Create a charming, graceful southern magnolia hat!

Ahhh, the Southern Magnolia…

…a symbol of the gentility of old-time Deep South.

The magnolia’s large, elegant and sweetly fragrant white blossoms perfume the southern breezes and bless the insects with nectar.
As a proud Florida native, who appreciates the romance and beauty of the South, don’tcha know I just had to make a graceful magnolia hat!!?
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Things used in this project:

• Plain hat from Dollar Tree, $1.
• I chose a double doily from what I found at the bin store, purchased by weight, costing only pennies.
• The spool of ribbon, bought at Wal-mart, was $2 or $3.
• The stem of 5 magnolia flowers from Wal-mart was $3, of which, I used 4.

To begin:

1. Decide how you might place the doily. I wrapped it around the crown, and it spilled onto the brim for a delicate garnish: It covered only three-fourths of the way around the crown, so, I thought the empty spot would be where the flowers would go. Rather than gluing it on, I hand-sewed it to the hat with many small stitches.
2. Wrap the crown with a length of ribbon, encircling it, overlapping it a little where the bow will go. Pin it, and tack it down with needle and thread in a few spots all around the crown near the bottom edge of the ribbon, so as not to be too noticeable.
   

   

3. Turn up the side of the hat—at the empty spot where the doily doesn’t reach—and hand-sew the folded-up brim in place. This area is where your flowers will be tucked into the fold-up, and around the folded-up brim. I also chose to trim the hat brim on that side to follow the edge of the doily (left).
4. Before you make the bow, put your flowers on: Remove the blossoms from the stem by just pulling them off the end of the stem. Place one each in the front and back of the fold-up (#1 and #3 in this illustration). Each will nestle in the hole created by the folded-up hat brim. Then, place another one on the outside of the fold (#4), and one above the folded brim (#2), to make a close cluster of blossoms. Pin each as you place it. Tack each down with needle and thread, putting your needle right through the petals, close to the center of the magnolias, until they all are secured in place.
5. Now, make your bow. I made three loops on one end of a length of ribbon, pinned it. On the other end of the ribbon,  I made three corresponding loops, pinned. Then, I wrapped the middle of the bow with a short piece of ribbon, sewed it together, and attached a ribbon, folded at an angle in the middle of its length, to create streamers from the bow.
6. Attach your bow to the hat at the “knot” and tack it in a few places to keep the bow from flopping down. (I attached my bow a little off-center to be close to the bunch of magnolias, intensionally.)

That’s it!
Enjoy wearing your own creation and revel in the compliments you’ll get!!

 
 
 
 

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I’d love to hear your comments!!! Lemme know whatcha think!

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