My ‘Happy Place’ has always been the sea, in all its moods, be it tranquil, tropical, blustery, or stormy. The sea creates a peace within me but can also invigorate and energise. I wanted to capture this in an abstract fascinator. I drew out a shape that I could sculpt into a rolling wave using Sinamay, increasing the size three times to encompass the four moods. To hold the shape, I needed to use millinery wire, and Sinamay bias to ensure a smooth finish. In total I used eight colours of Sinamay, gradually changing the colours from tranquil to stormy. I used embroidered net lace to create the swirl before the crest of each wave and then chiffon flower trim to create the actual foaming crest of each wave, leaving white feathers on the underside to create a smooth finish to the underside of the wave. To add a touch of ‘character’ I added diamante sea turtles, from a pair of earrings and small pieces of sea glass and tiny shells. The blue patent leather Alice band is a nod to a deep ocean colour, the blue marabou trim a touch of sea swirl whimsy. I completed the design with three small blue seashells on the opposite side of the Alice band. As this design has height, I also added an Alice band with teeth inside the patent one to give stability. Using the millinery wire was the only way I could sculpt this design into the rolling wave shape, giving me the opportunity to adjust and control the final outcome.

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