Finishing the Hat

Because I have always believed that I am "practically perfect in every way," this year I will be clad as Mary Poppins for Halloween!  (Congratulations to those who guessed correctly... aka, everyone who guessed!)  I still have to finish the coat, but this weekend I was in more of a "crafty" rather than a "sewy" mood so I set my mind to accessories.  I picked up a pair of gloves at a vintage store for $6.00 (I didn't want to wear those chintzy, shiny gloves that are sold at the costume stores so vintage seemed the way to go) and made myself a black straw boater with daisies and cherries.

I started with a large, floppy straw hat from the floral department of Pat Catans.

I then began peeling away the brim, layer by layer, to reduce width of the brim down to approximately half it's original size.  

I then cut off the excess and stitched the remaining brim in place.

I painted the hat black.  I did one coat in "soft black" and let that dry.  I then painted a top coat in a high gloss black.  The combination of the two paints added some texture needed to make the hat look more worn and natural.

 I then glued on some cheerful daisies and cherries.  After the glue dried I stiched the flowers and berries into place to assure that they were secure.

Next I will finish the coat and draft my pattern reviews for the blouse, coat, and skirt so that I can enter the costume contest.  Once that is complete I will still need to purchase shoes and the umbrella.