3 DIY Derby Hats with Fiskars

It was this time six years ago that I got my 15 minutes (actually, it was only like 3 minutes, I’m still waiting on the remainder) of fame. I had submitted a paper flower hat design to The Today Show for a Kentucky Derby hat contest. I, along with two other finalists, were brought on to the show to show off our hats and what do you know, June Ambrose and Al Roker named me the winner. Ha! It was all very hilarious. You can see the full video here for proof.

As you saw in the video, I won a HUGE trophy (where to put that in your house? Please advise???) and I’ve been staring at it for 6 years. Derby hats are clearly ALWAYS on my brain. When Fiskars asked us to use their new DIY heavy duty scissors as well as their classic orange-handled scissors, I knew exactly what to do with them. In fact, we made three versions so you have some options. And they’re all made from materials that you probably already have in your house.

Let’s get cracking!

Their PowerCut Shears are ready for any DIY project, but they’re especially good for heavier materials like cork, burlap, cardboard, and more. They make the experience involve less swear words–always a win. They were the perfect choice when creating our 3 DIY Kentucky Derby hats because we used materials like cardboard, cheese cloth, cardstock, crepe paper, you know, not the totally typical office paper type.

PSA: We are avid cardboard users and honestly, these PowerCut Shears are dreamy. You need them in your craft library!

Paper flower fascinator

We used a variety of paper flower tutorials from our archives to create this stunner. Affixed to a styrofoam dome that we treated, it works perfectly as a dose of springtime.

Materials:

• Crepe paper
• Wire
• Styrofoam dome
• Elmer’s glue
• Fiskars Original Orange-handled ScissorsTM
• Fiskars PowerCut ShearsTM
• Ribbon
• Acrylic
• Glue gun

Instructions: 

1. We used a few tutorials from our archives to create the flowers:
   1. Crepe paper tulips: https://thehousethatlarsbuilt.com/2014/04/make-a-spring-centerpiece-with-tulips.html/
   2. Kumquats and poppies from this post: https://thehousethatlarsbuilt.com/2018/04/cinco-de-mayo-paper-wedding-bouquet.html/
2. Stick each flower into the dome on the side.
3. Use 1.5” of ribbon to make a loop and glue to each side of the dome where you will insert the bobby pins for use.
4. Paint the foam pink with acrylic
5. Apply a layer of decoupage glue underneath the foam to prevent foam crumble.

Voila!

Bow fascinator

For this bow fascinator, we used some more traditional hat making techniques in a more DIY way by creating our own hat mold with very cheap materials. Fiskars was right there to provide the ease!

Materials:

• ½ yard of cheese cloth
• Headband (this is the most comfortable headband ever!)
• 11” balloon
• Spray paint (we used this this one)
• Glue gun
• Fiskars Original Orange-handled ScissorsTM
• Fiskars PowerCut ShearsTM
• Cardstock
• Wire (we used this 16 gauge craft wire)
• Parchment paper

Instructions:

1. Create a mix of Modge Podge and water and soak the cheesecloth in it and wring it out.
2. Create a frame out of thick wire to form the hat as seen in the picture and to the size of your head.
3. Lay the cheesecloth on top of the parchment paper (parchment paper should be bigger than the cheesecloth!
4. Lay the parchment onto the wire frame with a balloon underneath to provide a ridge and let it dry (use a blow dryer if in a hurry, but it dries better in the air for 24 hours).
5. Once it’s dry, cut the cheesecloth to the shape that you’re desiring.
6. Spray paint the cheesecloth in your desired color.
7. Glue gun or wire down the cheesecloth to the headband at your desired angle.

To make the bow:

1. Use our template for the shape and create a bow. Create some loops and glue in place.
2. To create curl in the paper, you can use a paintbrush like you’d curl ribbon.

Paper weaving fascinator

Materials

• Glue gun
• Cardboard
• Fiskars PowerCut ShearsTM
• Cardstock
• Washi tape
• Ribbon
• Paper cutter

Instructions

1. Cut a circle with your Fiskars shears about 5” or to your desired length. It will fit on your head so measure that first.
2. Create a lip on the circle that’s about 1” deep. Glue together
3. To create the cardstock paper strips, (we used 28 around the circumference) use a paper cutter to create ½” strips. Note, we used washi tape on the edges of some to create dimension.
4. To create the shape, bend the strip in half and glue it to one edge of the lip and then glue it to the other edge of the loop. The shape will be like a Breast Cancer awareness ribbon to give you a better visual.
5. Glue each strip every ½” around the circumference of the circle. Repeat to the other half of the lip going the opposite way.

To create the dome on top:

1. Create more strips (we used 15) at 7” long. We made a ¼” tab on each side and glued one tab to the circle of the hat and then to the other and went around the circle.

We loved using our Fiskars DIY tools to get us in the Derby spirit. Have you ever made a Derby hat? Or been to the races? Would love to hear your experience! Tell us all about it!

Shop the look!

Yellow dress  |  Blue dress  |  Floral dress 

This post is sponsored by Fiskars. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that allow Lars to create unique and inspired content for you.