In just 8 more days, that would be next Saturday for those of you without a calendar readily available, I'll be on my way to VARF (for the first time ever) for my first faire fix of the year! And that's not the best part!

Saturday, May 31 is my birthday!

Please, my friends, if you see me wander by, stop me and say hello! You will recognize me, and my set (of 2), by the dresses you have seen here. My sister-in-law, Lady Stephanie, will be in her blue gown, my dearest friend, Lady Taylor, will likely be displaying her olive and maize confection, whilst I will be seen flaunting my lovely green and plaid ensemble. I can hardly wait!

Hope to see you there :)

It was rainy here and I was bored so I made yet another item not already on my list... Me and the list obviously have differences of opinion. I made a pillbox style hat to go with Lady Stephanie's Italianesque gown.

I got the idea and directions from the r/f forum. The directions I followed were spefically from Orphena. The direction below are hers, with alterations I made in italics.

1. Find a plate or bowl of the "right" dimension -  a pill box should almost perch on your head, so go for the "snack" plates, rather than dinner ones.
2. Trace around the circle. Cut 2 of fabric, add 1/2 inch all around for a seam allowance, and one of plastic canvas. Cut 1 of felt, optional - bit it hades the holes in the canvas and gives it a nicer look. (I found plastic canvas circles in a 6" diameter, so I just used that size, and cut the fabric and felt as directed.)
3. Tape or stich felt to the plastic canvas. Sandwich felt canvas layer between the fabric circles and stich around the circle, encasing the felt canvas layer. (I stitched the felt to the canvas, if that matters to anyone...)
4. Measure around the circle for the circumference, and add 2 inches to that. Cut out a strip of canvas as long as that and between 2 and 4 inches wide. Again, cut a layer of felt and a piece of fabric slightly longer and twice as wide, plus seam allowance. (I chose 2" for the width of the band and I used a different fabric for the lining, so I made 2 fabric pieces, 1 in fashion fabric and 1 of lining the right length and 3" wide to allow for a 1/2 inch on each side for seam allowance.)
5. Tape/sew the felt to the canvas, encase in fabric. Bring ends together and slide one end inside the other to make the circle, finish the ends.
6. Push the top of the hat into place from the bottom (hiding the rough edges on the inside of the hat) and handstitch into place.
7. Trim with beads, feathers, trim. Handstitch small loops or ribbon around the inside edge of the hat, slide a bobby pin through the  loop, and secure it to your hair. (I used thin ribbon to make bobby pin loops.)

That was it it was so easy!!! Thanks again to Orphena for the great directions and inspiration!