Crochet Facinator and How to Cut + Starch Crochet

A really great upcycle project but if you are skilled at crochet you can totally make the pieces and put them together. If not you can buy the pieces or just use doilies lace flowers and motifs. In this tutorial you will learn also how to cut into crochet work and prevent raveling also how to starch crochet into shape. Have fun!!!

A small crochet tam, hat or skullcap
Crochet headband
Crochet motifs
Crochet doily(optional)
Old tattling or loose pearls
Tulle to match your hair colour
Feathers
Hat mesh
Spray pearls
Fabric glue or hot glue
Scissors
Razor
Needle and thread
A bowl
Plastic and tape
Starch
Hot boiling water
Tap water
A cup
Measuring spoon
A dinner fork

First you must know the direction your piece was crochet in. You will need to stitch along the line or row below the row you are going to cut on .
-Note that cutting across a crochet piece you have to stitch on either side of the cut line first.
-Note that citing into crochet stitch will result in seam that is likely to fray and may need several and very fine stitching to try to secure all the threads into the seam.
I would also recommend that such seams be given up to a one inch seam allowance if possible and definitely not less than half inch seam allowance.
-Note that serging or zig- zag will not secure these seams. These seams should be finished by repeated or multiple very fine straight stitch or cover stitch.

In the pictures we mark a line to stitch just below where are going to cut then we stitch on that line twice.
-Pieces above will not fray but below will.
- Note that while not impossible, I do not recommend cutting and joining crochet work where seams will be under pressure example sleeves and shoulder, sleeves and armhole, waists, sides or seams of fitted garments. It will take several and fine stitching to secure these seams.

After we stitch we cut above the stitch line but be careful to cut on a straight row if you nip thread in the above row it will cause the work to unravel. But, if it happens try overstitching the area repeatedly by hand sewing method.
Ok now we have stitch and cut lets move to the next step.

In the pictures you can see how the parts have bee separated. I wanted to utilize the Shell section but that section became badly damaged during washing the tam and was useless at the moment.
- Note you can use other items to decorate your tam such as lace or mesh or dried or silk flowers this project can n be versatile as the imagination.

Next you want to get some stiffness in your pieces so you can shape them. For this you need some starch. You should follow the direction for making the starch from the package but you want to get a not too running viscosity for to make your pieces very stiff when dry.
- Note starch should appear glossy when ready and not white.

My starch is homemade, rung from grated cassava. The juice was allowed to settle for few hours them the liquid part poured off. The starch left behind was sun-dried few days then stored tied in plastic bag. To mix I used 3 tablespoon in half cup of cold water stirring with a fork to dissolve then one cup of boiling hot water was added and wisk briskly until a glossy appearance. I found I had to had a little more boiling water to reach glossiness as at that point the mixture was still a little white.

Starching crochet is super easy all you have to do is submerge your pieces into your prepared starch mixture.
- I leave them submerged for a few minutes to get soaking wet then help the starch get into the fibers by squeezing them for a minute or two while submerged.

When satisfied that they are soaked I remove the pieces very lightly squeeze out excess liquid and lay flat on plastic to begin the drying process.

SHAPING
When your pieces are close to dry yet still damp begin manipulating into the shape you desire
- Note that I used the bowl to shape the hat. I used pvc pipes different sizes needed to make the bands spiral.
- I used my fingers to stretch and tug the motifs into shape then leave everything to dry completely.
- Note that you will need to do the manipulating several times as your items dry until they begin to hold their shape.

And now everything has dried let's decorate your facinator. First determine which angle you want to be the front then add your veil to fall to the front. Next, there are no hard and fast rule to decorating your piece except the larger accents goes to the button followed by smaller or narrower ones for a nice layered effect.
You can add you accents to one side, to the front or to the back. I chose to group mine in to middle of the top of my hat. Facinators can almost all be worn in any direction as any side of the head.

-I hope you enjoyed this project and I know you will enjoy doing it.

Suffice it to say that I couldn't find a object or bowl that could provide in the end the perfect skull shape I wanted for my hat so I had to build up on my bowl with plastic bags and tape. Be innovative. Have fun!!!