Forever intrigued by various fabric applications, I have always been a little captivated by the yo yo. Most associate this technique with its use in quilts or decorative pillows. I owned a quilt, but sold it some years ago around the same time that I decided yo yo’s must have other uses. What came to mind were hats. I am a true hat lover, not of the red hat society which seems fun, but a wistful collector on a modest scale, particularly the seductive cloche. Secretly, I long to wear a hat every day, but definitely need more courage to do so. Pondering its use, I decided to use a yo yo to create a whimsical beret.
I liked the results, but wanted to see if I could create the same idea with a design that would hide the fact that it was a yo yo. I was pleased with the texture and tones, but decided to go with something monchromatic.
I liked the results of this one better. I used a black silk fabric for each yo yo and in the center of each I sewed a vintage metallic bead. The beads look more colorful in this photo, but they actually blend in more with the black. But yo yo’s are labor intensive, so my beret production ended with this one. Coincidentally, just a few months ago I discovered a delightful silk ribbon beret with little rosettes all over the hat. It reminded me that really nothing is original.
I laugh at what you said, “nothing is original,” – so true. No matter what we come up with by virtue of paint, fabric, the written word, etc. – the world is old enough now that someone, somewhere has done it before – over, and over again.
Lovely, lovely berets. My daughter is very in to berets right now as a friend of ours from Paris sent her a beautiful wool felt beret and she wears it all the time. I would love to try to make her one of these – they are gorgeous. Well done. And I give you permission to call them “original!”
What a lovely blog. I’m glad to know of it. And the hats are very beautiful and charming — I just blogged about hats myself. It seems to be in the zeitgeist.
ha! me too. i was just thinking about knowledge today in terms of real time experience and how much our stories can add to the enrichment of others. bravo….great post. and great berets by the way.
These are beautiful and yes nothing is original but everyone has their own unique perspective. I have a few photography friends and I love when they go to the same place and take completely different photographs.
I really love the hats they are beautiful.
Your hats are so much fun! I’ve thought about making a yo-yo table cloth but suspect when I get around to it, that it will be place mats.
found your blog via Jude.
lovely beret!also lovely twist to the not so lovely yo-yos
neki desu
Neki,
Thank you for your comments. I agree. I love all things Japanese. Some years ago I saw an exhibit at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco of Hokusai and Hiroshige. It changed much of my thinking on design and space. I appreciate the book references and will definitely look at these.
When I saw the Chinese shawl, my breath was taken away. The Fortuny fabrics gave me the same feeling. I have so enjoyed what you have on your blog.
Older fabrics and textiles seem to carry some kind of aura or mystery to them that newer pieces don’t convey. Even if they are worn and torn they bring forth a response that is comforting it seems. They become very addictive, with their gently worn patina.
Your beret is very beautiful.
I was recently given many plain white yo-yo’s by a friend and have been trying to come up with ideas of how to display them so that I can enjoy looking at them all the time. There’s something very special about the texture created by the perfect little pleats.
Came to visit you via Jude at Spiritcloth.