Off-Loom Bead Weaving is an artful way of life.
I began the thought of this hat during Nanc Meinhardt's Master's Class a few years back. I did a free from hat using only seed beads and all types of off-loom bead weaving stitches. A few years later I picked up the piece which fit on my head as a hat without a form and decided to redesign it. I used an idea from a 1900 hat style which was in a hat collection belonging to Prescott Artist Irene Hiesh.
The hat form began with Model Magic by Crayola. I formed it and let it dry on a model head for 24 hours. The great thing about Model Magic is it is soft for a longer period of time so the bead needle and thread actually can go through the piece as you work.
This hat is currently at Arts Prescott Cooperative Gallery on Historical Whiskey Row in Prescott, Arizona.