The first time I crossed paths with a Spotted Sandpiper, I literally giggled!

Possessing a striking “teetering” walk, their tails are almost continuously bobbing as they crouch low to forage.

These animated birds are special favorites who breed here on the Cape near beaches, salt marshes, and the edges of freshwater kettle ponds. You’ll also find them extensively in Alaska, across the Canadian boreal forest and the Yukon.

Coupled with the adults’ gorgeous brown and white polka dotted breasts, Spotted Sandies are tiny characters that always bring a smile…

Make Way for the Piper Fascinator!

You may already be thinking, How could you not want to create a hat to honor this bird, with all those beautiful polka dots!!

So without any further ado, please meet, the “Piper”.

Spotted Sandpipers and I Go Way Back

I have photographed many Spotted Sandpipers over the years – in Chatham, Harwich and Orleans. They are fascinating to watch as they bob along channelbanks, kettleponds, and jetties.

Juveniles do not have the same “polka dot” bellies as the adults. Yet they learn the same “bobbing” motion early on. You’ll see them imitating their parents soon after they tumble out of their shells!

How the “Piper” Fascinator Was Created

To get the new design started, I used white silk dupioni to cover a round fascinator base to symbolize the white breast of the bird.

I lined the interior with a brassy mocha silk dupioni. A classic elastic-and-comb combination was handstitched for a secure fit.

In white silk organza, I handcrafted a small, open curling fan, flattening it as a kind of “nest”. I then took white silk shantung buttons, handpainted them in mocha brown and handstitched them to the organza nest. I painted three more silk buttons in the same manner, and laid them along the edge, or “chest” of the sandpiper.

Next, to frame the trim I created a medley of feathers in varying shades of light and dark brown and mocha silk organza. I wanted to shape them to look like the dark brown upper body of these birds as they teeter up and down, up and down.

Finally, I gathered chocolate brown hat veiling and created a freeform bow cluster which I set directly behind the main trim elements as an accent.

The Saltmarsh Photo Shoot

I could not WAIT for our photo shoot at the saltmarsh. We had a beautiful sunrise. The warm sun and changing colors of the spartina grass made the “Piper” colors pop!

As we worked, a pair of Mallards and several Semipalmated Plovers and Least Sandpipers kept us company.

When we were finished, you can bet I spent some extra time photographing these Beauties…..

And so, the “Piper” fascinator became became the final Summer of 2026 design for the new Polka Dot Hat Collection. More polka dot designs will be coming soon, so be watching for them!

The truly surprising development of the Collection has been the emergence of the “Piper”, Seafoam and Spartina Grass” and the “Berry” designs. Through some lovely fortuitous happenstance, they became the bridge that led me right to where I need to be. Creating hats that are, indeed, Cape Cod-inspired. It is time to create the world that I already know, my ole’ Cape Cod!

And they are just the beginning of the “sea change” here at MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS®.

Coming soon there will be more Cape Cod-inspired chapeau designs, so please be looking here in the The Milliner’s Journal as well as on my Facebook and Instagram pages.

Thank you for letting me share my Cape Cod home with you…

~ Sally

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There’s something so calming about the Cape Cod tides. Our tidal rhthyms make Cape Cod a coastal habitat that is both inspirational and ecologically robust.

On a personal level, I love nothing more than plunking down in the sand, just where the ocean meets the saltmarsh. Watching the incoming tide wind its way into the low marsh is fascinating. And all the while stirring up seafoam bubbles among the blades of spartina grass that look like polka dots on the swirling blue water!

A New Cape Cod-Inspired Creation

This summer, I created a new design for my Polka Dot Hat Collection to celebrate the daily ritual of the tides.

Meet, “Seafoam and Spartina Grass”.

So what exactly is spartina grass?

If ever there were a Superman for our beloved Cape Cod, it’s spartina grass!

With its strong underground root system, this hardy grass literally holds our shoreline together and protects us from storms and erosion. Behind the scenes, spartina grass acts as a powerful water filter that cleans up pollution and also provides habitat home for birds, fish and crabs to thrive.

How the “Seafoam and Spartina Grass” Fascinator Was Created

I used blue polka dot denim to cover a round fascinator base and reflect Cape Cod seafoam and spartina grass.

I lined the interior with navy silk dupioni for a luxuious texture. A classic elastic-and-comb combination was handstitched for a secure fit.

In denim polka dot material, I hand-fashioned two curling, swirling waves; handstitching them to the fascinator.

