• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Polka Dot Chair logo

  • SEWING
    • Free Sewing Patterns
    • Bag Patterns
    • Costumes
    • Apparel
    • Learn to Sew
    • Beginner Friendly
    • Embroidery Projects
    • Tips & Techniques
    • All Sewing
  • QUILTING
    • Quilt Blocks
    • Learn to Quilt
    • Free Patterns
    • Quilt Patterns
    • All Quilting
  • CRAFTS
    • Disney
    • Cricut
    • Printables
    • All Crafts
  • HOLIDAYS
    • Seasonal Projects
    • Valentine’s Day
    • Easter
    • 4th of July
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • All Holidays
  • TUTORIALS
  • ABOUT
    • About Me
    • My Fabric Collections
    • Published Books
    • Press
    • FAQ’s
    • Contact
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • SHOP
menu icon
go to homepage
  • SHOP
  • TUTORIALS
  • SEWING
  • QUILTING
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • CRAFTS
  • HOLIDAY PROJECTS
  • ABOUT
    • Published Books
    • My Fabric Collections
  • CONTACT
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • SHOP
    • TUTORIALS
    • SEWING
    • QUILTING
    • SUBSCRIBE
    • CRAFTS
    • HOLIDAY PROJECTS
    • ABOUT
      • Published Books
      • My Fabric Collections
    • CONTACT
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Holidays » Derby

    How to Make a Fascinator Perfect for the Derby!

    Updated: May 9, 2022 by Melissa Mortenson · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 1 Comment

    Get yourself Derby ready with a colorful and creative fascinator. Learn how to make a Fascinator with our step-by-step, easy-to-follow tutorial.

    girl in navy dress wearing navy fascinator with pink flowers

    I’ve been running a DIY blog for over 12 years and can’t believe it has taken me this long to write a post teaching you how to make your own fascinator. If you’ve been a long-time reader, then you know that I love all things Kentucky Derby and try to attend at least one Derby event each year! I adore dressing up and think picking out your Derby or Oaks outfit is almost more fun than actually going to the race (notice, I did say “almost”).

    Table of Contents
    • Fascinator Supplies
    • What to Use for the Base of your DIY Fascinator
    • How to Make a Fascinator
    • How to Wear a Fascinator
    • More Fun Derby Ideas

    I’ve made quite a few fascinators over the years and thought that today I’d walk you through the steps to create your own fascinator!

    girl in navy dress wearing navy fascinator with pink flowers

    Before I start, let me say that Millinery is an art. Some very talented Makers create beautiful Derby hats and fascinators. I am not claiming to be one of them. I’m simply going to walk you thru the steps to create your own Derby Fascinator if you choose to make one yourself.

    girl in navy dress wearing navy fascinator with pink flowers

    Fascinator Supplies

    navy tulle and pink flowers on white cutting mat

    What do you need to create a Fascinator? There are a few things that you need and a lot of things that are fun to add. You can pick and choose from this list the things you’d like to add to your fascinator.

    • Headband or Fascinator Base
    • Silk Flowers
    • Feathers
    • Hot Glue Gun
    • Wire Cutters
    • Large Needle
    • Heavy Duty Thread
    • Flexible Horsehair Braid
    • Bird Cage Netting
    • Ribbons

    What to Use for the Base of your DIY Fascinator

    navy fascinator being held over white cutting mat

    When I first started making fascinators, it was hard to find the “base” commercially. Most of the time, you could only buy them if you were in the trade.

    Now they are readily available. I recommend using a Saucer Base. The navy example in our photos is built on this type of base.

    woman wearing pink and light blue fascinator

    You can also use a plastic headband. This fascinator is attached to a headband, not a base. The base is created using a combination of the horsehair braid and birdcage netting.

    light blue tulle

    How to Make a Fascinator

    Step One: Base

    My favorite material to use for fascinators is a flexible horsehair braid. It looks like a really dense tulle but is stretchy. It comes in different widths. For example, today, I’m using a wider horsehair braid.

    navy tulle on white cutting mat

    The horsehair braid I purchased has a string on one side. You can pull up on the string to gather the tulle into a circle. If yours doesn’t have this, use a needle and a bit of heavy-duty thread to gather it up.

    Gather up the horsehair braid into a circle. Make sure you save the leftover. You’ll use it later to embellish the hat.

    Glue the circle to the center of the saucer on your fascinator. Let it dry. Just use a dot of hot glue to secure it to the center.

