Decoration...

...is the real art of the fascinator.  Here's what it looks like now.

That's a silk organza rose, made from my hand dyed cloth, cut on the bias (yes, the b word again...seems to crop up frequently in millinery, doesn't it?).  Hand stitched, and then hand stitched onto the base.  Five feathers, a similar colour to the base (champagne, it's called), glued and stitched on.  I've tried adding some hand stitched feathers to that base, but it seems rather cluttered when I do, so I suspect it'll stay as it is.  Now that it has some decoration on it, it doesn't seem quite so large; the proof of that will be when it's actually worn, of course. 

There are three options for wearing it.  I could put a comb on it, so that it sits on the head that way.  I think it's too large for that, and besides, I don't like combs in general, except as a basis for tiny little headpieces.  I could also put it on a headband, which I would cover with bias, like this...

There is a remarkable amount of hand stitch involved in millinery, and this is no different.  But it doesn't really suit the way I envisage it sitting on the head, so it'll need to be the third option, a  very narrow elastic band that hides under the hair, and holds the piece in place.  Now all I have to do is work out where the one or two bands I have left are hiding, and attach them.  It'll not be today, though.... but I promise to show you how it ends up.

Getting Back To Hats...

seems like a good idea.  They're relatively small, albeit a tad fiddly, I can pick 'em up and put 'em down as the energy dictates, and they're useful.  What's not to like?   Besides, I can use a fair range of the textile skills I have on them, and explore working in 3D, while I'm at it.  So, I ordered some of this stuff, cotton covered millinery wire, and it arrived yesterday; it's fine, but not too fine, infinitely flexible and relatively easy to work with.

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I have a fair amount of sinamay already, so I don't have to spend a great deal...except...I really want a brim block, so I can use the larger blocks I already have...but we'll see how we get on with the blocks I have.  Besides, I can't make up my mind what kind of brim to buy...I don't have infinite resources, and I need to get something useful.  Decisions, decisions.  I'm going to stick to fascinators for now.

I decided to work with some of my existing offcuts, which have been sitting in a box for I Hate To Think How Long...  there's some white bias already cut and shaped, so I cut a couple of squares for fair sized fascinator bases in white, and a couple in pink.  One of them will be pinned over this block (which I think actually belongs to my friend Clare...sorry, dear heart...).  The other will go onto Dolly, to give it some shape... a dolly is a head shaped block on a stand, which I use to shape things, but also to see how a hat looks as I add things to it....just in case you were wondering.

The block is covered with clingfilm to protect the wood, in case you were wondering.   And as I'll need some pink bias, I started cutting it...  I'll  probably discard the discoloured areas ... sinamay fades in the sun, clearly.

Bias is used a lot to create embellishments for hats, as well as simply binding the edges; fortunately, sinamay is much easier to handle than, say, silk.  I need to make some embellishments for this little comb I found in a box... I covered it who knows how long ago, it would be fun to put a flower or a swirl of sinamay on it, to make it interesting...

I have a lot of combs like this one; I'm planning to cover them and give them to a local charity to raise funds, if I can find one who would be interested.  Sophisticated ones for grown ups, and cute for kids...should be fun.  I've made grown up ones before, modeled by my friend Gemma, again, a very long time ago...see the post herehttps://artmixter.blogspot.com/2012/02/snapping-up-storm.html.

Mostly, though, I'll be doing this for the joy of it... hurrah.

Progressing...

with the waistcoats... this is my mother in law's .  It is made from an African fabric I bought from Maggie Relph at the African Fabric Shop, more years ago than I care to remember.  Yes, fabric hoarding... but I am using it now.  I bought two fabrics from her at that point, and the second is being turned into bags...but more of that another time.

I wondered about how to quilt the fabric.  Quilting each individual leaf would have been overkill, I thought... so in the end I picked up the edges of the blocks, where there were irregular, curving lines running the length and breadth of the fabric, in quite an irregular way.  Right up my street, really...  I'm debating adding a bit more, though I like the irregularity of the quilting.

Finding a fabric for the lining was quite challenging; in the end, I settled for a purple commercial fabric.  As you can see, it works quite nicely.  I had hoped to avoid making my own bias binding, partly to save time, and partly because I'm not entirely sure where my bias binding maker gizmo is... but had no luck in finding anything that was suitable locally, and a trip into Norwich is not on the cards.  Fortunately, there's enough of that purple to make bias binding, as well as lining for a matching bag.  Busy?  Me?  Just a bit...

PS If, like me, you've forgotten how to make continuous bias binding... check out the video and tutorial here; sadly, I can't help you find your missing bias binding maker...I'll have enough bother finding my own!