Blue Banana Market

I have been making somekind of hat since I was a little girl. I didn't realize how deep my passion for them ran until my parents dropped of old boxes and in it was the remains of a dollhouse hat shop I made when I was 11. , The first hat I made that was similar to the hats I make now was when I was 17. I needed to wear a hat in the summer to keep the sun off. I also needed one that would stay on while riding my bike, could be smashed into my knapsack and washed of bug repellant. My first few weren't that great but eventually I hit on a winner and I still have it today over 10 years later. Admittedly it's lost some of it's stiffness over the years and I mostly wear it at the cottage but it is a testament to the sewing skills my mother and grandmother installed in me. I say installed because it wasn't easy to learn and I spent many times frustrated and in tears because it didn't work. I stuck with it though and now I can sew anything. I'm always looking for a new challenge which is where the handsewn ribbon flowers started coming into play. I spend a great deal of time researching old techniques and old patterns. I play a lot when I have the time. I learn so much from the pile of mistakes under my desk. , I went to art school and studied painting, printmaking and sculpture as majors. I've also done costume work for summer-stock theatres and now I'm the resident costumer at the Simcoe County Museum. I just started this volunteer work and I'm very excited to make costumes, corsets and petticoats. I hope to make a selection of reproduction 1840's bonnets both in straw and fabric for the costumed interperators. If all goes well I may make an extra one and put it up here! , My printmaking is lino block cuts which are like wood cuts but in a different substance. The basic principle is like a rubber stamp. I carve away what I want left the colour of the paper and roll a thin coat of ink on the raised portion and press paper onto the block. Each image in the edition is done like this. I have recently bought a platten printing press and now I have a big antique in my living room. This allows me to use the technique of printmaking in everyday functional things because the printing time factor is reduced. Things such as the cocktail tags and magnets are printed on the press. I'm still working on adapting the press for my blocks so I find that large size prints aren't as successful. Hopefully soon. ,