I then created a medley of spartina grasses in shades of green, autumn orange and chartreuse silk dupioni.

Next, I shaped and handstitched the silk blades of grass together to achieve a wind-blown effect.

I then handstitched the grass cluster directly behind the seafoam waves to create a “seafoam meets spartina grass ” vibe.

Our photo shoot at a local saltmarsh was such fun! A glorious sunrise made the spartina grass glow and the channel mud turn shades of purple and blue.

The arrival of a lone Ring-billed Gull as we were finishing turned the moment into a follow-the-leader exercise…

And I came away full of memories of a sunrise to savor. Here, where where the sea meets the saltmarsh.

Thus, the “Seafoam and Spartina Grass” fascinator became my second Cape Cod-inspired design in the Polka Dot Hat Collection.

Stay tuned for a third Cape Cod-inspired chapeau! This one was inspired by a migratory bird that frequents our saltmarshes each year, late summer through early fall. Such exquisite birds, and quite amusing in their behavior!

Thank you for letting me share my Cape Cod home with you…

~ Sally

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I love the look of the Spartina Grass as she changes into her Autumn wardrobe.

Here on Cape Cod, cooler weather is settling in at our saltmarshes…

And the tall blades of grass are turning from green to warm golden yellow, olive and chestnut brown.

Watching this metamorphosis sets me to wondering…

Wouldn’t these colors make an interesting chapeau design?

Thank you for letting me share my Cape Cod home with you…

~ Sally

The post Wardrobe Changes in Autumn appeared first on MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS®.

Testing our newly polished journal notification system…

A beautiful new photo essay and custom hat design story are coming your way next week!

~ Warmly, Sally.

The post A Quick Hello from the Studio! appeared first on MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS®.

Hello friends…

If you have signed up recently to follow along with my stories and photo reflections here at “The Milliner’s Journal”, you may have noticed a quiet period in your inbox over the past month.

While the MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS® studio has been deep in creative work, our background blog delivery system experienced a few quiet hitches. We have spent the last few days refining and troubleshooting our journal setup behind the scenes to ensure a seamless connection between my studio desk and your inbox.

Moving forward, you should now receive a notification whenever a new behind-the-scenes story, process note, or photo essay goes live.

Like this recent blog post about the surprising new polka dot designs that also marked the beginning of the official “sea change” here at MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS®.

Thank you so much for your patience, your presence, and for following along on this creative journey.

More stories—and glimpses of the latest wearable art pieces by Sally —are on their way to you very soon!

Warmly,
Sally

The post Reconnecting with the Milliner’s Journal appeared first on MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS®.

It was only a matter of time. My Cape Cod heritage finally kicked in and led me to create a polka dot design for the quintessential cranberry!

And — my first Cape Cod-inspired hat, too! Bringing the “sea change” at MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS® quite literally, to fruition.

A Personal Story

Cranberries are personal to me. Our family home on Cape Cod was situated next to a deserted cranberry bog. My sister and I rode stick horses through the winding paths, urging our charges to jump water filled ditches they almost never cleared. Escorted by our family cats, it was an endless wonderland of cranberries, pines and vegetation.

Years ago, I brought my Canon SX60 one day to watch the annual cranberry harvest at Jenkins Bog in Harwich. I had never actually been to a harvest. I was hooked, and became a fan of this annual Cape Cod tradition like so many others before me.

And as you might imagine, I was the keeper of the cranberry relish recipe in my family, too! 😉

Honoring the Cranberry’s Rich Cape Cod History

For over 12,000 years, native cranberries were harvested by the Wampanoag tribe for food, medicine and fabric dyes. The kettle holes left in the glacier’s wake offered the perfect acidic peat bog recipe wild cranberries love. Early European settlers are credited with renaming the berry, the “Crane Berry” because the springtime blossoms bore a resemblance to the head and bill of the Sandhill Crane.

In 1816 sea captain Captain Henry accidentally discovered that the layers of sand that covered his field of cranberries from a fierce storm actually made them thrive as never before. And covering fields with sand became part of the cultivation. Toward the mid to late 19^th century, the cranberry became an economic lifeline for many Cape Cod families. With maritime trade, whaling, and shipbuilding on the decline, cranberry farming stepped into the breach and provided economic stability. It also inspired a sense of festive community pride with an annual autumn harvest tradition that to this day attracts people to Cape Cod.

