Most regrettably our Guest Speaker Amy, from Handcrafted Fascinators, had to withdraw from talking to members at February’s meeting because of a bad dose of ‘flu and her presence was very much missed. We sent her commiserations and good wishes for a speedy recovery with the hope that she will be able to come to a future meeting.
Thankfully for all members, Caroline was able to produce an impromptu quiz on well-known world-wide hats plus the materials for members to create their own paper hats, decorating them with ribbons, stars and flower shapes; our collection was very impressive and here are some of my photos for you to see –
Everyone’s coming up hats….
Hats we win!…
What a stunner!
And pretty mades all in a row!
Here are a few of the quiz questions –
Why do we say “mad as a hatter”? – (The process of making felt involved toxic mercury that drove hat makers to madness)
Who was the first person to pull a rabbit out of a hat? – (A Frenchman, Louis Comte, in 1814; the Top Hat made its debut in 1797, London)
What is the design significance of the chef’s hat? – (Each pleat represented a way that a master chef had to prepare eggs)
Who was the first person to wear a fedora? – (Sarah Bernhardt, the 1800’s actress, portrayed a character called “Fedora” who wore the distinctive hat)
What saved our state animal, the beaver, from extinction? – (The silk worm – silk replaced beaver felt in hat making)
Our thanks to Caroline for a most entertaining Meeting.
Margaret Halstead