Other times and places...
I love things that transport me to another time and place, whether they are stories, pictures, songs, objects or things to wear. Hats have a peculiar ability to do this and to express something of a person's own story.
I have loved hats my whole life but lived overseas in a place where I couldn't come by them often. When I moved to the States, the collection began and my favorite hats always seemed to come from antique stores.
I learned to sew as a child on an antique Singer sewing machine with a treadle. I didn't realize how rare and valuable an experience I was having in both using this amazing machine and in being taught to sew by my mother. Sadly, I have met very few people who have had this kind of opportunity in their youth.
I learned woodworking from my father as well. And so, in the last few years, hat blocking has been calling to me and since great hat blocks are so hard to come by in the US, I decided to make my own. So some of my hats are blocked on my own hat blocks.
I also have another Etsy shop called Papuan Lass, where I sell miniature scroll Christmas ornaments. This is where I developed some skill in paper sculpting which you will see incorporated in some of my hats.
I design hats inspired by the past, wearable in the present. Elsewhen is not about being trendy or providing hats you could find in a department store. These works of art are for the people who have imagined the way they would look if they were a character in a novel or an old movie. I specialize in designing hats with inspiration from the eras from 1915 to the 1960’s but my designs are compatible with contemporary clothing. My sewing patterns are uniquely written for people who are not necessarily expert sewers. The instructions are clear with plenty of illustrations and can be downloaded instantly to your computer and printed on regular sized printer paper (letter or A4).
