feather & flower headband tutorial

i got motivated this weekend. seriously, between getting the main portion of my halloween costume, crossing some fall clothing basics off my list, starting my rain project that included a photoshoot with ming & creating a locker calendar for my niece (previous post) & making some killer deviled eggs for canadian thanksgiving i finally made this headband & wrote a tutorial (photo led instructions here) so you can make one too! here we go!

what you need:
one thin headband
one feather (found at most craft stores)
pearls or small beads
linen or other lightweight fabric
needle
thread
glue (craft or bookbinding glue will work fine)

instructions:
1. cut linen into 8 circles of various sizes
2. stack the circles from small to large
3. thread your needle with a similar color thread & come up through the center of the stack. bring back dow & repeat one more time.
4. fold the stack in half & thread through close to the fold. this will create some gathering. fold in the opposite direction & repeat.
5. from the bottom, come up straight through the stack & thread the cluster of beads, one at a time.
6. after beading the center you may find that the flower is laying flat again. you will want to bring the needle through various sections & numbers of the circles to gather them together (avoid the top one so that you don't see the stitches). this will create some random scrunching & volume.
7. once the flower is assembled you will glue the base of the feather to the back of the flower.
8. once the glue is dry, reinforce with some simple stitching.
9. mock up where you want the flower & feather to sit on the headband & hold it in position.
10. place a small square of the matching linen or fabric on the opposite side of the headband & glue to the back of the flower.
11. to reinforce & hold together, stitch the square through the back 2 circles of the flower around the headband.

helpful hints:
1. h&m has great woven headbands for about $3 that you can stitch through in the last step.
2. use two or three types of beads or pearls to create the center piece of the flower.
3. rest the headband upside down for a few hours (& store that way) to allow the feathers to shape around the curve of the headband. that way it will lay on your head better.

for an illustrated tutorial & a glimpse at my super fabulous gold nails visit my picasa album here.