I did this once, quite a few years ago :-) I was concerneded about using any product that might be toxic, but I was also worried about the crown of the hat collapsing, so I found a margerine tub that was a good fit for the inside of the crown and cut the "birdie door" through both layers. Then I stiched around the edges of the opening with yarn and used a staplegun to attach the hat to a thin piece of plywood the same size as the hat brim. I hung it on one of our porch posts where it was mostly out of the weather, and it became a favorite of the house wrens, they nested in it almost every year. I was able to pull out the staples to make sure the nest was cleaned out before each nesting season. It lasted for several years before the straw just finally started to disintegrate. Dunno why I never made another one?? :-/ It was cute, well, I guess that's another thing for my list . . .

Thanks ya'll :D I can't remember who I copied this from....here is how-to's copied from my blog- A few years ago I saw someone post a photo of a birdhouse they made from a straw hat, and I just had to have one myself. I collect those old straw hats, there's something about them I love. So I have lots of them and I could make a birdhouse for myself. So I cut a small hole in the crown for the bird to fit through, and found an old butter tub and some waxed raffia. I used an old hole punch and made holes all around the rim of the butter tub, and then "sewed" the butter tub to the hat with the raffia. You can use an old bobby pin or piece of wire as your needle; anything that's gonna fit through the weave of the straw hat. Add a piece for a hanger,too.

Yes, Italy has always made some heavy duty stuff. Check out their pasta rolling machines. Not sure where the waste ends up, so thats up to you to seee what it does once you try in on a few toms. The Villaware/Roma/Weston units push the seeds and skins out yhe smaller end of the conical sieves, and they even added a clear plastic piece that snaps on the end and brings the was out further, where a small bowl can be placed to catch it all. For me, cooking the sauce down to make it thicker was usually the case, but now, since I usually grow mostly meaty types of tomatoes, they contain less water and seeds. Most are bigger than the hopper size, so I cut them in halves and dig out most of the seeds and water before its put in the food strainer. It comes out like a nice thick sauce to begin with, which for me requires less cooking time. I think the person ho had one said the waste doesn't come out easily, but you have to dig it out if it clogs up too much. From the photos, its really hard to know what it goes, oe where the strained stuff goes. Worst case, it just mases the toms up and all the mush comes out at one place.. NOT good then! If you search this Harvest forum, and type in Villaware, it should show you many photos, and maybe even that one you have and its unhappy previous owner??

I used it as ceiling color with linen white on the walls in a large open area