hat decorations

After reshaping my beachcomber hat into a more suitable shape, the last step was just to decorate it.  I looked through some of my books of Edwardian fashion plates and decided to do a cluster of roses on one side with a fabric band that was loosely inspired by the hats from this 1909 Mode Illustree picture.

I am a big believer in hot-glue millinery, so all of the decorations were quickly added just hours before the event started.  I glued strips of silk to the crown first to create the band, then added heirloom-style silk roses that I bought on sale at Michael's.  I filled in the gaps around the flowers with smaller strips and loops of silk.   

front

back

I also made two super-long hat pins by sharpening the ends of some spring steel rods, which you can buy at hobby shops that cater to the model airplane crowd.  Then I just superglued a few glass beads to the other end.

Unfortunately, I didn't look in a mirror when putting my hat on at the suffragette event, so the flowers were too far to the side and back for my taste.  But it still looked great for side-view pictures, and overall, I was very pleased with the way it turned out.  I hope this tutorial gives you a few ideas to help you with your next millinery project!