Yet times are changing, and a new chapter has begun here on Cape Cod. Changes in climate, out-of-state competition, labor shortages and rising tariffs have prompted a forward-thinking “green exit strategy” between unlikely partners. Cranberry farmers are selling their land to conservation groups so that historic wetlands can be restored, or “re-wilded”. The benefits of this collaboration to the land are enormous: cleaner water, coastline protection against storms and erosion and new habitats for wildlife.

A Cranberry Hat for MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS

Given my personal story and my interest in Cape Cod history, I suppose it was inevitable that cranberries would inevitably inspire an idea for a “polka-dotted” fascinator design!

Cranberry “Polka Dots”

I was in the middle of an idea for painting my white silk shantung button “polka dots” in shades of autumn when the idea came to me. What could be more seasonal than a chapeau trimmed with Cape Cod cranberries!? I took the white buttons, painted them in several cranberry colors with acrylic paint.

I then took a round fascinator base and covered it with bold green silk dupioni that reminded me of cranberry leaves.

Cranberry Vines

Now I needed swirling cranberry vines. I took some of my cotton embroidery thread and tossed it on top of the green silk-covered fascinator. The curling threads looked like vines already! I carefully stitched them in place using an embroidery technique called “couching” and was totally thrilled with the result.

For a final touch I added a cranberry red silk dupioni silk lining and an elastic for attachment.

And Now for the Finishing Touches…

Our photo shoot down by the sea with the new design went fine. Still, there was something missing. It bugged me for days until I came up with the idea for two small green silk dupioni “leaves” to accent the cabillou…

…and a bit of cranberry hat veiling. My “Berry” design was ready for her Kodak moment!

The Photo Shoot

Because this was my first ever Cape Cod-inspired design, I decided that “Berry” needed a new location for her debut. And what could be a better spot for her than one of our favorite salt marshes?

We got some amazing images of Berry in my hands…

…as well as along the water’s edge at low tide.

On another day, just before a nor’easter was due in I modeled the Berry at the same location. Surrounded by Spartina grass, the wind and the sea beyond, this moment could not have been more special.

Legacies and New Beginnings

It truly is possible to appreciate and value the rich history of the mighty berry, while still realizing that it is now time to restore the land back to its original salt marsh ecosystem. I can enjoy the cranberries that still grow here, wild and commercial, and continue to appreciate their place as a Cape Cod legacy.

I’d like to think that I, too, am now a part of Cape Cod cranberry history. By creating a hat to honor it, MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS® is helping to celebrate that history as well as welcome its new chapter.

And personally, it has been a thrilling experience creating my very first Cape Cod-inspired hat design that celebrates the history of our Cape Cod cranberries. The Berry represents a new beginning here at MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS®. I hope that she will be the first of many, many more Cape Cod-inspired hats to come!

For further reading….

Audubon website – Ecological Restoration of Retired Cranberry Farmland

Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve – from the Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) website

Marstons Mills – Cranberry Bog Eco-Restoration project

NOAA Fisheries website – Returning a Cranberry Bog to a Thriving Wetland

The New Bedford Light, April 22, 2026 – How a Retired Cranberry Bog Helped Change the Game for Wetland Restoration

WGBH, May 2026 – How Did a Small Bitter Berry Become the Backbone of Massachusetts Agricultural History

Inside Climate News, October 2025 – Cranberry Farmers Consider Turning Bogs Into Wetlands

CBS News November 2025 – Massachusetts Cranberry Farmers Choosing to Restore Their Bogs Into Wetlands Amid Economic Headwinds

The Provincetown Independent, November 22, 2022 – When Cranberry Fever Came to Provincetown

Captain Freeman Inn, July 2019 – The History of Cranberries on Cape Cod

New York Times, July 4, 2017 – The Re-wilding of a Century-Old Cranberry Bog

Cape Cod Life, 2016 Annual publication – A Brief History of the Cranberry, Cape Cod’s Most Important Fruit

I would love to hear from you. To share your thoughts, simply click on the journal title at the top of this page to join our conversation! ~ Sally Faith Steinmann

The post “The Berry” – A Cranberry Fascinator appeared first on MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS®.

Three new Cape Cod-inspired hats with polka dot patterns are debuting soon at MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS®.

Just in time to celebrate the Autumn Equinox!

But there is something very different about these three designs that sets them apart from the rest of the Polka Dot Hat Collection.

These three vanguard styles are far more than just polka dot inspirations.

They are polka dot creations directly inspired by Cape Cod flora and fauna!

