Reader makes hats from men’s coats

This blog is one day shy of its first birthday (go ahead, sing the song). Dwell Well is a fun way for me to show off some of the great local businesses in town, raise awareness of ways we can all go greener at home, and share some ideas for craft projects that I hope will simplify our lives and bring us more, well, down to earth.

I’ve also always wanted to make this a community where readers share projects they’re working on, too. That has been slow to come. I understand. Maybe folks are shy about showing off their work (don’t be!) or maybe they don’t feel comfortable blasting their name all over the Internet (I can just use your first name or your Spokesman-Review username, you know).

So needless to say, I was excited when reader Jill Skeie e-mailed me the other day with some photos of hats she made recently from vintage men’s coats.

She’s been making purses for a short while, using recycled fabric and the ends of bolts of upholstery fabric that Metro Home Furniture (604 N. Monroe St.) sells. Jill recently added hats to her repertoire, which she says she likes even better. Super cute, won’t you agree?

Jill also recently began writing a blog called Periwinkleblew . You can see more of her hats and  darling purses there.

See, now. That was fun, wasn’t it? Jill, you’re still standing, right?

To the rest of you, show me your crafts. Send me pictures of a room you’ve remodeled. Tell me about how you’re getting greener. Let’s make Dwell Well one giant book of ideas and inspiration. You can drop me a line at megan.cooley@comcast.net.

If you’re happier just reading along, I’m glad for that too. Whether you’ve been here the whole year or are just discovering Dwell Well now, thanks for riding along. Happy birthday to all of us.