Red Hats Victoria

“Bra Hats”?  Yes!  What better way to embrace the fun and sillyness of the RHS by making a hat from a bra!

I’ve yet to find a good step by step tutorial that describes how to do it, but here are some tips, links and photo inspiration to help you.

Making a Bra Hat

1. Start with a bra – I’d recommend choosing a push up bra with a padded cup in red (or pink), so you don’t need to cover it.
2. Place the centre of the cups on your forehead where you’d like to wear the hat, and mark how far along the chest straps you need to cut for them to meet at the back of your head.
3. Leaving a seam allowance – cut the ends off the chest straps and sew them together.
4. Cut the shoulder straps off.
5. You can stop now and decorate the hat, or you can do a few more steps
6. (optional) sew/glue boning from the bottom of the centre of one cup to the opposite side of the band, and again on the other side – forming a cross over the crown of the head.  This helps keep any soft cups looking good, and also gives you a frame onto which you can weave feather boas.  You could use pipe cleaners if you wish.
7. (optional) If your cups need extra padding to keep their shape, take some stuffing and fill your bra cups, then sew fabric over the top to keep it in place.
8. Add bling and adornments to make your bra into a fabulous hat!

Tutorials (of sorts)

http://www.ehow.com/how_7715673_instructions-hat-made-bras.html
http://cccrittenden.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/red-hatters-create-red-bra-hats.html

Inspiration

More photos –

https://au.pinterest.com/polarbear4488/bra-hats/ 

http://www.orgsites.com/al/southernflames/_pgg1.php3

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RedHatsVictoria/permalink/684059708467490/

Find a Christmas decoration ball that has a hinged opening or somehow comes apart. Inside place the Friendship ball poem (below) and a small item such as a pair of earrings, a pair of gloves etc. This ball is given to a member who can keep the item inside and add a new one for the next person. They bring the ball with the new treasure inside to the next gathering and pass it on.

The Friendship Ball

A ball is a circle,
No beginning, no end.
It keeps us together.

Like our Circle of Friends.
But the treasure inside, for you to see
is the treasure of friendship

You’ve granted to me.
Today I pass the friendship ball
to you.

Pass it on to someone who is a friend to you.

This is a lovely thing to give to a newly crowned Queen, a REDuated hatter or a new member.

This can be a box or bag filled with certain items that have special meaning.  You may like to include a list of what the items mean so the recipient knows the significance of the items.

You can choose to use only certain items from the list (and the meanings) that you feel most appropriate.  Some people give different meanings to some items, so I have included both meanings where I’ve seen more than one.

.

Red Hatter Survival Kit

• • Address Book ~ Your Red Hat Sister’s are always here for you!
  • Aspirin/Panadol ~ when all else fails – take two & call a Red Hat Sister!
  • Ball –  to remind you that life is a ball
  • Band-Aid ~ to fix your hurt feelings
  • Breath-mints ~ to remind you to “just breathe” | a reminder that you are worth a mint
  • Button ~ To remind you that sometimes you need to “button your lips”
  • Candle ~ when you feel in the dark |  to remind you to let your inner light shine so that others can see the fun in being 50+.
  • Chocolate ~ to remind you of the sweetness of family & friends | To remind you that life is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get
  • Cotton Balls ~ for those times when you can’t hear yourself think
  • Do Not Disturb Sign ~ to remind you that you need time to yourself
  • Ear-Plugs ~ to remind you sometimes it’s important just to listen
  • Eraser ~ to remind you that everyone makes mistakes
  • Fly swatter –  to slap yourself silly, if you ever get too serious
  • Glitter  ~ to add sparkle to your life & spread some on…
  • Kazoo ~ don’t forget to toot your own horn
  • Lifesavers ~ to save you from “one of those days”
  • Lollipop ~ to remind you that you can lick all your problems
  • Marbles ~ to replace the ones that you have lost & will lose
  • Mirror ~ to remind you that you are very important too
  • Nuts ~ to remind you to be a little nutty & laugh
  • Paper-Clips ~ to remind you that you are an important link in others lives
  • Peg – a reminder to “hang in there”
  • Pen & Pad ~ to write down your thoughts before you forget them
  • Penny ~ for your thoughts
  • Purple bucket ~ just in case your hysterical laughter gets the best of you! (Please go behind bushes.)
  • Pretzels ~ hugs from your Red Hat Sisters
  • Roses ~ to remind you to smell the flowers along life’s way
  • Red Glitter ~ To wish you Scarlet Sparkles!
  • Red & Purple Feathers ~ to remind you that you can fly! | Something to “tickle your fancy”
  • Red/Purple beads ~ To remind you to always dress up
  • Red wax lips ~ to release your inner child
  • Ribbon ~ a reminder that friendship ties hearts together
  • Rubber-band ~ to remind you to be flexible, and stretch yourself beyond your limits
  • Sampler of chocolate –  to remind you that life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get, but knowing each other makes our lives sweeter.
  • Smarties ~ To remind you that you get smarter with age
  • Snack cake ~ to remember to indulge in the pleasures of life
  • Starburst ~ to give you a burst of energy
  • Sticker – a reminder to stick together and help each other
  • String ~  to tie things together when everything falls apart | to tie up loose ends | For tying your memories together
    
