The Tea Cup Hat: A Millinery Sneak Peek at Next Week's Madly Hatted Tea!

I think tomorrow is a say-something-hat day.  --Vida Boheme

think tomorrow is a say-something-hat day.
~Vida Boheme - See more at: http://www.pearlsandswine.com/hat-quotes-a-slight-obsession/#sthash.vayX4euz.dpuf

I think tomorrow is a say-something-hat day.
~Vida Boheme - See more at: http://www.pearlsandswine.com/hat-quotes-a-slight-obsession/#sthash.vayX4euz.dpuf

Next weekend is the much-anticipated Madly Hatted Tea. And while I can never wait to share all the recipes and party-planning goodness with you, dear Reader, usually mum's the word until after the big event reveal. However, this is just too good to wait a whole week to show you!

After finishing the main table centerpiece for 'Madly Hatted' yesterday afternoon, I realized I was running out of time and had to do something about a hat for the party.  Nothing in my closet looked promising so I began to scour the internet for outrageous hat designs, in hopes of a little inspiration.  While scrolling through pictures of millinery genius, I came across these 2 adorable images of custom-made tea cup hats (who knew such fabulousness existed??) from www.etsy.com/shop/PlayThings. 

 

What could be more outrageously delightful? Though I'd have loved to talk to this gal about commissioning one of these incredible hats (and I still might), my time-frame was limited, so I googled how to make a tea cup hat and came up with this little gem by the Tea Cup Dolly. Then it was off to Hobby Lobby for supplies.

Supplies needed for making your own Tea Cup Hat:

• 1 sm plastic flower pot (I trimmed off the rim)

• 1 piece of medium-thickness cardboard big enough to cut out a saucer & cup handle

• 1/2-3/4 yard of fabric (enough to cover your cup & saucer--including the interior of the cup which will be visible)

• Enough fancy trim or cording to embellish your tea cup & saucer as you like

• 1 square of felt in a coordinating color (look for felt that isn't flimsy)

• 1 head band

• Spray Paint in a coordinating color (for the cup handle)

• Additional embellishments that strike your fancy (flowers, ribbons, whimsical floral picks)

• Glue Gun

• Scissors

• Writing Utensil

• Ruler

• Floral Snips

• Fabric Glue (if desired)

Making The Hat:

• First, using the plastic flower pot as your guide, place the pot in the center of the cardboard and draw a slightly-wider circle around it, leaving about a 2-3 inch lip around the pot.  This will be your saucer. Cut the saucer out.

• Place the saucer on top of the felt and cut the felt in a circle just slightly wider than the saucer itself--maybe 1/2 an inch. Set saucer pieces aside.

• From the remaining cardboard scrap, draw & cut out your tea cup handle. Make handle ends (where you attach it to the cup) a bit longer to leave room for folding the ends into little tabs--these will be easier to glue.

• In a well-ventilated area, lay out some newspaper and spray-paint one side of the tea cup handle. Allow it to dry about 15-20 minutes, then flip it over and spray the other side. Let the handle dry completely.

• While your tea cup handle is drying, warm up your glue gun.

• Cut a large enough swatch of fabric to wrap completely around your saucer in one piece.

• Place the fabric face down on your work surface and lay the saucer on top. Fold and gather the fabric snugly around the edge of the saucer and dab with glue to hold. Repeat this all the way around the saucer. Let the saucer dry for 5-10 minutes.

• Then glue the saucer in the center of the felt circle and allow to dry.

• Now cut a large enough swatch of fabric to cover the cup and repeat same process as the saucer, gathering the fabric and gluing in the interior of the cup.

• Once the cup has been covered in fabric, trim away any excess material. Leave a small seam opening where the two ends of fabric meet for your cup handle. Let the cup dry for a few minutes. 

• Then using small dabs, glue the trim around the top outer edge of your cup. Let dry.

• Attach your cup handle by dabbing glue on the handle tabs and securing them inside the seam on your cup. Glue seam closed. Let dry.

• Once the cup is dry, place it on the saucer and use it as a guide for applying trim to the saucer. Glue the trim to the saucer.

• Then glue the bottom of the cup securely to the center of your saucer. Let the cup and saucer dry while you cut and prep any extra embellishments you want to add.

• Once the cup is securely glued onto the saucer, experiment with and apply your extra embellishments--the more outrageous, the better! Glue them in place and allow them to dry.

•  After your tea cup hat is dry, place the head band on top of your head and experiment with angles/placement of the hat to determine how it will look best on your head. Then glue the hat to the headband and allow it to dry completely before trying it on.

 Voila! Millinery fabulousness! Just in time to attend the Madly Hatted Tea--stay tuned next week for the big reveal!

“Few women have ever been able to resist the temptation to try on a hat and discover in the mirror a person they never suspected was there. A hat alters the image we have of ourselves, and the image others see as well. For the hours we wear it, it brings out different dimension in our personality, much as a costume aids an actress in her role.” ~ Unknown - See more at: http://www.pearlsandswine.com/hat-quotes-a-slight-obsession/#sthash.vayX4euz.dpuf

I can wear a hat or take it off, but either way it's a conversation piece. --Hedda Hopper

Hat Quotes courtesy of pearlsandswine.com.

I think tomorrow is a say-something-hat day.
~Vida Boheme - See more at: http://www.pearlsandswine.com/hat-quotes-a-slight-obsession/#sthash.vayX4euz.dpuf

I think tomorrow is a say-something-hat day.
~Vida Boheme - See more at: http://www.pearlsandswine.com/hat-quotes-a-slight-obsession/#sthash.vayX4euz.dpuf