How to Make a Fascinator Headband

Somewhere between a hat and a headband, this DIY fascinator ticks all the boxes for cute and cool in one. Take some time to think about what colors you would like to wear: Here we used gray with a pop of outrageous pink. You'll learn how to make a fascinator with a simple fabric flower and combine it with some felt leaves and feathers for seriously rocking headgear.

Materials:
- Headband
- Small selection of feathers
- Linen thread
- 10 cm square of felt
- 25 cm coordinating fabric
- Decorative button
- Hot glue gun
- Needle
- Scissors
- Hand-sewing kit

Step 1

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Make the flower
Cut a 10 cm x 35 cm strip of fabric and a 30 cm piece of linen thread. Thread your needle and tie a secure knot in one end of the thread. Sew a running stitch along an imaginary centre line, running the length of the 35 cm strip. Now slowly pull the thread until the fabric begins to bunch together. Continue to do this until the fabric has gathered together closely.

Step 2

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Finishing the flower
Turn your fabric over so that the wrong side is facing you and tightly roll the gathered fabric, starting where you began your running stitch. Wrap the tail of the thread around the bundle several times and tie it off with a double knot. Flatten the fabric so that it looks like a collection of petals.

Step 3

Putting it all together
Cut — or for a nice frayed effect tear — two strips of fabric 2 cm x 30 cm. Put a dab of hot glue on the
bottom end of your headband and secure the strip of fabric to it. Wrap the fabric tightly around the headband, slightly overlapping each time until you reach the other end of the headband. Secure with another dab of hot glue and trim the remainder of the fabric away.

Step 4

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Add leaves
Experiment on some paper with drawing a leaf shape and, when you are happy, transfer this design to your felt and cut out four pieces. Join two of the leaf shapes together and sew around the shape with a running stitch. Repeat this with the other two felt leaf shapes.

Step 5

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Add feathers
Grab your feathers and play around with arranging the felt leaves and the feathers, then attach them with a small dab of hot glue to the side of your headband and wrap a small piece of felt around the base, gluing this firmly to the headband.

Step 6

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Finish it
Put a small dab of hot glue in the centre of the flower and place the button on top, pressing down firmly. Put a dab of hot glue on the felt at the base of the leaves and feathers and press your fl ower down firmly to the surface.

Step 7

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This DIY fascinator is excerpted with permission from "Kids' Crafternoon Sewing: 25 Projects for a Crafty Afternoon" edited by Kathreen Ricketson and published by Hardie Grant Books.