Wild — soft on the outside, a lot underneath
Evelyn
Wild is for the person who is a lot underneath and doesn't need to prove it out loud.
Some people wear their fire on the outside. Some carry it quietly. This hat is for the second kind — the person who is soft when you meet them and interesting the longer you stay.
Painting in the window light
The bouquet on the crown was drawn as a triangle on purpose. Sunflowers on the corners, zinnias filling the space between, and one blue butterfly resting in the center. The laser did the outlines. Then I sat by the window with a small brush and put in the color, one flower at a time. Yellow, then orange, then the soft blue on the butterfly wings.
The sunflower on the brim is the one I painted last. It is the moment I know the piece is almost done.
The chain
The beaded chain was made by hand for this hat. Earth-tone glass and stone beads — warm brown, amber, gold — threaded to the exact length to sit across the front band. It clips on with two small metal loops through the side eyelets, so you can wear the hat with the chain on, or take the chain off and wear the hat plain.
A soft cap, on purpose
Wild is on an unstructured suede cap. No stiff front panel. The crown relaxes when you wear it and shapes to your head. If you have always worn structured baseball caps, this will feel different in your hand. That is what makes it right for this design — the softness of the cap matches the softness of the person it is meant for.
One of one
This exact combination — the triangle bouquet, the blue butterfly, the hand-lettering, the earth-tone chain, the soft suede — will not be remade. One person will own it.
— Evelyn