Diamond Jubilee Window Display

Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee is in full swing on the other side of the Pond and I'm delighted to share this window display created by milliner Chrissie King as a way of joining in the celebration.

I met Chrissie via Twitter and admired the amazing hats, fascinators, and headbands she creates. I asked if she ever uses paper.... a long shot I realize, as British rain showers and a paper-adorned hat wouldn't exactly mix! Hat Therapy, Chrissie's shop in Hebden Bridge,West Yorkshire, is where she works her magic. (By the way, she knows Hannah Nunn, whose wonderful paper lamps you might remember. Radiance, Hannah's shop, is also located in Hebdon Bridge... small world!)

Chrissie promised to let me know the next time she used paper to create something and it turned out to be this clever tribute to the Jubilee composed of a vintage mannequin and just a few bits and pieces.

Chrissie explained... "I needed to make a window pretty quickly as I am always busy with hats, so I used Petersham ribbon [grosgrain, but with a scalloped edge for flexibility] to create the waist and lapels. I added a rosette and borrowed long strings of pearls from my neighbour. I drew some butterflies, cut sheets of newspaper to A4 size, and printed the butterflies and queen stencil directly onto them. The printer didn't seem to make a fuss... luckily only the last sheet got stuck!"

"I cut out the butterflies, added Union Jack colours with pastels, pinched them together in the center, and pinned them onto a hat shape I had made from sinamay [a stiff fabric of abaca fiber]. Voilà... a butterfly hat with a queen's head trim! Lots of people are enjoying it as they pass the window."

There's always something interesting to see on Chrissie's blog, and Hat Therapy is new to Facebook.