  • Sunflower seeds  ~ so you can spit just because you feel like it
  • Teabag ~ A reminder to sit back and relax from time to time
  • Teddybear ~ So you’ll never be lost in the wilderness
  • Toothpicks ~ to remind you to pick out the good in all situations

Making your own hats, or decorating a plain hat can be a lot of fun!  Here are some videos and links to millinery supplies you might find helpful.

Simple “Ruched” sinamay fascinator

Sinamay fascinator with “birdcage” net

Cloche hat (sewn with fabric)

Mini Top hat (fabric covered, cardboard base)

Mini Top Hat (using a plastic cup)

Mini top hat (using a cardboard base)

Ebay Millinery Category
http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/Millinery-Hat-Making-/153203/i.html

Millinery Online Store (Australian)
http://millineryonline.com.au

Millinery & Feather online store (Australian)
http://www.feather.com.au

Make yourself a necklace (or bracelet) that is cute as a button!

All you will need is a collection of buttons, best if they are a mixture of small and large.  2 or 4 hole – it doesn’t matter.  A length of thin cord or embroidery floss – about 3-4 times longer than you want the necklace to be.   Having a needle helps threading, but isn’t essential.  Make sure the needle is small enough to fit through the button holes and beads easily, but not too small that your cord won’t thread through.

If you want beaded dangle sections like I have made, you’ll also want some beads with a hole large enough to fit your thread/cord/needle through twice (since you need to pass the thread through the bead, down through the button then back through the bead).

The cord used here was a bit thick, so it was difficult to work with, as it required a lot of wrangling to get through the eye of the needle, and I couldn’t use a bigger needle or it wouldn’t fit through the beads.

To start off, you need to add your attachment button.  Choose a button with a shank.  I opted to let the end of the thread dangle down here and put a couple of beads on it.  I also dipped the knot in craft glue to help keep it from undoing.

Then it’s simply a case of threading the buttons onto your necklace however you would like them to be.  To save having to undo your work, you may want to plan out your design and work out the best length for you.

When sewing on a 2 hole button, it is best to do it twice, to stop it sliding around.

To thread 4 hole buttons on is to hold it so the holes are in a diamond formation – start with the bottom hole by bringing your needle/thread up from behind. Then go through the top hole, then bring the thread up through the hole on the left, then down through the hole on the right.  The button is then secure and the thread is ready for the next button.

To add the beaded dangle part, you need to sew the button as normal then if using a 4 hole button repeat the sideways stitch, giving you a straight section of thread on the back – pass the needle through this straight down.

So your thread should be pointing in the right direction.  Thread your bead on, then the button (passing the thread from the wrong side of the button seems to make it sit with the right side facing out, but you may have to experiment).

Then pass the thread back up through the bead, back through that straight stitch at the back of the button.  If you can, do another stitch sideways across the button to secure it, then sew the next button on.

Continue on until you get to the end.  Make a loop at the end to slip over your shank button, and your necklace is done!