How To Make a Small Fascinator Shape

Cover the shape with your fabric, making the back seam nice and straight, add your trim, here I have draped fabric over the shape into a gather and topped with a top-stitched bow.

Wire the edge, making sure to overlap the wire.

 Remove the shape once it is dry and cut the excess off, 

make sure the cut is straight.

 Start with pulling some Paris Net (or Buckram) over a small shape, I add a top layer of fine cotton to help smooth out the texture of the Paris Net which is important if you are planning on covering with fine fabric.

Watch me hand making

   You need to see this lovely Video....watch me hand making

Fine Straw Hat : making

the finished hat !! I have taken lots of photo's of me making this hat so you (hopefully) can follow the steps required to get such a finish. I started with a beautiful fine straw in a sensational dark cream colour which helps with the whole effect. I'll often hang onto a hood for years before I take the plunge and make a hat out of it as you need all the elements around you that you know will work well together.....as I am moving studio and shop I have uncovered some lovely materials and came across the soft tulle that I draped around the crown of this hat....and so it all began !

below the desk so often so full of 'stuff' you can't see the actual desk but then out of this mess a hat emerges. You can see the hat shape taking place I have just finished wiring the brim and softly letting the edge wave.....I also decided that the edge should have a tiny, tiny edge so as to not distract from the straw and so I chose a satin bias which took me a couple of months to find the exact colour I wanted (an ecru colour)....

 

How to make a cage veil step by step

Step by step this is how to make a cage veil. You'll need to start with a quality Russian veiling one you know you can trust and to the astonishment of most of my students - PRESS IT (yep with an iron) if you do this it will be easier - you will need 'fairy fingers' and lots of time for this ! start by gathering up each end of the veiling and stitch in place.

Each end of the veiling should be secured tightly
(sparkle nail polish is an optional extra ;0)

take gathering thread from one side of the secured ends to the other side by carefully picking up the veiling from the edge, pull the gather thread in.

This is the brides hair comb and I will be attaching the veil to this, here I am deciding how much room I will need and how tight I will need to make the gathering. 

I am using my trust poupee and it helps to pin all in place to get an idea of how it is sitting - I also work with a mirror directly in front of me so I can see the other side of the poupee.

Hard to see but this is the stage where I will steam the veil to help 'set' the look (above).

 

As soon as I have the brides photo's I'll add them so that you can see the whole look.

Hand Covered headband

The base for many a fine headband, I use silk with beaded tulle overlay to achieve this 'lush' look, above is the finished design.

You only get to see a small amount of detail however the whole shape and look would be very different on a flat band.

This is the latest in customers own fabric, below.

Often the beading has to be re attached as below.

I tie off the ends of the beading to make sure that they do not shift
or drop off while being worn, as below.

An earlier post you will remember this is how I hand cover
the flatter metal bands in petersham.