Hats: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall....Annie Modesitt High Society Hat, McCall Hat Pattern 3985

My favorite winter hat...goes with anything that's green. I'd be better off with an off-white or even black hat.

A close-up of the green sueded shearling hat, which was trimmed with pinking shears.

Another hat, this was knitted using the High Society hat pattern in Romantic Hand Knits. I need some more yarn in this exact hue to finish. Know anybody with a stash of Gedifra Wellness (now discontinued, of course).

A side view of the High Society Hat in progress.

High Society Hat in progress, needs more yarn, some blocking and wire in the brim. Potentially smashing, don't you think?

I'm a bit of a hat freak. I love making 'em but I'm a bit lazy about wearing them. Somehow there's more excitement in making them. I cut up the fabric, sew, tada, I've got a hat. Sometimes, I've got something in afternoon, which is the case with the suede shearling hat above. I probably spent more time picking off the fizz off my clothes and my head then actually cutting and sewing. I've made precisely three versions of the green hat....all in the green you see above. I think two got lost, but I always scraped up more money (this was probably about $18 a yard when I made it, now it's closer to $22/yard) to sew another. It's so soft, just the thing to stuff in a large jacket packet or in a tote. Here's a link to the sueded shearling on the Vogue Fabrics web site (it's called sueded cuddle there. Here's a link to it in camel, olive, ivory and red.). This particular pattern is McCall 3985, now out-of-print.

I'm fairly certain it's the same fabric that Gap and other stores to make their faux shearling coats. It's hard to believe the stuff is machine-washable, but it is. This is a short list about what makes this fabric so amazing:

• a little goes a long way. In the case of the hat, I probably used a 1/4 yard. Another 1/4 strip, trimmed with pinking shears, makes any insty, matching scarf.
• use a teflon foot while sewing so the foot glides over the foot. 
• skip pattern notches, they only get in the way of your finishing touches with the pinking shears. Figure out another way to mark your fabric, perhaps use invisible markers which disappear after several days.
• consider embroidery, ribbon and applique for embellishment just like the Gap does.
• while the fabric looks like suede, you don't need a special needle for this fabric. I used a metallic stretch needle which worked fine. 
• save your scraps. Even a circle or 4-inch square can be used as a coaster

Now for the High Society Hat, I wrote about it initially on my other blog, The Lazy Milliner. It hasn't gotten any further since I wrote about it but I can't bring myself to toss it. It just needs a little more yarn. Specifically, Gedifra Wellness 2115, lot 9100. Even a half-a-hank would work. Have some?