Autumnal Straw Hat

There are lots of things that you can make with a straw hat. Over the next couple of months I will make several different crafts using straw hats. Today I will show you how to create a beautiful autumnal straw hat filled with flowers that fit the season. This is gorgeous enough to place on your Thanksgiving Day dinner table.

Image: Kathy Zengolewicz

Everyone loves to set a charming and classy dinner table on the holidays, so why not start with this piece.

Here is what you will need to get started:

• One straw hat (any size)
• A block of florist foam
• A bush of seasonal flowers
• Four or five seasonal picks (I used leaves, but you can also use acorn, pumpkins, etc)
• Greenery (I usually keep a spare bush of greens around for when I need them)

Start out by folding your straw hat in half and placing a heavy object on it. Leave it like that overnight. It will help to keep the front and back of the hat in an upright position.

Cut the florist foam to fit the hat as snugly as possible. You can use regular styrofoam for this project, but for me it is easier to work with the florist foam.

Arrange the flowers in the middle, sides and front of the hat, in the foam. Next arrange the seasonal picks, leaves, pumpkins, etc in the back of the hat using them as a sort of backdrop. You will have to trim your flower down or not according to where you place them. They will need to be different sizes in order to give the right look to the finished piece, so as not to look cramped.

You can arrange the picks in such a way as to compliment the flowers. If you are using acorn picks, I would suggest placing them in key places throughout the centerpiece.

That is all there is to it. You now have a beautiful centerpiece for your food table or anywhere you choose to display it.