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Fabulous Felt Hats: Dazzling Designs from Handmade Felt
by Chad Hagen

Chad Alice Hagen has been a part of the world of handmade felt for over twenty years. Her hand-felted wool has been exhibited internationally and is included in the collections of the Mint Museum of Art + Design and The Minneapolis Institute of Art. Chad’s time is divided between teaching feltmaking internationally, producing a production line of felt wearables, and creating large felt artworks for corporate and private collections. She lives and works in Asheville, North Carolina.

Internationally-known felt artist Chad Hagen shows just how simple, good-looking, and varied feltmaking can be, as she guides you through the basics of making more than a dozen spectacular hand-sculpted hats. Here are 15 patterns with endless variations, all in classic shapes, and transformed into unique fashion statements with fanciful touches and exquisite embellishments. Berets have 'wings,' snoods come with long tails just right for scrunching up, and caps feature soft felt spikes or long "dreadlocks" to tie in knots. Even the most traditional designs, such as pillboxes and brimmed hats, sport whimsical tiny safety pins or beads and buttons. For those who prefer not to start from scratch, there's even advice on jazzing up store-bought hats.