I have two people to thank in terms of inspiration for this post: Eugenia Kim and Yankee Doodle. The former is an accomplished milliner who designed this delightful hat, and the latter is, of course, a colonial patriot with a penchant for sticking feathers in his cap. You see where I’m going with this.
Like many a teen who stands before of a masterful work of modern art and, filled with the arrogance of youth, declares, “I could make that!” just a little too loudly, I often find myself trolling the pages of fashion magazines and high-end e-retailers thinking to myself how easily (and how cheaply!) I could recreate designer accessories. This hat is no exception.
So, like the Yankee Doodle of yore, I took a fistful of feathers and began adding them to my favorite budget fedora in order to (very successfully I might add) fashion my own version of Ms. Kim’s creation. I humbly invite you to do the same.
For this project, you’ll need the following:
• a wool fedora (I used this one, and I also own it in navy because it’s just. that. good.)
• feathers (I used these, and I love how saturated the color is.)
• E6000
• needle and thread
1. Add a small dot of glue to the thicker end of a feather and carefully place it along the band of the hat, making sure the feather lies smoothly along the side. Once the glue has dried for a minute or so, tack the stem end of the feather to the hat with a few stitches, just to make sure it doesn’t budge.
2. Work your way around the hat, overlapping the feathers as you go so that the glue and stitching don’t show. Once you’ve made one loop around the hat, use a tiny bit of glue where needed on the tips of any feathers that are sticking out, again making sure the feathers lie nice and flat.
3. Make another loop around the hat so your band is two feathers high, taking care to fill in any sparse gaps or cover up any errant glue/stitching that’s showing through. You want the band of feathers to be substantial and solid for maximum impact.
4. Let the glue dry completely and you’re all set!
