Zipper Headband / Fascinator

Hi, I'm Hazel the Maker Girl! I learned how to make a fascinator from a zipper to wear to a wedding because I was not going to wear a hat. I liked it so much that I made a smaller one too, that I can wear all the time, since the fascinator is too much to wear all the time (although I would like to because I think it looks great!) People really like them and can't believe that they are made from zips! I did need to get a little bit of help to make this but it was worth it!

Step 1: Gather Materials

You will need:

• A plastic headband. We used ones that are covered in satin. If you are not covering the headband it can be the narrow kind, if you want to cover it with a zipper you will need the wide kind.
• A (new) zipper at least 18 ins long. If you want to cover the headband you will need a long 30 ins zipper or you will need to buy two. I like the ones with the silver teeth.
• A hot glue gun
• A needle and thread
• A pretty button (optional)
• An adult to help with the tricky bits (unless you are already an adult yourself), especially with the hot glue gun because it gets really hot and if you get it on you it will burn you.

Step 2: Starting the Flower

First, unzip the zipper all the way to the end and cut off the very end where there is no teeth. You only need one half of the zipper to make a flower. Roll the very end of the zipper where you have just cut into a circle as flat as you can, and make a stitch or two to hold it in place. You don't have to be neat with the stitches because you won't be able to see them, but you do need to be careful not to get the thread caught on the teeth of the zipper, if it does get caught it won't hold everything together tightly and you will be able to see it as well. Also it will be more likely to get tangled or break. Once you have done that, shape another flat circle behind it, a little bit bigger so it forms a spiral. Put in more stiches to hold it in place.

Step 3: Making Petals

This time, instead of making a flat circle, make a flat loop that goes out a little bit wider and stitch that into place. This is the first petal of the flower. Fold the zipper underneath and make another petal in a different place. Keep making petals until you are happy with how it looks or until you are about to run out of zipper. If you have any zipper left over, you can make a bigger loop to make it look like a leaf. For the centre of the flower, you can stick some buttons on like I did with the fascinator, or the pull from the zipper like I did with the smaller headband. I like the zipper pull because it means you can tell what it is made from easier. Whichever one you use you can just stick into place with the hot glue gun.

Step 4: Attaching to the Hairband

If you still have zipper left, or you have a length left over that does not have any teeth on it, you can cut it off. To finish off your stitching, make two stitches over the top of each other at the back of your flower, and then you can cut the end of the the thread off. Next, use the hot glue gun to stick it onto the headband. You don't stick it right in the middle, as it would look funny right on the top of your head! You need to work out where to put it so it is just to the side but not low enough that it touches your ear, because that would look funny too. Once you have glued it hold the two bits together until they are dry (which is not very long).

If you have a wide headband you can stick the other piece of zipper over the headband to cover it like we did with my fascinator. You need to use a wider headband and make sure your flower is big!

Once you have done that, your headband or fascinator is ready! You can make them in all different colours, I want to make lots of them so I have one I can wear with anything.