“There were several beautiful hats, but Laura knew at once which one she wanted. It was a fine, cream-colored straw with a narrow brim, rolled narrower at the sides.”
A sturdy straw hat was an essential accessory to have on the prairie that could be as pretty as it was practical. With just a few supplies and a little bit of extra time, anyone can add some fun to their functional straw hat!
Materials needed to add embellishments to a straw hat:
- Fabric
- Straw Hat
- Fabric Glue
- Scissors
- Button
- Sewing Supplies
Creating a Fabric Flower Embellishment
Step One. Decide on the fabric you would like to use as a band or as a flower. You can either make both (as shown in my pictures) or just stick with one. Another pretty option is to group a handful of handmade flowers together on the straw brim!
Step Two. To make the band, cut a 4″ wide strip of fabric long enough to go around the base of the hat. You could also leave the strip a bit longer so that the two tails hang off the edge of the hat. There really are so many ways to customize this tutorial! Take your newly cut strip and fold the long sides inward, pressing as you go with an iron. Apply fabric glue to the back and glue in place on the straw hat.
Step Three. To make the flower, cut a 3″ x 6″ piece of fabric. Fold 1/2″ inward on the ends to create a neat, folded edge as pictured. Then fold the fabric in half length-wise. Hand sew a loose stitch along the entire raw edge. Holding one end of the fabric and thread tight, pull the thread to bunch the fabric on the top side tighter together. This pulling action on one side will automatically create a flower shape.
Step 4. Sew the two ends together to secure a flower shape and use a button to finish the middle! Sew your fabric flower in place onto the fabric band or directly onto the hat if you’ve skipped the fabric hatband.
Hats were an important part of life during Laura’s lifetime. In These Happy Golden Years, Laura even called chapter 28, The Cream Colored Hat.
“There were several beautiful hats, but Laura knew at once which one she wanted. It was a fine, cream-colored straw with a narrow brim, rolled narrower at the sides. The brim in front came down over the middle of Laura’s forehead. Around the crown was a band of satin ribbon a little darker than the straw, and three ostrich tips stood straight up at the crown’s left side. They were shaded in color, from the light cream of the straw to slightly darker than the satin ribbon. The hat was held on the head by a fine, white silk elastic cord that scarcely showed because it fitted under the mass of Laura’s braided hair.”
We would love you to see pictures of your embellished straw hat. Share them with us on your favorite social media channel using the hashtag #LittleHouseMoment
If you enjoy these old-fashioned activities you will love our free Little House on the Prairie newsletter with our latest DIYs and inspirations.
Vanessa Brady is the mother of two little boys and is an unabashed craft junkie. She is passionate about sewing, crafting, her children, and business. Find her original crafts at Tried and True blog.
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