Easy Mini Top Hat Tutorial

 Having received a surprise invitation to a convention in less than a month, I found myself in need of something outrageous and awesome to wear, and fast. So of course I went for a mini top hat.
I ended up getting caught up in the creation process and taking fewer pictures than I should have, so please let me know if this makes no sense.

You will need: An empty cereal box
                       A disposable cup
                       A hot glue gun
                       Some fabric (I up-cycled from an old shirt)
                       A ribbon


1. Cut two circles, about 1.5 inches larger in diameter than the disposable cup. Glue the two circles together to make a sturdy base for the top hat.








2. Cut a piece of fabric around the cardboard circle. Place the cardboard in the center and fold in the fabric so it wraps around both sides of the cardboard, with the gathering point in the middle. Glue it into place.

3. Trace the open end of the cup onto the cardboard. Cut out the resulting circle and cover it with fabric using the same method as in the base.













4. Cut a large rectangular piece of fabric and wrap it around the cup so that the sides are covered. Glue the bottom of the fabric-wrapped cup to the top of the base.















5. Glue on the top portion of the hat. Tie a ribbon around the point where the base and cup meet to hide any drippings of glue, and, if desired, adorn it with feathers, pins, or whatever else you'd like.

6. Glue it to a headband, ribbon, hair clip, etc, to keep it securely in place. It also makes a nice decoration for a steampunk-themed room.

No-Sew Floral Lace Fascinator Tutorial

1. To begin with, you’ll need a little bit of felt, a simple headband, about two yards (this may vary, depending on the size of your fascinator) of fairly wide lace, and some hot glue or textile glue.

2. Cut a circle from the felt. Mine is about two to three inches in diameter. Keep in mind that, due to the width of the lace, the finished product will be a few inches larger than the felt circle.

3. Pin the inner edge of the lace to the outer edge of the felt circle. It's okay if the lace warps from  being pinned to a round surface; this gives it a more realistic petal-like shape.

4. Remove the pins one by one, replacing each with a dab of glue. Allow the glue to dry.

5. Repeat this process a little bit at a time, gluing the lace in a tight spiral pattern. As you near the center, you may want to fold the lace in half to give a more rounded effect. Continue until you have made a rose shape.

6. Glue the fascinator to the headband. Cut another circle of felt, and then glue it on so that the headband is sandwiched between the two felt layers.

7. Wait for the glue to dry, and it’s done.