Summer and Smoke

Yesterday there was a free corn roast at St. Lawrence Market. Gorgeous day for it, too. Last summer it took place only on the south side, and I never encountered it. This year they had it on both sides of Front Street. I was situated very close by.

They built a big, wood-burning fire next to the fountain, with no chimney. It produced a great deal of smoke. It smelled great for the first little while, until you noticed how much your eyes were stinging. It also produced a great deal of ash, which blew about in large chunks and settled everywhere.

The corn roast was very popular. There was a long lineup the whole time, which snaked right in front of my hat display. These folks were not hat customers. If there were any out there, they had a lot of people to wiggle through to get to my display. I guess that's why they didn't. It was also became pretty claustrophobic for us vendors, hemmed in by the press of humanity.

Sigh....

Fortunately, a kind universe favoured me with a very good day before the conflagration of the corn began. Herewith the photographic souvenirs:

Denise Dufour, a returning customer (my absolutely favourite kind), chose two new hats for herself. Here she is in a black and white gingham with zipper tape trim.
















A real hat fan, Michelle fell immediately in love with my Balenciaga-ish chapeau. Add why shouldn't she? It was a millinery class project that earned a very high mark. It's great to see it find such an appreciative new owner. My mother will miss it, though. It was her favourite.








People. Lots and lots of people. Lots and lots of waiting. Note the tarpaulin my best beloved, Scott, has rigged in a desperate bid to block out the smoke.












Samantha knows what she likes. She chose this hat to model while waiting in line with her dad, Darryl.











A rare, behind-the-gridwall view of the sea of humanity slowly filing by my display.

Attention Shoppers

Please note that I will not be at my usual post at St. Lawrence Market this coming Saturday, July 31 due to an important family occasion. I'll be back, weather permitting, Saturday, August 7.

Merci!

Pendant Moi Le Deluge*

*With apologies to Louis XV.

Last Saturday at St. Lawrence Market began beautifully -- sunny and breezy, not really hot like last Saturday was. Just about perfect, really. Lots of foot traffic, including two customers who came back for more! I love when that happens! Joanna Sipos of Belle Boutique was there, selling her fantastic jewelry. Everyone loves her. She's so nice and so talented. (Disclaimer: I work for Joanna and David Dunkley of KC's Hats on Sundays.) Somewhat fewer craft vendors than usual. Maybe they were scared away by the weather report.

They had a point. Mid-afternoon what looked like a piffle of a trickle at first glance quickly became a very purposeful downpour. My tent neighbours and a bunch of their friends and we were huddled under our tents, madly grabbing our creations out of harm's way, and learning quickly that the tents have holes in them. Not so much fun.

The last time we had a drenching like that was during Woofstock. Sometimes one is grateful for being off to one side, if said side has a concrete roof.

But it was good while it lasted. Herewith the photographic evidence:

The lovely Amanda, first customer of the day, gracing her new hairband.














Meagan, looking adorable in a straw bowler.















Rachel and Linda, playing dress-up. Although I do think Linda should make that Trilby hers, don't you?











Kate in a bow on a band.













Shy little Monica, the band's new owner.















The lovely and very talented Joanna. I was very flattered that she bought this band, and one other piece.








Carole found the perfect hat. Don't they look happy together?

Market Post-Bastille Day

Bastille Day came and went and I almost forgot to sing the Marseillaise. Almost. I remembered in the nick of time and regaled my friend Heather with the first verse, very quietly, on the subway. She had taken me to see "Jersey Boys" for a very special birthday present. I had a blast! Everyone should see it and all bands should have choreography.

"Jersey Boys" and this French holiday have nothing to do with millinery, of course. Except for maybe cockades, those nifty little ribbon circles les citoyens wore on their caps. (Note to self: Make more cockades.) I could tell you some nerdy details about the origins of those, but not until you ask. Cheap bid for emails. (Sad, I know.)

Some Francophones did come by my table at the Market on Saturday, though.

The day began sunny and hot, but became cloudier and gustier later in the afternoon. My poor neighbour, Linda Childs, had a few hair-raising moments trying to keep her lovely creations framed in glass from falling to their deaths. It was close there, once or twice. Hats are bouncier.

Other than battening down our respective hatches, my tent neighbours and I were entertained by eye-catchingly costumed teams zooming about on a treasure hunt. It was The Great Urban Race, modeled after The Amazing Race on TV, to raise money for St. Jude's Hospital. They were having their pictures taken pretending to dive into the fountain and asking us where this and that were.

Otherwise, the north Market was abundantly bountiful with produce. Veggies, fruits and flowers seemed to have increased exponentially since last week. Come and see for yourself next Saturday.

Mark, looking quite dashing in an Ivy cap.










Sue, modeling her new wide-brimmed, hand-blocked, tea-stained straw. With chinstraps added for boating with confidence.












Syndey, Carleigh, Taylor, Kristi and Michaela - one attractive family, mostly from Arizona, and a bit from Michigan. Taylor chose a hairband with a zipper flower for a birthday present. Thanks, Taylor!