In a previous blog, I shared how years ago I discovered the world of wildlife photography while we were caring for my aging mother. Being out with the wild ones in their world became my sanctuary. Suddenly I was in a place apart; rejuvenated by all the beauty surrounding me.

When I returned to hatmaking full time again last year, everything was different. Because I was different.

I could no longer simply create new hats each season for all the special occasions. Or to satisfy the Pantone color charts. If I was going to continue making hats they would have to mean something. Be inspired by something that was personally important to me.

So I started asking myself, As a fiber artist, what feels meaningful to me? What inspires me?

The answer was a simple one – Cape Cod.

My passion for the natural world of Cape Cod that I have always known and that fuels my photography was the same inspiration I now needed to tap into for creating my hats as well.

Talk about a sea change coming for this Cape Cod milliner! 😉

In the meantime, I got the idea for an interim collection of polka dot hats. A stepping stone project that would give me the time I needed to experiment. I needed time to play with some new millinery techniques that I would need for the Cape Cod hats.

Yet as is often the way, the creative path can sometimes take an unexpected turn.

That turn came when I decided to take my new polka dot hats down to the sea to photograph them. Surrounded by the crashing waves, the swaying dune grass, the Willets calling and the white-tailed deer bounding through the dunes, I began to see polka dots everywhere. This time, in the very flora and fauna of Cape Cod!

Grabbing my sketch pad, I roughed out an idea for a cranberry fascinator. I could just picture those round crimson berries in the deserted cranberry bog in back of our Cape Cod home when I was growing up.

Then, a fascinator with seafoam bubble “dots”, like the ones I see as the tide’s coming in along the saltmarsh.

Next came a design for a Spotted Sandpiper with its chocolate speckled belly as it teetered along jetties and the edges of the saltmarsh.

I had known that a big change was coming at MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS, but it had most certainly come sooner than expected. I needed to get going on these first three styles — so I could get started on the tidal wave of new ones coming along right behind them!

In the coming days as I share these three Cape-themed chapeaux, I’ll be highlighting the story of their interconnection as well. Let’s just say that the relationships between these three particular hats… go much deeper than their polka dots!

And to think that the original polka dot hat idea kickstarted it all! This stepping stone collection, quite literally has connected-the-dots for me as an artist. And led me right to where I needed to be, all along…

Happy Autumn Equinox to one and all!

I would love to hear from you. To share your thoughts, simply click on the journal title at the top of this page to join our conversation! ~ Sally Faith Steinmann

The post Cape Cod Inspired Hats appeared first on MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS®.

I have always been a polka dot fan. Over my 28 years as a milliner, I have often featured this familiar pattern in my designs.

Polka dots are timeless. Like Audrey Hepburn. And on a more personal level, they remind me of the beautiful round stones I used to pick up as a child along the edge of the sea…

As an artist, polka dots invite experimentation. They invite, play! And play, I believe, is one of the essentials for creativity. We need to learn how to be children again; to rediscover the art of playing with abandon. With no thought of rules, or timelines, or expectations.

THAT is what polka dots have taught me. To let go of “the way I always do things”.

To reach out, instead, for a new way.

So when the idea came to me to head down to the shoreline with my finished polka dot hats I asked myself, Is this crazy?

Yet as a nature photographer, being by the sea, in the woods, along the saltmarsh… these are the places where I am the most content. Where I find the most powerful inspiration for my creative life as an artist.

So, I thought… Why not go down to the seam with the polka dot hats. To see what might come of it?

And so, I did……

I would love to hear from you. To share your thoughts, simply click on the journal title at the top of this page to join our conversation! ~ Sally Faith Steinmann

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Each new chapter in my journey as a fabric artist has required a departure from what is familiar…

A conscious leap into the unknown…

A leap that pushes me to explore fresh, challenging approaches to design, craftsmanship and presentation.

I just had no idea that POLKA DOTS would be leading the way! 😉

I would love to hear from you. To share your thoughts, simply click on the journal title at the top of this page to join our conversation! ~ Sally Faith Steinmann

The post A Milliner’s Leap Into the Unknown appeared first on MAGGIE MAE DESIGNS®.

Coming soon, a few surprises for Autumn Equinox. These delightful polka dot hats help connect-the-dots between my two worlds of millinery and nature photography!

And yet — all part of this new artist path that is slowly bringing my professional and personal worlds ~~~ together.

I would love to hear from you. To share your thoughts, simply click on the journal title at the top of this page to join our conversation! ~ Sally Faith Steinmann

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