    Tip: You can purchase a styrofoam head at a craft store inexpensively. It will be helpful when decorating your fascinator since you can use it as a stand as you work.

    Step Two: Flowers

    Remove the silk flowers you are using from their stems. Cut them as close to the flower base as you can, being careful not to dismantle the flower in the process.

    navy fascinator with pink flowers glued on

    Decide on an arrangement that you like. I prefer to pin the flowers on first, to see what looks good. Then glue afterward.

    For my fascinator, I used 3 silk flowers arranged in a triangle. Remember that your fascinator will be viewed from all sides, and it needs to also look good in the back.

    Glue the flowers to the base. If any of them are particularly heavy or don’t seem to stick with the hot glue, use a bit of heavy-duty needle and thread to sew them to the base.

    Step Three: Embellish

    girl in navy dress wearing navy fascinator with pink flowers

    The last thing you need to do is embellish with feathers or other accessories. You can add a bit of birdcage veil coming down over your eyes—a trio of feathers or many other things.

    I added an extra piece of gathered horsehair braid to the bottom of my hat (where the seams in the gathered piece of horsehair braid meet) and 3 pink feathers.

    How to Wear a Fascinator

    A Polka Dot Dress and the Kentucky Derby on polkadotchair.com

    Keep in mind that if you’re going to be wearing the fascinator all day, it needs to be comfortable. If it’s really big or heavy, you’ll want to clip it to your hair with some large hair clips or bobby pins (hide them in your hairstyle). I have not ever noticed that I needed to secure a fascinator in place. Most of the time, they stay in place on their own.

    woman wearing pink and light blue fascinator

    As you’re making yours, be sure to secure all the layers well with hot glue. You don’t want it to fall apart halfway through the day!

    More Fun Derby Ideas

    21 Adorable Kentucky Derby Party Ideas

    How to Make a Derby Hat

    How to Make a Kids Derby Hat

    More Projects You May Enjoy

    • Win, Place, Show Rosette Centerpiece; a Derby Craft Idea
    • How to Make Your Own Derby Hat
    • Kentucky Derby Craft Ideas for Cricut Machines
    • 21 Adorable Kentucky Derby Party Ideas

    • Share
    • Email

    About Author

    Melissa Mortenson

    Melissa Mortenson is a blogger, designer, and content creator. She is the Polka Dot Chair blog founder and has been sharing fresh and creative ideas with readers since 2008. She is the author of “Project Teen, Handmade Gifts your Teen will Actually Love.” Her work and designs have been featured on HuffPost, TODAY, Pioneer Woman, HGTV, BuzzFeed, Better Homes & Gardens, and many other established publications. Her first fabric line, “Derby Style,” debuted in January 2015 through Riley Blake Designs.  Additional fabric collections have followed it in subsequent years. A mom of 3, she considers herself lucky to be living in Kentucky.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Adrian Creveling says

      August 14, 2022 at 1:50 am

      I view something genuinely interesting about your site so I bookmarked .

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hello! It’s nice to meet you.

    I’m Melissa. I like to design things, like fabric, printables, and projects.

    I’m also a Mom and a Maker. I am like most of you, just trying to do my best every day. Some days I succeed, many days I fail.  I find joy in creating, if you do too, then I hope that you find something here bring a little “happy” to your life.  Find out more about me here.

    COPYRIGHT POLICY

    All my images and text are copyrighted. You may NOT use any images from this site in any kind of Video (this includes YouTube). If you would like to feature my work, you may use ONE (1) NON-COLLAGED image and must “follow” link back to my original blog post. You may NOT edit, crop, or change my images in any way without written permission. You MAY NOT print out or copy and distribute any text, images or patterns from this site. All patterns, content, instructions, and templates are for personal use ONLY! Thank you! Violators will be reported.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimers
    • About Melissa
    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • FAQ
    • Press
    • Published Books
    • Fabric Collections

    Welcome to the Polka Dot Chair! Here you’ll find easy, step-by-step, sewing, quilting, and crafting projects. We design projects for Makers of all skill levels. Beginners are welcome!

    DISCLAIMER:

    While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content on this website, the information is made available without warranty of any kind. The Polka Dot Chair accepts no responsibility or liability, whether direct or indirect, as to the currency or accuracy of the information, nor any consequence of its uses. This website is not intended to substitute the advice of a professional.

    Copyright © 2022 Polka Dot Chair

    [ Placeholder content for popup link ] WordPress Download Manager - Best Download Management Plugin