Progress...

...with one fascinator, anyway, the cream one.  I marked the shape I wanted to achieve, using an oval box which I use to keep my millinery pins in, while it was still on the dolly, and then removed it.  On the table, it looks pretty unprepossessing, but you can see the distinct curve that has been produced by drying the flat fabric on the dolly.

Trimmed down, though, it starts to take shape.

I'm concerned that I've made it too big, and that concern is continuing throughout the process, so a lesson learned, I guess...but given that this one is the first I've made in several years, I'll be happy if that's the only serious mistake I make.

The next step is wiring, so that it retains its shape, and then the edges are covered in bias binding.  I won't tell you how long all that took... bias binding is a pig to work with, regardless of what type of fabric you use.

And now, it's a bona fide fascinator base, all ready to be decorated.  Looking at it on the dolly, I do think it's too big, but, as Robin said when I said that to him, fascinators are really all about the decoration...so we'll see.  But I've got lots of decisions to make before it's finished....how to decorate it, how to make it stay on the head (millinery pins are fine for wood, but not so good for humans...)...but for now, that's it...  and I'm pleased to have got this far.  More tomorrow.

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.