kate middleton and prince william’s big day will be here very soon, so its time to vamp up barbie's special events wardrobe. sure, barbie has great clothes, the best way to top off any special ensemble is a hat - not just any hat. a trendy fascinator will be the finishing touch.  what is a fascinator? a fascinator is a hat, but more like a hairpiece. if you've seen press coverage of british royal weddings, horse races like the royal ascot, you would have seen numerous members of the royal family and celebrities showing off their best fascinators! it is usually a bit lighter than a hat and definitely more expressive.

although fascinators have been traditional in britain since the 1800’s, there’s been a recent rise in their popularity. at the british premiere of “sex and the city", sarah jessica parker wore a wonderful green creation by philip treacy. treacy is an irish born hat designer and has created some of the most exquisite and recognizable hats in the world. his work has also been featured on the runways of paris and milan for the most decadent of couture shows.
 
it's really fun and easy to make a unique piece for your barbie. you only need to have access to a few supplies, your creativity and your imagination.

supplies:

fabric for the base (most anything will do, i used a basic satin)

feathers

sequins, seed beads and swarovski 3mm bicones

sewing thread and beading needles if you are using beads.

silk flowers

fabric glue

sequin pins or elastic cord

lastly, inspiration! go online, search for images of royal wedding celebrations and formal events, the royal ascot, hat designer philip treacy

length of time for project: about an hour – basic sewing skills help.

1a. start with a circle-shaped cutout of your base fabric. We used a circle with a diameter of 1½ inches across. 

2a. repeat with the lining – here we chose stiff netting. 

2b. after you’ve sewn the darts, pin together the fabric and lining with their right sides facing each other.  sew with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

3b. to turn the right side out, you can cut a slit in the center of the lining. (this is helpful in keeping your seam from fraying.)

4. push out the fabric through the slit and use a thin object with a blunt edge to shape the edge of your base. press and stitch the slit on the lining closed.

6b. a hint – when you work with feathers, apply a small amount of glue on one end and let dry before sewing.  this will help tremendously in keeping the feathers on your piece.  another hint, if you know how to curl ribbon, you can also curl feathers that way – just take care in how much tension you use. make sure you have several feathers in case some get destroyed in the curling process. 

7. ninimomo loves to incorporate hand-sewn beadwork and we left patches on the satin hat where we can add clusters of beadwork.

7a. we've used a swarovski 3mm bicone for a flower’s center and anchored it with a seed bead.

7b. we've also added some hand-beaded fringe by stringing a number of seed beads.

8a. measure the amount you will need by stretching the cord around the head (go from top then around the back of the head and back to top). cut the cord a little longer than your measurement and make a double knot at both ends. 

8b. sew the knotted ends to opposite points of the fascinator’s edges. 

voila! just in time for the wedding!!