Daybreak

Kristi Pickup

United Kingdom

Yarn PomPom Project by Catherine Ellen

Catherine’s pompom tutorial immediately caught my attention, as everyone has warm, nostalgic memories of being taught how to wrap pompoms by a favourite Aunt or their Nan and I felt that the humble pompom could be enhanced to become something more, something up-lifting …like sunlight!

My pompom ‘sun’ is the main feature of the design, rising-up over the ombré ‘landscape’, bringing hope for the day ahead. Constructed from nine different shades of up-cycled plastic bags (“plarn”) and dress net to keep it as light-weight as possible. The design is inspired by the 1920’s Art Deco era, with a geometric and simplified form. The sail-like ‘rays’, made from wired and heat-bonded layers of up-cycled plastic, introduce another dimension as the head turns.

The conical, or “Coolie” shape, traditionally used for protection from the elements, including the sun - is my twist on a ‘sun hat’! I studied the construction of the “Non La” hats of Vietnam, but I choose to adapt it into something a touch more modern; angular shapes internally and pushing it into an asymmetric slant to balance my ‘sunshine’. Constructed from wire & wrapped in yarn to echo the ombré of the crin, allowing light to pour into the hat, creating a cathedral-like quality internally; establishing feelings of drama and imposing grandeur before the hat is donned.

Five colours of pleated crinoline were selected from various photographs taken at dawn, to emulate sunrays falling across the face. Six layers were carefully stitched, cut and frayed to soften the transition through each graduation. I feel the combination of synthetic materials enhance the lustre and tactile quality of the design.

I hope that my hat captures the nostalgia of a day just passed; yet the dawning of the next and the feeling of hope that it brings.

• Millinery spring wire
• Floristry wire
• Cotton wrapped millinery wire (head fitting)
• Yellow paper bound wire (sun ray support)
• Cotton threads (various colours)
• Acrylic yarn
• Chiffon navy fabric
• UHU glue (to fix thread & yarn ends in place only)
• Hot glue (to fix sun rays only)
• Wide-width pleated crinoline (in five shades)
• Upcycled plastic bag strips – plastic yarn or “Plarn” (shades of red, orange, yellow & white)
• Dress net (two shades of red)

• Wire frame designed, measured, fitted & then secured with thread & glue.
• Fully wrapped-by-hand in yarn (including wire pompom support).
• Chiffon wrapped head-fitting, several layers (for comfort).
• Crin shaped/stretched, layered, cut & frayed.
• Crin ends layered & stitched securely in place.
• Completely hand-stitched.
• Nine shades of plastic & net cut into strips, wrapped to create an ombré ‘sun’ pompom.
• Yellow plastic layered, pleated/ ruched, wire support inserted & melted with an iron (& greaseproof paper!)
• Hot glue to fix the sun ‘rays’ in place
• Label to mark the centre back.