My friend and best customer, Lucy. She's been coveting this raspberry felt since Christmas, and finally took the plunge. She's looking forward to wearing it for real when it's more seasonally appropriate.

Feeling the Heat

Another spectacularly beautiful day at the Market yesterday. We were so lucky that the heat wave had broken the day before, taking the oppressive humidity away. It was hot and sunny, but not the trying-to-kill-you kind.

Lots of visitors from near and far were afoot, or a-wheel. One was Ramteen, a photographer. He kindly shared with me the cool photo he took of my hats (left). The colour, the composition, the light and shadow! How nice to see my work through someone else's lens. Thanks, Ramteen!

Also, a couple stopped by who used to run a millinery store on Adelaide. It's always fun to meet fellow milliners, but I always seem to meet retirees who have sold all their hat blocks. If you have hat blocks to sell, I'm all ears!

Now it's time to get cracking on a hat for Salome. She's off to Cuba this week, and she must be protected from that Caribbean sun.

On with this week's show:

This is Roslyn, who thought she didn't look good in hats. I love disabusing people of this illusion!










This charming Francophone is Gabrielle, who glows in her new coral linen chapeau.











This is Sydney. I could tell she was a dancer, but she chose not to strike a dancer-ly pose for this photo in which she models her just-made-that-day hairband.








Alley, front, and Blue. I once had a brother who was an Airedale, like Alley. It's true. My mother's other child.

Pat's Hat

Pat, my best friend Heather's mum, had me make her a hat. I had a delightful time taking my millinery road show to her beautiful Lake Simcoe home on a gorgeous day last month. It was just as fun taking her the completed chapeau, as Heather and her hubby Johnmark came, too (and did all the driving! Score!). A bit breezy, so no lake dipping this time either (nerts), but another delicious and abundant lunch, walks and frolics with Oliver, overgrown puppy deluxe.

Pat chose a hat for gardening and Floridian sun. I think she made an excellent choice. The sunny colour makes her complexion glow. Thanks, Pat!

School's Out!

This weekend took the nasty taste of last weekend clean away. It was sunny and warm, the kids were out of school, and everyone seemed to be breathing a collective sigh of post-summit relief.

As I said last time, I wasn't selling hats last weekend. My partner Scott and I did come to St. Lawrence Market anyway, to see what we were missing and to shop. We weren't missing anything. The weather was awful. The North Market was a virtual bowling alley. Very few farmers came in for the day. Only two brave souls selling their crafts under tarpaulins outside, trying not to be blown away by the winds. (Pathetic fallacy, anyone?) The South Market seemed quieter than usual, too. The liquor store on the corner was boarded up, but the bank wasn't, after all.

But last Saturday was very nice, indeed. We had our tent neighbour, Judy Welch, the model agent par excellence in her day, tell us about the time she met Elvis Presley. Lots of lovely people came by, like Judith, who had me make a custom linen trilby for her, and graciously allowed me to trim it as I saw fit. So I did. She loves it and it loves her. A few more hats found their forever homes, both locally and internationally. I thank their new "mothers".

Judith in her new trilby.

















Trilby, trim-view.














Cheryl. She looked great in this one.
















Gisele, in another trilby.





Helen and her new hat, which is preparing to enjoy life in Liverpool. Thankfully it's a big Beatles fan.






The lovely Ailish and Shannon, gracing well-chosen hair ornaments.

Fearful Summitry

St. Lawrence Market was its usual self this Saturday, but we're bracing for whatever upheaval the G20 Summit next weekend will wreak. I hear the police have suggested to the farmers in the North Market that they may prefer to cancel their trips into town next Saturday, since highway travel will be made more interesting/challenging by the eighty-odd motorcades scheduled. A nearby bank has received a shipment of plywood with which to barricade its windows. Sheesh...

All the excitement will be taking place some distance west of the Market, except for the big pen they've built for the detainees from Queen's Park, and the downtown convention centre. That's southeast of the Market, along Eastern Avenue, in case you're planning to storm the barricades. Alons, enfants de la patrie...

Frankly, it's all too much to contemplate for me. I will not be at the Market next Saturday. I will be back Saturday, July 3 (barring monsoons) as usual.

Anyhoo, back to yesterday. It was quite nice, especially after the weather made a commitment to behave and the sun came out to stay. Nice people from near and far came by, as usual. I didn't get nearly as much work done as I'd planned to, as usual.

Salome Cordeiro had a table nearby, as she often does. She is as multi-talented artist who lends a hand to the same folks I do. So we're stablemates. Or something. Salome was selling some fabulous creatures she's made, "scalarags and sock imps", at least some of which were very, ahem, cheeky.

Amy (left) and Jocelyn gracing a brace of hair clips.








Emma-Rose, looking lovely in her aptly chosen hairband.













From the left we have Jane, Sydney, Lauren and Casey, four charming girls.







Salome and a bevy of her creatures. Please note that the sock she is holding up was made from a pair of kids' socks. A tiny thing made into a teeny thing.








Cheeky devil!

