to take forever and a day. Well, I was originally approached by Wiley on January 5, 2011 to ask if I was interested in contributing to Sewn Hats. WOW, that's exactly a year and 8 months ago! But let me tell you, it was well worth it! This book is spectacular!



When I first got the book in my greedy little hands last Thursday, I was immediately surprised by three things:

1. First, the book has 35 patterns, people! WOW! I know, from personal experience, all the work, time and effort that goes into each and every project of a book like this, so to see this times 35 is truly exceptional... and unusual! Talk about bang for your buck!
2. My pattern is the first one in the book! I also know, from personal experience, that I usually end up last because my last name starts with a Y, haha! Well, I guess they weren't going alphabetically this time. ;)
3. Lastly, I was not aware until I held the book in my hands, of just who all had been contributing to this little masterpiece. Seriously, this list reads like a who's who in our industry. These are fellow designers and authors who I have loved and admired for quite some time... Joanna, Mary, Betz, Melissa, Jennifer, Bari and so, so many more! Not to mention Ms. Carla herself! I am not worthy!!

So, without much further ado, let me present to you my own project for this book, which I titled, Sunny Days Hat. As the title describes, it's a sweet little sun hat with a ruffled brim and a decorative ribbon detail that weaves in and out of the hat. But the best part is that since it has no visible seams the hat is fully reversible! So you can use different fabrics for each side and have a completely different look each time she wears it. It comes in 3 sizes, so it will grow with her.

Here are some of the photos we took for the project. These first 2 were shot at the Missouri Botanical Gardens:





And these three were shot here at Modkid. You may recognize that sweet little blond girl, Elizabeth, from two of our most recent patterns, Chloé and Hannah. Boy, how much she's grown! She was only 3 then! And look how short Sydney's hair was! It's halfway down her back now. :)







So... I hope you enjoyed this little tour of Sewn Hats. Do you like to sew hats? Do you collect sewing books? What's your favorite thing to sew? Please leave us a comment and be entered to win your very own copy of the book, courtesy of Wiley Publishing. A winner will be announced a week from today, on Wednesday, September 12th, 2012. Please leave a way to contact you if you win. Good luck all!!

Follow along with the Sewn Hats Blog Tour:

9/4 -  Scientificseamstress.blogspot.com

9/5 -  Mod Kid 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 Lilac Lane

9/19 – OneGirlCircus.com

9/20 – Tie Dyed Diva Designs

9/21 – Figgys Patterns

9/25 – Craftiness is not Optional

9/26 – Bari J.

9/27 – Confessions of a Craft Addict

9/28 – SisBoom.com

10/1 – Sew Mama Sew

10/2 – Aesthetic Nest

10/3 – Blue Nickel Studios

10/4 – Betz White

10/8 – YummyGoods.com

10/10-  Wiley Craft