‘I Want My Hat Back’ by Jon Klassen

One of the pleasures of reading aloud to students is being able to share stories that have been recognized as exceptional works of children’s literature. One example is Jon Klassen’s picture book, I Want My Hat Back. Klassen was honored this past April as the 2026 Laureate for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

Hat and blouse from repurposed fabrics

My latest hat and blouse creations repurpose fabrics from other uses. Lace and embroidered trim are from a now-retired blouse, and the patchwork fabric is from a computer cover. I love the way that the patchwork fabric, in its rich dark green and burgundy, work with the white lace and the trim.

Hat and blouses in school colors

Completed just in time for school pictures this past week at Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts: a couple of blouses, and a “newsboy” hat in the school colors of black, white and gold. Over the summer, I was given an unused stash of various quilting fabrics, and these projects made good use of it. The blouses each come from commercial patterns (shown in the photograph), while the hat is based on piecework I used to do for Hat People in southern Oregon.

‘Helmet liners’ sewn with patch-work

Reverse-engineered Jonathan’s “helmet liner,” to produce these new articles for him to wear over his hair during exercise. I’m especially proud of the black-and-white, for which I pieced together various squares of fabric — part of a long-term, lifelong-benefit result of being taught Home Ec in high school.

Green-herringbone jacket and hat

Here are a couple of my recent sewing projects, out of a beautiful green herringbone flannel. The jacket is from an old McCalls pattern, #7799, enhanced with a layered applique that I made from repurposed garments.

The newsboy hat is a rare monochromatic creation. I usually combine various colors, textures and patterns when I sew these hats, but I needed a hat in a plain neutral color — and for me, “neutral” is dark green. It’ll easily go with the many other shades of green that dominate my wardrobe.

Plenty of school spirit with this newsboy hat

I managed to create one final hat before packing up my sewing supplies for the move back to northern California. With the black-and-white brocade patterning of its brim and quartered panels, this newsboy hat is just the thing to wear with the school colors for Santa Rosa Charter School for the Arts. And as is often the case with my unique constructions, this hat is entirely assembled from repurposed garments. The patterned pieces come from a thrift-store jacket. The green solid was repurposed from a man's work shirt and the blue comes from a skirt.

Hat People’s ‘Leaf Corps’ hat

Walking around Medford, we got so many compliments for this “Leaf Corps” hat by Hat People that I got Jonathan for Christmas. (I assemble crowns and brims for Hat People’s “newsboy” hats, and that piecework financed Jonathan’s gift.)

Like its name suggests, the “Leaf Corps” hat has unique sylvan touches: a point to the brim suggestive of a leaf, leafy top-stitch embroidery, and a fabric tail at the top of the hat reminiscent of a plant’s stem.

Two ties wrap around and hang down the back, providing a patterned accent to the solid-color body of the hat.

Where they’re secured around the hat-band, the ties can fold down to keep the ears of the wearer warm; the dangling ends at back can serve the wearer as a scarf.

Jonathan has long admired Jim of Hat People’s “Leaf Corps” design. For Jonathan’s hat we chose the fabrics and expressed our preferences in detailing. We really appreciate Jim’s care in creating what turned out a masterpiece.

Staff photo commemorates new year in library

An official staff photo by Lifetouch School Portraits commemorates my beginning a new year as a library professional.

I’ve come a long way since first going to work in Bellview Elementary School library. That first year, I learned so much — and I continue to learn going forward.

For each staff photo, I dipped into my extensive hat collection, consistent with what has been a key part of my identity.

This year, I wore my “newsboy” cap made from brightly-colored fabrics. I modeled this hat after the touring-cap pieces I assemble for Hat People of southern Oregon, but I added a hat band.

His and her newsboy hats

His and her newsboy hats are assembled from scraps of Guatemalan cotton, interspersed with panels of black cutwork embroidery (repurposed from a skirt) and solid black linen or wool.

Brother 1034D Serger

The Brother 1034D Serger will really streamline bill-assembly for “newsboy” touring caps. I want to credit Candice Ayala for starting me on a firm foundation with my overlock sewing machine. In her YouTube video, she explains the importance of labeling each pathway through the machine in the order that they should be threaded.