Woof

If you like dogs, and lots of 'em, Woofstock is the place for you. Dogs and people were abundantly represented at St. Lawrence Market this Saturday, grey skies notwithstanding. From Great Danes to teacup Yorkies, from "naked" to costumed, it was a regular pup-apalooza. The skies finally opened mid-afternoon, right about the time we would be packing up, anyway. The event carried on today (Sunday) as well, which was rain-free. Hope everyone who went had fun, and all their shots.

A few brave souls wandered off the beaten path of Front and Market Streets to find me toward the back of the Park and make my day worthwhile, millinerilly speaking.

My shots (photographic) were limited, as all my camera batteries died. Even the spares. Here are the few I did manage to get.

These doggies, Kelsey and Quin, are staying at the King Edward Hotel, giving new meaning to the expression, "it's a dog's life."






Sandra in her new grey Trilby. Which was modeled earlier by...





Zoe, with Kayla and Donna.









Corinne looks quite dashing in her new peacock-trimmed chapeau with the bead and sequin motifs. And Michelle took home a grey silk calla lily headband.

This dachshund is Mila. She came back dressed in a centipede costume.

Amnesia Day

Whew! It's been a busy week. On Monday, as previously posted, I went to the Dundas museum to see the glorious hats display. The next day I went to Lake Simcoe to visit a client, who happens to be my best friend's mum. A delightful afternoon. Gorgeous weather again, but the lake was too cold to get wet in. I hope to rectify that when I bring the completed hat that was commissioned. More busyness ensued, millinery and non, then before I knew it, it was Saturday and I was back to the Market once again.

I blame all this for me being too ditzy to write down the names of two of my photo subjects. If they see this, I hope they will be so kind as to email me so I can put their names next to their photos.

It was another good day, thanks to all the lovely people who bought hats or accessories for themselves or their sisters or daughters. There was a lot of love in evidence, very heart-cockle-warming. And what goes around, comes around.


What a little cutie.















This anitpodean elfin sophisticate's name eludes me. If she sees this, I do hope she'll email me to refresh my memory.









Katherine, right, bought her twin sister Libby the hairband she is wearing. The lime green silk looks great with Libby's colouring.








Melody's mother, in a matching outfit, bought her this hat. They were on their fifth annual Girls Trip, with other girls of their family, where they get together to visit new places and spend some quality time. Because life is short!




Next week at St. Lawrence Market it's Woofstock. If you likes you some pooches, come on down!

Museum Millinery -- Act Now!

My millinery colleagues, David and Sheila, and I used our mutual day off this Monday to visit the museum in Dundas, Ontario, where hats were on display. Sheila had told us about the guest curator, Norma Shephard, and her Mobile Hat Museum some time ago, so we jumped at the chance to go see Finishing Touch: The Milliners’ Art & The Hatters’ Trade while the jumping was good.

It was a gorgeous day, and the town of Dundas, next door to Hamilton, was just beautiful. We poked about the main street and had a lovely lunch before visiting the tiny, perfect museum, where admission is by donation.

We made a beeline for the hat display, and spent a very fast hour ooh-ing and aah-ing over Ms. Shephard's collection. It was wonderful, and truly exceeded our expectations. I don't want to tell you everything we saw and loved and wanted to try to make ourselves -- I want you to go see it for yourself. Time is of the essence; the display is ending June 13.

May Day

If it's this hot in May, what, pray tell, might we anticipate for July? Plenty of demand for wide-brimmed hats, I bet. That was the message I was getting from the many visitors to my St. Lawrence Market table yesterday.

The Market was bursting with activity on the first really gorgeous Saturday of the season, including a festive interlude with a wedding party towards the end of the afternoon. Beautiful saris, a resplendent groom and a jolly band, in the shadow of St. Lawrence Hall.

It was also the weekend for Doors Open, so lots of visitors poring over the historical buildings open for exploration. A friend dropped by to share his photos taken from the belfry of St. James Cathedral behind us. Pretty darn cool!

(Did I ever tell you that I once tolled the noonday bell at St. James Cathedral on Christmas Day? Because I did.)
Jean is taking this hat and silk flower home to Newfoundland, to keep off the sun as she tools around in her little red convertible. I love it!










Jessica and Beth, gracing two of my hairbands.










Marjolaine, who modeled this band because it went so well with her beautiful eyes.






Jane, who was a milliner in Vancouver. It's always a pleasure to meet a fellow hatmaker. She's also a fine painter.






Amanda, a young lady who really looks good in green.






















Wedding festivities. 'Tis the season! The more, the merrier!

Kelly's With the Band

Kelly Aija Zemnickis, aka KAZ, who bought the spriggy headband yesterday, kindly dropped me a line. She wore it to Conan O'Brien's show last night. Her band was a hit, and even drew a compliment from the comedian who opened.

And here I go, shamelessly telling you all this. Please forgive me.

KAZ tells me she's a playwright. One of her works is off to the Minnesota Fringe Festival this year. I love her works' titles. They are amusing, intriguing and make me want to know more. Judge for yourself.

Here's the photo Kelly sent me. Who's a pretty girl?