Scheidig - Fascinators : 25 stylish accessories to top off your look

Copyright 2016 by Hannah Scheidig

Published by Running Press,

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Table of Contents

CONTENTS

I have had a long-term love affair with hats and fascinators the fascinating ladies headpieces that fall somewhere between a simple hair clip and traditional, large-brimmed hat. My love of hats goes back a long way, and my parents photo albums are full of pictures of little me with hats or just flowers, stolen from the garden, rammed into my hair. Theres something very striking about fascinators: sitting somewhere between practical accessories and works of art. I love that an entire outfit can be perfectly finished off by even the simplest of them.

I decided to turn this passion into a job, and now I have one of the most enjoyable jobs imaginable: designing and making hats and fascinators and teaching others to do the same. Back in 2010, I established my first business, Arabella Bridal (www.arabellabridal.com), a bridal millinery and accessories online store, focusing on vintage-style fascinators. After numerous phone calls and emails from customers asking if I offered classes on how to make fascinators, I decided to give it a go. Several years and hundreds of classes later, the popularity of our Made By craft parties (www.madebycraftparties.com) has blown me away. There are now hundreds of ladies learning how to make fascinators every month! More recently I have set up a website for my non-bridal hats (www.hannahsmillinery.com) due to the demand from non-bridal customers for hats and fascinators too. So its fair to say that making headpieces has now, well and truly, taken over my life!

At nearly every fascinator-making class I have taught over the past few years, there have been a few recurring questions and common themes. Firstly, without fail someone will ask why on earth I have chosen to make fascinators for a living after a previous career in law. Secondly, there is always at least one person in the class who begins as a worried-looking I havent sewn for twenty years, and this is going to be a disaster sort and becomes a that was brilliantI had no idea I would be able to do that, and I did, and now I want to make more! person with a huge smile on her face. Seeing the satisfaction and delight that people get from designing and hand-making a work of art that they can then proudly wear is a wonderful thing and amply demonstrates why I have chosen to do what I now do!

The popularity of fascinators has increased steadily over the past few years, aided hugely by celebrities who favor fascinators over a more traditional hat, including, most famously, the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton. She frequently wears fascinators rather than hats to events. Celebrities from Sarah Jessica Parker to Kate Winslet to Beyonc have been spotted on the red carpet wearing fascinators. And fascinators are without a doubt becoming the it thing to wear at weddings, for the bride, her wedding party, and even for guests, as demonstrated by the hundreds of successful fascinator makers and milliners on Etsy. Most of my workshop business is focused on brides, bridesmaids, and their friends making fascinators for the big day, as an activity to do together and as a way to give the wedding party a chic, cohesive look. Hardly a day passes that I dont have an email from a bride or mother of the bride, wanting to purchase a fascinator because they really cant stand wearing a veil or a dowdy hat, or from a wedding guest who is looking for something a little bit different.

Hat- and fascinator-making is a surprisingly relaxing, fun, and extremely satisfying hobby andfor the lucky ones among usjob. As an added bonus, it doesnt necessarily have to be expensive. While some fascinators do, of course, use beautiful Swarovski crystals and expensive silks, there are plenty of designs that can be made using a few simple, inexpensive materials. The vast majority of designs dont even require the use of a sewing machine (none of the projects in this book will use a sewing machine). Once you have the basic tools, you will be able to make a huge range of styles. Its a very accessible hobby, one that nearly anyone can take up. The key is to master some basic techniques, which can then be used to make lots of different designs. In this book, you will learn how to make a number of beautiful headpieces at home or with friends, using materials that you can easily find in most craft stores or online. Projects range from small sinamay designs (one of the most popular materials to use as a base), to more structured creations with beautiful embellishments, to festival-worthy floral crowns and silver wired and beaded tiaras.

The projects will range from simple to more complex so that no matter what level your sewing ability, there will be projects to suit you. For those with little experience, the initial, simple step-by-step projects will allow you to work on and master the techniques and skills required to tackle the more complex projects later in the book. The first chapter will discuss the materials and tools that will be used throughout the book and will cover some basic techniques that you can use in a number of the projects. Twenty-five fabulous fascinator projects follow, starting with easy ones, moving on to intermediate, and later developing into more challenging projects. Also included are floral crowns, silver wire tiaras, and a few cute childrens fascinator designs. I end each project with ideas for variations that you can make to that particular fascinator, giving many more options for beautiful accessories.