Blue, green and purple newsboy hat

This newsboy-style hat, in panels of blue, green and purple, repurposes fabric from a purple tunic, a blue and green floral-print dress and a green-lace skirt. The hat-band, in green and white stripe, was a remnant of grab-bag fabric.

As with previous creations this hat represents a variant on the Hat People design, with the hat-band my unique addition. I like to add a hat-band because it presents one more opportunity to use a contrasting or complimentary fabric that really pulls the whole design together.

Hat from ‘cycle-hacked’ garments

Talk about a win-win situation: I chop the hemline of a dress or long tunic so that I can wear it, paired with pants or leggings, while I ride on my bicycle. This saves garments that, while loved, might otherwise never be worn because they weren’t biking-compatible. Here, leftover fabric from recent alterations found purpose of their own when assembled into a “newsboy” hat. The crown, band and brim of the hat were assembled out of fabric from a sunflower-print dress, an embroidered long tunic and a long lace skirt. Shown with it are “cycle-hacked” garments that contributed its fabric.

Also posted to Librarian on a Bicycle

Hats in golds, browns and reds

It’s a treat to see pieces I’ve assembled for Hat People of southern Oregon, in the hats’ final completed form. These varigated creations seemed especially cheerful with their rich golds, browns and reds — so much so that when I saw one of the finished hats at the Lithia Artisans Market, I couldn’t resist snapping a photograph.

The librarian’s ‘customer service’ hat

What would my ‘customer service’ hat look like?

Among library blogs, 500 Hats by Barbara Braxton is a personal favorite; it expands the perceptions of people who think of librarians only as “keeper of the books.”

Each entry focuses on one of many “hats” worn by the library professional.

Hats are a big part of my image and so in that vein, I offer thoughts on my “customer service” hat. Customer service is a big part of my daily activities in Bellview Elementary School library.

‘Hattitude’: Cap in orange, green, blue and brown

I assembled various fabrics, in orange, green, blue and brown, into a spectacular hat. I love the way these fabrics work together, most re-purposed from other garments. Old pants, a skirt and fabric cut from a dress to make it “bicycle-friendly.” (’Cause at the risk of digression, a short dress over pants is much easier to ride in than a long dress that might tangle in the chain.) The blue-stripe comes from a sash that was very loose weave — just threads held together at intervals — so I stitched it onto another fabric to give it greater durability. Same thing with the green lace.

Read Across America Day: Time to bring out my hat

Sewing helper Starfire and friend

Time once again to bring out my “Cat in the Hat” hat for Read Across America Day, which is being observed on Monday, March 2 to commemorate the birthday of children’s author Dr. Seuss. I made this hat out of felt, and the appliqued cat is from a repurposed potholder. The lovely model is Miss Starfire.

The “Dr. Seuss Wall” (actually a length of paper from a newspaper end-roll) is up again in Bellview library too, and I’m hoping that staff, students, parents and visitors will share their favorite Dr. Seuss quotes.

One of my ‘hats,’ in more ways than one

My part-time work sewing bills and crowns for Hat People​ in southern Oregon now has tangible representation. My newsboy hat, in brown-and-green plaid, brown herringbone, plus dark-green and teal solids, turned out every bit as fabulous as I imagined it would.

‘Hattitude’: Plaid with herringbone and solids

I’ve assembled bill and crown of the most fabulous hat yet for Hat People in southern Oregon: panels of my favorite brown-and-green plaid complimented by brown herringbone plus dark-green and teal solids. This hat is going to be mine.

Crocheted cat ears hat with fabric liner and ties

I spent “Caturday” adding a fabric liner and ties to my fabulous cat ears hat, originally crocheted from Kelley Freeman’s pattern on RamenNeedles.com.

And as there often is with my favorite projects, there’s a story attached.

Knitting socks with Dreamz Symphonie Wood

Until this Christmas, my sock-knitting pursuits involved “Boye” Size 3 double-pointed knitting needles that I found packaged in a tube with an original printed price of 45 cents. This morning I worked the socks onto my Christmas gift from Jonathan, Knitter’s Pride Dreamz Symphonie Wood needles.