Business Profile: Hat Art By Cathy, Pleasantville
There’s nothing better than a beautiful hat to bring out the whimsy in all of us, said Cathy Fellows, a talented milliner, who recently launched her own unique collection of custom-made hats, fascinators and headpieces.
The gregarious Pleasantville resident runs the fledgling business, known as Hat Art By Cathy, out of her home. She credits much of her inspiration and her love of millinery to her mother, who she said has a beautiful hat collection.
“Her mantra is that clothing should be an expression of your personality and that the clothes and accessories you wear should always make you feel wonderful, and I’ve always tried to keep that in mind,” said Fellows, the mother of two grown daughters.
But simply loving fashion isn’t enough to create a hat-making business. Fellows is also a talented seamstress who has created numerous outfits for herself and others, in addition to serving as the costume mistress for a number of Pleasantville High School theatrical productions. That’s where her older daughter assisted with hair and makeup during her senior year and where her younger daughter performed throughout her high school years.
A former stay-at-home mom, Fellows said the time was right to start a small business of her own. Her foray into the hat-making world happened quite by accident. She recalled that a family friend was having difficulty finding a suitable hat for a wedding, one that expressed her personality, and she asked Fellows if she would create something.
Since then, this self-taught hat maker has created an array of headwear for special occasions, including her own daughter’s wedding. She even designed and made an assortment of beautiful hats for the ladies of the Pleasantville Presbyterian Church Brandywine Bell Choir, of which she is a member.
That was a fun project to take on, she said. And even more enjoyable was the fact that after putting all of the finished products on a table, each woman in the bell choir was instinctively drawn to the hat that suited them most.
Some of Fellows’ most popular creations are called “fascinators.” Once known as a lightweight hood or scarf, today’s fascinator is more likely to be a formal piece of headwear that is often worn as an alternative to a hat, or as Fellows likes to describe it, “a modern form of wearable art.”
It typically includes delicate flowers, lace, feathers and jewels and can be recognized by its large decorative design and a birdcage veil.
Fellows’ vintage-inspired designs are sure to top off any outfit. The foundation for her hats comes from a material known as sinaway, which helps create a variety of hat shapes, including classic brims and sturdy hat bases.
Together with horsehair, a stiff, yet pliable, fabric made from woven horsehair, Fellows, a California native, has been able to create some stunning effects for her customers.
“I often get a picture in my mind from talking to people,” said Fellows, who also considers skin color and face shape when designing a hat. Many of her creations, she added, are often an expression of her customers’ personalities.
“This is a great new creative outlet for me, and it’s fun,” said Fellows, who has been spreading the word of her business through word of mouth.
“Women want to feel good about how they look and hats make them feel that way.”
Some of Fellows’ unique designs can be found on her website, www.hatartbycathy.com. She can be reached at hatartbycathy@gmail.com.
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