a mad cap :: Project Upcycle by Betz White

I hadn't heard of Craftsy, a site dedicated to crafty online classes and tutorials, until Betz White asked if I might like to participate in her Blog Tour.  You may already know that Betz is incredibly clever when it comes to creative re-use so how could I resist a chance to try my hand at one of her tutorials?  In her 'Project Upcycle' course, Betz covers the basics of the hunt and deconstruct, as it relates to finding good second-hand materials to work with, and walks us through the step by steps of five different projects.  I chose the "Mad Cap" project to work on, a versatile beret-type hat.  I wanted to make one for a dear friend of mine who loves berets, but I also couldn't resist making a smaller version for my youngest, Princess Poplar.

Even though I chose a wildly uncooperative acrylic weave to work with for my daughter's hat (that nearly gave me fits), I think it turned out pretty well.  She really likes it and I forsee many versions of this hat in her future. (with more cooperative fabric, of course)

I chose black wool coat fabric for my friend's hat and that was muuuuuch easier to work with.   I used a vintage pillowcase for the lining; cute, right?

What I loved about the Craftsy course was that I could watch the video at my own pace, ask questions of Betz (and read others' questions and Betz's responses), and add notes to myself at various points in the tutorial that I could refer to later.  The episode is really well-shot which I appreciated too.  You get a great view of the process, eliminating any of the "now what is she doing there?" questions.  What I loved about Betz was that she was completely down to earth and thorough in her teaching.  Even though I am sadly lacking in the machine-sewing skill department, I was able to make something cute.  That is no small feat, so thank you Betz, for making me a mad capper! 

If you'd like to take the course yourself, Betz is offering my readers $10 off!  Just click here. 

Check out the rest of the Project Upcycle Blog Tour:

Week of Oct 17th: The Long Thread
Week of Oct 24: Inspire Co.
Week of Nov 28: Daisy Janie 

Week of Dec 5th: Me!

Week of Dec 12th: While She Naps