Arrival of the Vintage Stetson Bowler!

Is there anything more exciting than a package in the mail?

Oh, Happy Day: it's the Stetson bowler I won on eBay last week!





I'm not sure how old this bowler is but it's old.  As I mentioned a few days ago, it's a summer bowler with teeny perforations in the crown.  It looks like it was purchased at a hat shop called Jordan's in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.





The fit is excellent -- while the hat is rigid, it is much more flexible than either the cheapo Made-in-China bowler I returned, or either of the two bowlers I tried on at J.J. Hat Center last week.

There's definitely something about this hat that makes you go all jazz-hands.





As you can see, it fits lower on my head, diminishing the Stan Laurel effect (somewhat).





Happiness is a black bowler!



In other news, Michael wore his crossword shirt today and received many compliments.  Thank you, readers, for your many kind comments about his big shirt reveal yesterday.







Tomorrow is April 1 and, just so you know, I will not be doing any kind of April Fools post.  At MPB it's all real, all the time. 

In closing, friends, any idea how old my bowler might be?

Have a great day, everybody!

Michael's Crossword Puzzle Shirt REVEAL!

Behold Michael's new shirt!

Michael admitted today that he feared this shirt would look too much like a novelty garment:  "I expected I'd only be able to wear it to a crossword puzzle tournament, but this shirt I could wear anywhere."



Well I'm glad to hear that -- and don't think I'm not going to hold him to it.  I think it looks great on him, especially now that he wears black eyeglass frames.  Kind of a "geek chic" vibe, no?





I've seen a lot of crossword-inspired fabrics and I must say this one, which I purchased at The City Quilter, is the nicest of the bunch.  As you can see, it has answers penciled in, but no numbers.  It's from the company Timeless Treasures Fabrics of Soho and was designed by Gail Cadden (in a collection called, coincidentally, "Geek Chic."  Great minds and all that...).

 



I lined the inside yoke, collar stand, cuffs, and button plackets with black cotton shirting for contrast.  I think it makes the shirt look more elegant. 









I've made Michael two shirts this month;  I think that's plenty.  Time to get back to my wardrobe needs!

Have a great day, everybody!

Friday Crossword Puzzle Apparel-PALOOZA!

Little did Miss Verna Lee Fisher suspect, when she posed in her clever crossword puzzle swimsuit and swimcap back in 1933, that she'd be part of a trend that would continue to....this very weekend!

I thought I'd come up with something original when I decided to make Michael a crossword puzzle shirt from a quilting cotton print, but boy was I wrong!

Behold a brief but comprehensive array of crossword apparel, from sneakers to headgear and everything in between.  And speaking of brief, yes, that's a crossword puzzle thong down below!










































Personally, I think Michael's shirt is going to top all of these and I hope when you see it you'll agree.  I am somewhat partial to the high-tops and the stockings, however. 

Readers, would you purchase/make/wear any of these?  (Have you already?)

Hope you're not feeling overwhelmed with crossword puzzle prints just yet -- the big reveal is coming soon.

Nighty-night, everybody!

Getting Started on the "Crosswords Are Easy" Shirt + New Pattern Book (and Hat)

Today I started my crossword puzzle shirt project, aka "Crosswords Are Easy."

Are crosswords easy?  For Michael, The Crossword Puzzle Whiz, I'd say yes.  For me, it depends.  (Not as easy as word-search puzzles.)

Anyway, since the fabric is so...crossword-puzzle-y, I'm trying to break it up a bit by using solid black shirting for contrast where I can: the inside cuffs, the inside button plackets, and the inside yoke.  I'll probably make the inside collar stand black too.







With any luck he'll be able to model it this weekend.

In other news, as of a few hours ago, there's a new bowler in my life!



Actually, it's an old bowler, a Stetson.  This hat is so old, in fact, that it was manufactured with tiny perforations in the crown, which were found in hats intended for summer.  Can you imagine: a summer bowler!   I won it on eBay.  It was marginally more expensive than the Made in China hat I returned, but much less than even the cheapest bowler at J.J. Hat Center.  Hopefully it fits!

Finally, I received a new book my friend Johanna recommended to me, Flatness Folded by Miranda Tsui.  It's a book of 23 contemporary designs based on traditional Chinese garments.  You have to make the patterns yourself, based on small diagrams in the book that include measurements.  Most of the designs look very elegant and they're all non-gendered.  I hope to make at least one of these next month for my Mood project.





















And that's it.  I'm happy about my new hat, pleased with my new book, and looking forward to completing Michael's new shirt tomorrow.  No complaints.

Have a great day, everybody!