Sarah Dawnay – United Kingdom

Stonehenge

Description

The most timeless landmark I can think of is Stonehenge, it has been weathering time for many millennia. The stones stand over Salisbury plain while all around there is change: tracks left by wild aurochs gave way to Roman roads and now cars thunder past on the A303. All that time Stonehenge remains: timeless.

The trilby seems to be the enduring countryside hat and I was delighted to find a vintage trilby block for this project.

I was true to the stones, as I discovered that by using the inner ring of Saracen stones I could offer a great representation of these stones to sit perfectly proportioned around the crown of my trilby. I added a token Roman coin tucked between the needle felt and the crown, which offers a glimpse of the evidence of another time.

I used the concept of the ‘ley lines’ to give additional focus. In doing so I am further situating the design in a different, timeless age. By picking out this element in pure gold I am highlighting the alleged esoteric and timeless magic.

There is a irony however, the sun still logs the passing of the hours and days. The stones act like a giant sun dial and shadows on the stones represented in my design indicate a precise time of day.

When we think of timeless designs we think of classic style that never seems to go out of date, whether it is Audrey Hepburn in a little black dress or Catherine Deneuve in YSL Smoking. I can imagine this hat looking as appropriate in the 1960s or any decade up to the present time. The flattering soft grey under-brim and the silk lining should always make it a joy to wear.

Materials

• Velour felt capeline
• Woven cashmere / wool blend fabric
• Mixture of un-dyed natural wool rovings, dyed Corrriedale wool rovings, a blended Corriedale Sliver and a blended un-dyed Natural wool Roving.
• PVA (as a wash coat)
• Felting needles
• A Roman coin
• Real gold thread
• Felt stiffener
• Petersham ribbon
• Shantung silk
• Needle and thread
• Clear glue
• Steel brim wire
• Vintage trilby block
• Iron / ironing cloth and pins
• Tailors chalk

Techniques

• Drawing: to sketch Stonehenge in detail and ascertain the appropriate scale. The inner ring of stones worked perfectly to scale around the crown.
• It was essential to the design that the crown and brim were seamless, so it had to be blocked in one piece with no marks from pins or blocking string. I used additional felt to provide a cushioning layer with the blocking pins and avoided using block string or spring.
• I needle felted my interpretation of the inner circle of Stonehenge then sewed and glued this onto the crown. I completed this by sealing the needle felt with a layer of pva.
• I embroidered two ‘ley lines’ in eight strands of real gold thread.
• I blocked a second separate fabric brim to which I sewed a brim wire, a shaped head fit band and a bias silk hat lining.
• I used some clear glue to secure the two brims together. They were both well stiffened but this will ensure that there will be no possibility of sagging.
• I hand sewed the two brims together, folding the outer edge over the bottom brim and concealing the wire