A little 'Fascination'!

My hand-crafted clip-on feather fascinator.

My daughter was eyeing up a white feather fascinator in a little shop in Maine during our recent trip, but the price tag (about $30) landed it quickly back on its display.  Fascinators are the tiny little headpieces made fashionable by Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cambridge (otherwise known as Princess Kate). They are becoming popular here, too.

Philadelphia's 'Diner en Blanc'  is coming up soon, and my daughter is a table coordinator.  This is a fun, magical night under the stars for which Philadelphians pack their own dinner, bring their own chairs and tables, and wait until a late afternoon phone call that tells them where the “secret” dining location is.  Over a thousand people dress in white to take part in the pop-up culinary event. 'Diner en Blanc' picnics began in Paris two decades ago and are now taking over elegant public spaces in 22 cities around the world.

We bought my daughter white folding chairs and a roll-up camping table for her birthday, and she is assembling two place settings, a white table cloth and a centerpiece for the evening.  She has a white dress and comfortable shoes (because you walk or take public transportation to the event), but wants to jazz things up a bit, and a white fascinator would add a bit of style to the evening.

Mom to the rescue!

On a quick run to the craft store this week, I snagged a stem of silk mums and a stem of white feathers.  Total cost:  $5.00.  I found some 'bling' in my stash of jewelry supplies.  It was just a matter of assembling the parts.

The headband, ribbon and Pellon Peltex I already had in my stash...the only purchase were the flowers and feathers.

E6000 glue is my adhesive of choice when it comes to these kinds of projects.  It's good for metal, plastic, beads and fabric.  It stays flexible and dries clear.  The first thing I glued was the rhinestone button into the center of the flower.

A rhinestone button adds just the right amount of bling!

For the foundation, I used Pellon Peltex 70, an ultra firm, smooth and resilient stabilizer for accessories and crafts.  I glued two pieces together and cut it into an oval shape.  I punched a hole in the top of the foundation piece to insert the stem of the silk flower.

The feathers needed a little trimming before I glued them onto the Peltex.  I laid them out first, so I would know how long to make them and which feather would be glued down first.  I topped the feathers with another piece of Peltex, and clamped them for about a half an hour to secure all the pieces together.  Then I glued the hair clip to the back of the foundation.

The last thing to be glued in place was the flower.  I wasn't sure if she would prefer a hair clip or a headband, and I had enough supplies to make another, so I made one of each.  I'm sure she'll find someone with whom to share the other fascinator!  

The headband version of the fascinator.

Both pieces were assembled in about an hour, and cost just $2.50 each!  Can't wait to see pictures of the event!