The Blue Hat Project - Express the blues with hats.

A Waltraud Reiner initiative to promote awareness of depression and anxiety, proudly supporting beyondblue the national depression initiative.

The Blue Hat Project was conceived by Waltraud Reiner, a milliner with personal experience of depression and a wish to use the creativity behind hat design as a means of raising awareness of depression in the community.

The project aims to:

• Provide people with a creative outlet through hat making and wearing hats thus promoting positive focus and support for dealing with, or overcoming some forms of depression.
• Provide the opportunity to exhibit blue hats made and donated by people for display and subsequent auction to raise awareness for beyondblue the national depression initiative.
• Provide a platform for people to deal with depression by talking about and becoming aware of the work of beyondblue.
  

Project Outline

Do you wear any of these hats every day:

Friend, lover, wife, mum, nurse, taxi driver, husband, dad, painter, woodworker, ceramicist, metal worker, artist.

Do any of them give you the blues ?

Do you tell someone ?

Do you wear different 'hats' to mask your feelings ?

Blue Hat Project explores the symbolism of these ideas:


Blue Hat Project includes activities/events:

• Group sessions to explore feelings & expressions of the blues with hats.
• Inviting people to make and 'send off' their personal 'blues' as a hat for exhibition.
• Blues hats will be exhibited at Federation Square during Hat Week, 1-7 September 2006.
• Blues hats exhibition will raise awareness of beyondblue the national depression initiative.
• Blues hats to be auctioned at the end of the exhibition.
• Blue Hat Project & Hat Week badges available.
• Net auction & badge sale proceeds will be donated by Torb & Reiner in support of beyondblue the national depression initiative.


Make a blue hat

I invite everyone to join the Blue Hat Project & make a blue hat for exhibition. The exhibition will launch Hat Extravaganza 2006 in the first week of September.Works auctioned Thursday, 31st August
at BMW Edge - 6.30 for 7pm.

The idea ...

I invite you to express your blues with hats. Make a "blues" hat from any material, in any medium to express how you see & feel the blues. You can knit, crochet, felt, use classic millinery, do a painting or a mosaic. Use 2D, 3D, sight or sound; anything that aspires to your creativity. How can you express your "blues" by making a piece of art .

• Think about what the “blues” mean to you, how you deal with them, how you would like to deal with them.
• Do you have a network of people you can talk to?
• Can you call a life line?
• Do you know someone who needs to be listened to?
• Do you know enough about depressions?
• Have you hear about beyondblue and are you familiar with their web site?
• What do you do about The Blues?
• What colour do you then need in your life to help you find the way back out?
• What colour might help you to fight the blues? Integrate those colours into your hat.

Be as creative as you can and imaginary as you like. I will put your blue hat on the Hatweek website when it is finished. Please email us good quality images. Your hat will part of an auction after the exhibition sponsoring beyondblue the national depression initiative.

NOTE: Hats can be three-dimensional or two dimensional (e.g. embroidery, painting, jewellery, etc.).

So get out your tools and get started. Look at your blues and make yourself a blue hat!

Deadline for entry: 31 July  2006 (send hat and attach a quote to express your vision of the Blues)

Send a photo as soon as the hat is finished.

View the Blue Hats other people have contributed.

Have a hatty day.

Badges:

The fabulous Make A Blue Hat Project badges, fridge magnets and key rings have been created to let the world know we are calling everyone to make a blue hat.

The Make A Blue Hat Project badge was launched just outside Melbourne at the Textile Fibre Forum in Geelong during September 2005.

Make A Blue Hat Project badges, fridge magnets and key rings are sold to increase awareness of the blues & to raise funds.

If you would like to support the cause, order Make A Blue Hat Project badges, key rings or fridge magnets to sell in your local area, to textile groups and wherever else life takes you.

The cost of a badge a key ring or a magnet is $4 but you are welcome to contribute any extra amount if you so choose.

Thanks to Torby, Orlanda and Elsa, great kids who donated their time to make lots and lots of Badges.

10 badges = $40 plus postage
10 keyrings = $40 plus postage
10 fridge magnets = $40 plus postage

Make a Blue Hat Project procedure:

Make a Blue Hat in any material, using any technique.

1. Think about what the ''blues" means to you. What colour blue is it, what do you need to change the colour, what can you do about the colour, what else do you need other than change the colour.


2. Stitch label with name and address and your thoughts onto the hat. (thoughts optional)


3. Post by  31 July 2006 to Blue Hat Project, PO Box 3120, Murrumbeena, VIC. 3163


4. If possible, please email a picture of your finished hat to put it on the HatWeek website.


5. Find out which organisation looks after depression in your area and let us know the details, so we can link them to our site.


6. Order and sell some badges if you can.


7. Let your local media know what you are doing, so they tell the story too!


8. SPREAD THE WORD! THE WORLD NEEDS TO KNOW!

Our commitment:

1. To find a venue to exhibit all blue hats after June 2006.


2. To make the exhibition a significant promoter of and fundraiser for beyondblue.


3. To be on the other end of any email to answer “blue hat” questions.