Sure, Kentucky Derby hats are notoriously big and loud, and perhaps (with all due respect), a tad bit ostentatious. If you're in the stands at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby day, your hat better be blocking someone else's view of the track or you're doing it wrong.
So, if that's the case, you're probably wondering why you would ever need to make a mini Kentucky Derby hat. Well, I have a few ideas. For a doll, maybe, or even say, to top an Easter egg. Maybe you just like cute mini sized things. Whatever your reason, I'm going to show you how easy it is to make your own extravagant hat in a small size package.
For the hat itself, you'll need to gather some supplies: cardboard (I used a shirt box), a round glass or other object as a template, cotton stuffing or cotton balls, pencil, scissors, and a glue gun.
The circle size for the hat brim will depend on what size hat you want to make. Using the glass, trace a circle on the cardboard. Cut the circle, and then make a slit to cut a small circle from the center.
Overlap and glue the slits together on the brim piece to create a curve for the brim. (The bigger the overlap, the bigger the curve, or wave.)
Cut a half-inch wide strip of cardboard long enough to fit the center circle cutout. Glue the strip to the center cutout. Now you will have the two pieces of the hat and you will cover each of these with fabric separately.
For the brim, cut a circle of fabric large enough to cover the entire cardboard piece. Pull the fabric up tight and glue around as you go. Unless you use a stretchy fabric, you will create a pleated look. If you don't want a pleated look, use a stretchy fabric.
For the hat top, glue the cotton to the flat top piece and then cover with fabric the same way as you covered the brim: pull up tight and glue to the inside center.
Now, glue the top and brim pieces together. If it doesn't look perfect, don't stress. We're going to use embellishments to create a flawless look.
Now that you've got a complete hat, it's time to decorate. Kentucky Derby hats are traditionally decorated with lots of big colorful flowers and feathers. There's no right or wrong when it comes to embellishments, and the more, the better! I've chosen to use tulle, a silk flower, and a variety of feathers.
I used the tulle to create a band around the hat. (Hint, this also hides any unsightly flaws created when gluing the top and brim together.) Play around with your flowers and feathers until you get the look you want and use hot glue to secure everything in place.
That's it! A small Kentucky Derby hat big on traditional revelry!
Happy hat making, DIY'ers!
~julee~
