Do-it-yourself Kentucky Derby hats and fascinators

Materials:

• Wide-brimmed, pliable straw hat
• Thin roll of craft wire (green or silver)
• Roll of 4- to 5-inch-wide tulle (white or cream netted ribbon)
• One large focal-point bloom (ask the florist to include a packet of bloom life extender)
• Small plastic tube for temporarily watering flower stems
• Green floral tape
• Pearl-tipped sewing or push pins
• Hot-glue gun and glue sticks
• Some spray roses
• Roll of coordinated 1- to 2-inch ribbon (I used a sheer, wired light gray ribbon)
• Decorative buttons, berries, unique vintage or craft jewelry pieces or brooches

Instructions:

1. Remove any bands and decor from the hat.

2. Use craft wire to pin up the front brim of the hat, which will frame your face and give the flowers a backdrop. To do this, thread thin craft wire through the exterior of the turned-up hat brim to anchor it to the hat. Twist the wires, now on the hat’s interior, like you would a trash bag twist-tie. Press the wires down and glue a small piece of ribbon over them so they won’t scratch you.

3. Roll out the tulle in a layered, stacked or figure-eight shape. Use ribbon or craft wire to cinch the center, tying it off tightly and creating a bow-tie effect. Spread out the loops of tulle, forming an airy and slightly messy bow. This will be the backdrop for your flowers.

4. For a large bloom (I used a hydrangea bloom), cut the watering tube’s pick off of the bottom with a sharp knife or wire cutters. Trim the top of the bud tube, making it as small as possible but leaving enough room for the capped lid to stay on tight.

5. Fill tube with two or three teaspoons of water and flower life extender. (The powdered life extender is optional, but it will make the bloom last longer.)

6. Trim the large flower’s stem so that the flower is getting all of the attention. (You don’t want the stem to be so long that it looks as if it’s growing out of your head.) Insert the flower into the tube and use floral tape to seal the top of the tube.

7. Wrap the small tube and base of the flower with tulle and ribbon. Pin the ribbon down with a pearl-tipped straight pin. You can also hot-glue this layer of stem camouflage.

8. Attach the bloom with wire, making the flower point upright at a slight angle on the brim of the hat. Again, feed the wires through the hat from the outside and twist-tie the wires in the interior as tightly as you can. Cover the wire ends with a piece of ribbon and a drop of glue. Let dry.

9. Using pins, fill in the front of the hat with small, trimmed spray roses. Using a hot-glue gun, apply coordinating buttons, frosted or glittered berries, jewelry pieces or pearls. The hat is ready for the races.

A wardrobe tip: If you want the hat to stand out, keep clothing simple. Although bright, vibrant and floral clothing can look pretty with fancy hats, simple lines and pure colors will make a decorated hat your crowning glory.

Materials:

• 5 to 6 (approximately 8-by-4-inch) sheets of heavy cardstock paper or lightweight cardboard (other items on hand may fit the bill here; see note)
• 1 sheet of decorative or colored cardstock
• Scissors
• Hot-glue gun and glue sticks
• Feather spray
• One bold silk bloom
• One medium silk flower, in a coordinating color
• Spray of fresh roses, also in a coordinating color
• Pearl-tipped straight pins
• Decorative buttons, berries, vintage or craft jewelry pieces or brooches
• Bobby pins

Instructions:

1. To make the base: Depending on the thickness of the card stock or cardboard, you may need as many as five sheets, stacked one on top of the other, to create a sturdy base. (The base still will need to be pliable, so stop stacking if it is getting too hard to move. It must support the flowers well and have a nice shape, so keep this in mind.) You’ll need a top layer of decorative paper, cardstock or fabric, which will be seen on the hat. It can be sewn on or hot-glued. Glue the layers one on top of the other, finishing with the prettier paper or fabric on top.

Note: Other items can make a good base. Old wallpaper samples have a nice weight and texture. Or you can use needlecraft canvases or other plastic mesh sheets.

2. Cut the stack into a large tear-drop shape.

3. In the center of the the rounded end of the teardrop, make a “dart” to create a bend in the hat so that it will rest snugly against the curve of your head. To do this, cut a slit (or an elongated triangle) about 2 inches long in the center of the rounded end.

4. Pull the edges of the slit together, overlapping them, and then hot-glue the edges down. This creates a rounded shape for the hat to “cup” your head. Hold the hat together until it dries.

To decorate:

5. A feather spray can be hot glued to the base using its own wire. It should stand tall, for drama. Trim off any excess wire. Glue strips of paper or material over the feather’s wire to secure it even more.

6. Position the larger flowers around the feather spray.

7. Using the hot-glue gun, position leftover artificial leaves from the silk flowers on the hat’s base, under the silk flowers.

8. With pearled straight pins, use trimmed, small roses to fill in spaces around larger blooms. Be sure to pin horizontally so the pins go into the cardboard base and do not poke into the interior, where your head will be. Mixing silk and fresh flowers will allow the arrangement to weather well. The fresh roses will start to look like dried flowers, which really isn’t a bad thing.

I added some decorative buttons for interest.

If it’s light enough, coordinating colored bobby pins should hold this hair accent piece in place. If you wish, you may hot-glue a hair comb or a headband to the fascinator.