I haven’t been feeling too great this week, I think I have caught the cold that has been doing the rounds at work. This means that I’ve been particularly uninspired to sew as well, all i want to do when I get home is lounge around and read my book. Enter a super simple sewing job that I can do with minimal input from my brain…Scrub hats!
I work in an operating theatre, so of course I wear scrubs all day and have to have my hair covered. Its a pretty great uniform, as far as work attire goes, scrubs are pretty much just pyjamas (and when you get covered in blood or vomit, you just change them and put them in the laundry for the wonderful laundry staff to deal with! Brilliant!), and scrub hats hide all manner of bad hair days. The hats that we are provided with are just paper disposable ones, but I’ve been making my own fabric ones for a few years now. Partly because they fit better (the paper ones are massive, and I have a little head and not a lot of hair to fill it up), and I like having bright colours and patterns to break up all the blue from the scrubs! They’re also really good to distract kids with.
I have a very technical pattern for the hats-I draw around a side plate for the top, and then cut a strip of fabric which is then hemmed and pleated around the circle. Then I thread some elastic into a little under half of the back hem, and repeat! I’ve actually made a paper pattern this time, as a few of my new colleagues have commissioned some hats and I feel that I should try to make them the same as the sample one they tried on…
Trust me, I’m a professional! Honest!
Since this is a bit of a short, boring post, I’ll show off some of the gorgeous new fabric that I’ve bought…
How amazing is this embossed leather?! I have no idea how to sew with it, its quite soft but much thicker than what I (or my machine) am used to. I had to buy it when I saw it in the Fabric Store though, I love the pale blush/nude colour, and the beautiful art nouveau embossing. I think I’ll make it into a clutch, once I figure out how to sew it…
My other stellar purchase (also from the Fabric Store, man I love that place!) is this lovely floral swimsuit fabric. I think I’ll make the bandeau version of the Papercut pattern Soma swimsuit, in about six months when its beach weather again! Its absolutely freezing at the moment, definitely not time to be thinking about making a bikini…
Fifty Two Fancies 
Oh my goodness, those scrub hats are so utterly fabulous! And OM! Embossed leather!!!! I had no idea there was such a thing, but it looks so luxurious. Can’t wait to see what you make with it!
Meant OMG not OM to the embossed leather. š
I’m assuming embossed is the correct term, thats what I would call it if it was paper! I just need to work up the courage to cut into it…
Ahh, I didn’t recognise you from your “about me” photo but I DEFINITELY recognise you with a scrub hat on! Nursing, yes? I have most certainly worked with you in theatre from time to time
I never recognise anyone from theatre when I see them in real clothes either! Im an anaesthetic tech. I think we might have worked together in obstetrics?
I came back to say – “No! Not nursing, anaesthetic tech, and I worked with you in obstetrics”. I remembered while staring at the anaesthetic machine in theatre today.
Small world š I don’t know where you find the time to sew so many amazing clothes!