Slow Stitched Hats

A few years ago, I had a Bape coded graphic shirt with a plane that I really liked. When it was time for the shirt to go, I wanted a way to preserve the graphic. I cut it out, picked up a needle, and got to stitching it into a black hoodie I had. The end result was a shitty sewn graphic with some superglue stains on the side as I didn’t know any other way to attach two fabrics together. But it was also the first time I picked up a needle, tied a knot, and did a stitch. Ever since then, I continued to hand sew items when I have free time. It’s one of those love hate relationships. I can get impatient since sewing takes a tremendous amount of patience, especially hand sewing. 

I remember hand sewing on hats because I didn’t have an industrial sewing machine that could anchor the hat. I ditched the normal thread and bought sashiko thread because I loved sashiko threading patterns and repairs that have that thick thread look. I knew that if I was going to sew on a hat, a thick thread would be best in terms of design, especially if I’m not attaching anything to it. For my first hat project, I just stitched along the thread line. I only did it for practice, but it turned out to be abused and worn a ridiculous amount of times (image a). For the second hat, I also followed the thread line but decided to be a bit more ambitious and sew within each section, creating a pinstripe look (Image b). For this final hat, I wanted to challenge myself and do all seams in addition to horizontal and brim lines. Not only that, but I wanted to attach fabric and sew over it. These were the two biggest factors that increased the difficulty:

1. Sewing on fabric without guidelines made it ten times harder to see where the needle would go.

2.  Sewing on the hard brim made me thread the needle at a specific angle so it could pierce through.

When I first started this project, it seemed overwhelming. The amount of work it took for just one panel took an incredible amount of brute force that I felt pretty burnt out. To avoid completely giving up on this project, I decided to break it up into pieces. This would delay the project but at least I wouldn’t give up. I decided to stick to a ritual of sewing at least one line when I was working at my desk daily. Looking back, this influenced the design a lot more than I thought and added character that I personally liked. Not everyday was the best day; there were times where I just tried to rush through to complete it and there were other days where I had incredible patience and my precision was amazing. Some days I was perfect, other days I was a mess and didn’t give a shit. The result? A perfect combination of lines that demonstrate the good and bad days of life. Wabi Sabi as they say.

In hindsight, it seems like a lot of my projects align with the ideals of Garment Log. There’s an abundance of designs and creations out there but more often than not, something is created in a way that is special to someone but not everyone. These hats mean a lot, not because they were created by myself, but because they tell a story of the journey in it. The imperfect stitches, the crooked knots, and the leftover holes from punctures show days that may be distracted or weren’t the best. The patch with perfectly aligned and carefully stitched areas show days with patience and grace. Every day is different. I’m a human and not an industrial sewing machine, and I make mistakes to learn.

While writing this, I learned about the process of slow stitching and realized that is exactly the creative process I've been using, not just for hats but for the brand as a whole. It's the idea of slowing down and creating with the focus on the process rather the final product. In a society that prioritizes speed, consistency, and results, I remind myself that being slower but more mindful might yield greater results in the long run.

As always, thanks for reading :) Always working on the next collection/project (and perhaps a few more hats). Stay tuned!

Bape coded graphic hoodie

 

First hat project. Probably my most worn hat.

 

Second hat project. Wabi Sabi starting to show.

 

Most recent hat project!

 

Angled sewing because the brim is so tough.

 

Inside of last project hat.