Beginning to get the new millinery/craft studio set up...My top three "must haves" for my new work space are: a red fainting couch, a vintage faux bird hat, and a canvas print of "Vallecita's Leopards" (1906 image available through the Library of Congress).
Speaking of decorating (or in this case REdecorating), here's a close-up of the birdie hat.
It's my latest restoration project. It is a 1930s/1940s blue felt tilt hat by Maretta Feeley. Overall, the hat itself is in decent shape. The feathers are the main problem (a common issue for hats of this age) - they practically disintegrate upon being touched. Ideally, I would remove all of the feathers, check structural stability of the bird body frames, and then attach all new feathers. However, I have been absolutely unable to closely match the lovely blue-grey ombre hues of these feathers. I adore that color scheme, so I made the decision to remove all feathers, salvage what I could, and re-glue them onto the bird frames. This meant that the birds continued to appear a little more raggedy-looking than I would have liked, but it preserved the original colors of the hats.
I recently wore the finished hat (along with a gorgeous matching 1940s power suit) to the annual JPR wine-tasting & auction event in Ashland. I received numerous compliments on my lovely hat!
