My Derby Hat

Peter and I were invited to attend a Derby party Saturday night.  Unfortunately, our sitter had a family emergency of her own, so we weren't able to attend.  Despite that, though, I was determined to make my hat nonetheless, and I could always wear it to church.  So, this week's blog post will be showcasing my non-soapy creativity.

I started off by placing whisper pink tulle over a white hat I'd bought.  I was originally going to put silk gerbera daisies in raspberry and light pink around the brim with some feathers thrown in for fun.

After stitching the tulle in place, I created a little poof of tulle to fill in around the crown.  This would provide a nice backdrop to the flowers.

All the tulle is now in place.  Now it's time to figure out the placement of my showcase flower (a large gerbera daisy-type number) and perhaps some feathers.  After all, what's a Derby hat without feathers?

This is the tentative placement of the feathers and the flower.  Don't you just love that huge, funky flower?  My older daughter suggested the yellow feathers should go into the arrangement, too, claiming they'd look good with the flower, since they match the center.  She has such a good eye, doesn't she?

This is me showing off my new creation (of the non-soapy variety).  The dark feather tied it nicely to my white shirt and brown-and-white skirt.  It wouldn't have mattered; I'm bold enough to wear a hat regardless.  I wore it to watch the Derby at home (and I would have lost if I'd placed a bet, unfortunately), then wore it to church on Sunday.

Did you watch the Kentucky Derby?  Were you pleased with the outcome?  If you watched it, what did you do special ?

Related articles

• The Hottest Hats at the Kentucky Derby! (news.instyle.com)
• 2011 Kentucky Derby: The Best Hats and More Behind the Scenes at Churchill Downs (bleacherreport.com)
• The most ridiculous hats of the Kentucky Derby and Oaks (gadling.com)