Every Girl Should Have One!

Back when women had to have curls every day of the week, they also had to have a bonnet type hair dryer. In the 60s they were sold by the thousands and everybody loved them. The convenience of a beauty salon in your own home.

Tessie announced this morning, after seeing a few of the hatbox hair dryers on the net, that she must have one of her own. That silly hand held thing was just not adequate for the job.

"If I am going to do the 60s right, I need the new and wonderful electrical things that make life easier!" she said.

I had to do a lot of improvising for this one. I found some photos on Google and went to work.

For the outer shell, I started looking at bottle caps, but couldn't find one the right size to do the job. Then I spotted one of those kits to make covered buttons. The top should be curved at the edges. The bottom had to be made to fit the top. I used the largest size.

I grabbed one of those ever present cardboard dividers from the 12 packs of cat food. Then I cut a circle the same size as the button form and a long piece to fit around 3/8" high. I glued those together by butting the bottom edge of the strip against the circle and overlapping it about 1/4" at the back. I clamped that and let it dry.

Then I stretched blue suede over the top of the form and eased in the edges to make a smooth cover. It takes a bit of maneuvering, but it can be done.

I cut a round piece and a strip for the bottom and glued it on. I trimmed it even with the edges.

Then I used a white leather glove to line the interior of both the top and bottom.

I cut a short piece of leather and glued it in place for the handle. Then I glued strips of silver paper around the edges of both the top and bottom.

All of the machines had some kind of motor set in the middle of the case with a vent on the top. I did this part with three round, stacked Woodsies. I covered and stretched the white leather over those and trimmed of the excess at the bottom edge.

I glued that into the center bottom of the case. Then I put an odd metal piece for the vent and four beads for the knobs.

All of these dryers seem to have about the same kind of hose. They were flexible and kind of pleated around a coiled wire. I did that with four pieces cut out of a thin bendable straw. I pulled them out before cutting. After cutting it is almost impossible. Then I cut one end flush with the pleats and the other end about a quarter inch away from the pleats. I squished the plain end and stuffed it into the pleated end of the next piece with some glue inside the pleated tube.

I glued some silver paper around each end of the hose. This lays in a circle around the motor in the bottom.

The bonnet is simply a 3" yo yo. Anybody that does quilting will be familiar with this. You cut out the circle and turn in the edges about an eighth of an inch. Baste it with short stitches around the edge. Pull up on the thread until it is a little poof.

The last step was cutting a tiny hole in the center for the connector. That is also a piece of the straw covered with silver paper just glued in place.

Tessie is waiting impatiently whilst I type. She wants her hair done...."NOW!"

I guess I will have to humor her....I know that within 24 hours she will be bored with the whole thing and back to her normal frizzy hair do.

I will try to catch a few photos of her in her puce curlers. No promises though.

She is yelling again. I have to go play hair dresser.

See you tomorrow.