Inspired by this ladies blog,
http://www.sewingadicta.com/2011/04/hat-on-friday-tutorial.html which I found when browsing Pinterest, I decided to have a go at making a hat. I call it my 'Sylvia' hat as it is made from a straw hat belonging to Aunty Sylvia. This is how it went:
I cut off the crown from the brim.
Whip stitched wire (I used fuse wire as that's all I had in the house) around the base of the crown to give it stability.
Covered the rough edges with bias binding:
Then pleated a scarf over the top and stitched it down:
I'm afraid I got carried away and forgot to take photos. Basically I cut the excess edges off the scarf. Then used this to trim the hat. Added a feather, a ribbon bow, a fascinator headband and this is how it turned out
Really enjoyed doing this and will probably make more once I find a few straw hats, but watch this space as I've already started making a second hat using the brim from this one!