Fairy Tales

by William

It’s a lazy Summer day at Gwendolyne Hats and that feels good. We’ve been very industrious lately now it's time to relax. After the Toronto Outdoor Art Show we took a little break to enjoy the creativity of our studio and experience some of the excitement our city has to offer.

Our Shop’s been busy with some delightful visitors from abroad. Summer is a great time for travel and we’ve met new people from Japan, Italy and the States.

Tonight we’re off to the Toronto Music Garden for a wonderful outdoor concert of classical music down by our waterfront. Tucked away at the foot of Spadina, this magnificent garden is a magical setting for many reasons.



Its intimate outdoor concerts are always outstanding and the garden is absolutely gorgeous. The local birds play host to 2 free concerts a week all summer long. If you listen carefully you can hear them singing along with the music for their supper. We always bring a picnic dinner to double the fun. I’m looking forward to Persian Music for a Summer Night Thursday Aug 7th. ~ Maybe we’ll see you there.

If you want to see a slide show of this beautiful garden in full bloom click here.






A special thanks to all the people involved with the Music Garden; especially Tamara Bernstein, for providing us with this enlightening opportunity.








The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition was great fun this year. It’s always such an amazing display of beautiful handmade things from the heart. This year was no exception. Our booth was bustling with fresh and familiar faces. I think people really enjoyed themselves. I know we did.



There are 3 Graces in Greek mythology. Each with the power to grant charm, happiness and beauty. Here is a picture of the modern version; Gwendolyne, Evelyn and Joey. It was sunny and hot, hot, hot, with the occasional breeze. We drank lots of water and entertained many. It was the peak of the season. By the end of the weekend I really appreciated the value of a great hat.






Yes our hats are practical. They also bring a lot of character into the theatre of life. Have a look at Evelyn. She's playing "Juliette" in one of our blue Zinnia hats. “ Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” Wow! She's so beautiful we felt lucky.


And here is our good friend the lovely Rita. She's wearing a vintage Gwendolyne hat called the Garden Shade. How's that for a little glamour! You can see that our work is about self-expression. We create magical things to inspire peoples' individuality, beauty, beliefs and spirit.

What a refreshing relief. Our booth was close to the Peace Garden, a lush oasis in a sea of cement. If you travel with a few trees and bring along some running water you can usually attract a breeze. But lets be sensible. You'll always be cool under the brim of a fabulous Gwendolyne Hats original!

Dress up!

It has been a while since my last post. Our Summer seemed to pass by so quickly as we created beautiful hats in the studio and played in the city. Autumn has arrived and winter is just around the corner. Time to cozy up for the cool weather ahead. I always look forward to the Fall. The drop in temperature and smell of the earth are my first signs. The crisp light and brisk air stimulate my senses.

I begin my preparations at home by opening my trunks and pulling out the warmer clothing. It's always exciting to see my clothes again but, what do I need to complete my wardrobe?

Our food choices begin to reflect the juicy full flavors of the harvest and the cooler temperatures make it all taste so good. William and I love this season. Perhaps it's the Cavalcade of color that spurs us on. Mother Natures' fiery display of burning brights and her rich but subtle earth tones inspire my colour sensibilities.



Our Atelier is bustling with activity at this time of year. The Shop is full of abundance. New hats are coming out of the workshop daily. Customers are dropping by to see what’s in store for them. It’s a busy and exciting time of year for Gwendolyne Hats. We work all year round to prepare for this moment. This is when our work truly shines and we look forward to sharing it’s radiance.

It’s always exciting to see the fruits of our labour assembled and in our shop at this time of year. The collection looks fabulous…

Our designs come to life on people and they're always a lot of fun to try on. So we invited a couple of friends over to play Dress Up. We took pictures and created two slide shows to illustrate some of our new collection for you.
Above is a picture of Joey in the Aubrey. The Aubrey is a beautiful patchwork poem of tapestries from around the world. This mid-season design, with a three panel lamb leather top, offers great protection from Fall to Spring. See more hats on Joey click here.

Audrey models our new Clarissa cloche below & one of our cozy hand fringed boucle knit scarves. This Romantic hat, hand-cut from cashmere blend wool, is accented with specialty trims and a vintage button. Its brim can be styled up to highlight your face or down to protect you from the weather. See more hats on Audrey click here.
Gwendolyne hats have personality, they speak to people about warmth, style, individuality, and spirit. They are a great form for expression. A lot goes into each hat. We make all sizes, each one well designed, expertly crafted and unique. Wearing our creations is definitely a feel good experience.

I make beautiful hats for beautiful people. My customers are special human beings that celebrate life. For them beauty radiates from the inside out. A confidant smile is very powerful force. It can change the way you see the world and affect how the world perceives you. I want my customers to be happy in their hat and spread that positive energy forward.


Below you will find a picture of me with my latest fiber art creation titled “Good Vibrations”, for the Textile Museum of Canada’s 12th annual Shadowbox Show and Silent Auction. This amazing show is always a highlight of the season and it just keeps getting better. I highly recommend that you go see it.

I love handwork and over the years I’ve noticed a renewed interest in these traditions. I want to share some of my knowledge in this field.

In the Spring I plan to teach a Fiber Art course in my Atelier. If you are interested please send me an e-mail.

Tah! Tah! . . . ( that's hat spelled backwards)