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We are so excited about our millinery demonstration coming up this Sunday. Expert milliner Colleen will be showing everyone the basics of making a fascinator suitable for weddings and other formal events. 

DIY millinery is becoming more and more popular, it gives you more options for personalising your headpieces than if you were to buy a ready made hat. With our wide selection of millinery supplies you can make a variety of different headpieces. If you are interested in making your own hats then these are some of the basic materials you will need to get you started:

Hat Base: If you are making a fascinator then you will need a hat base to start with. These come in a range of different shapes, sizes and colours. If you have trouble finding the colour you want in a hat base then they can be spray painted. We stock a huge range of spray paint colours on our craft floor which you can use to change the colour of your hatbase.

Veiling: Veiling is perfect for adding detail to your fascinator. We have a great range of colours in diamond veiling and spotted veiling. We also have a selection of clearance veilings which are reduced to just €2.99 per metre. You can use veiling to create a traditional birdcage veil for your fascinator or you could also use it for embellishment.  

Crinoline: Crinoline is a woven nylon fabric that is very versatile in hatmaking. It can be used to create decorative bows and flowers to add to your fascinator. You can be as subtle or as flamboyant as you like when using crinoline.

Sinamay: Most of our hat bases are made with sinamay. It is a stiff woven fabric which becomes flexible when wet. It can be used to make your own hat bases in whatever shape you want. This is done by "blocking" your sinamay and is useful for milliners who are making multiple hats or who need to make a specific hat shape.

Feathers:  Feathers are often used to decorate fascinators and head pieces. You can get all shapes and sizes of feathers to decorate your hats. Feathers can also be curled using an iron or a curling tongs to further customise your hat.

These are just some of the basic supplies used in millinery. There are endless tips and tricks for making headpieces. You can follow our pinterest page here for all kinds of millinery inspiration: https://www.pinterest.com/vibescrafts/