Hello from Louisville, where the 140th Annual Kentucky Derby^® is only a few short days away!

I really wanted to do something extra special to the wine glasses for our recent Kentucky Derby^® Garden Party theme for 14 Hands, and came up with a fun idea for turning the bases of the glasses into (very tiny) “big derby hats”!

These “Southern Belle” glasses are surprisingly easy to make using felt, ribbon, & feathers. AND, if you switch up the colors a bit, they also double as drink markers to help guests keep track of their glass. 🙌 They’re also the perfect complement to the “Southern Gentleman” Bow-Tie Drink Markers that we featured last week! Read on for the step-by-step details…

SOUTHERN BELLE STEMWARE  – DIY TUTORIAL

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Here’s what you’ll need:

• Felt
• Ribbon
• Small craft feathers
• Felt Flowers
• 3D Adhesive Dots
• Hot Glue Gun (optional)

Instructions:

1. Trace and cut a circle of felt that’s about the same size as the diameter of the glass base.

2. Make a cut from the edge of the felt circle to the middle, then fold it circle in half and make a small half-circle cut from the middle of the fold. This will create a small hole in the middle of the circle, which is where the stem of the wine glass will “fit”.

3. Place the felt circle on top of the wine glass base to cover it, and secure it in place with glue dots. Now you have your “hat base”.

4. Cut a strip of felt that’s around 1/2 an inch wide and 11 inches long. Wrap the felt strip around the stem of the glass, directly on top of the circle, to form the “top of the hat”, then secure with another glue dot OR hot glue.

5. Now you have your hat form created, so it’s time to embellish! Add a small band of ribbon to the middle of the hat, then decorate with small feathers, felt flowers, etc. I found these felt flowers in the scrapbooking section at Michaels, and you can also find them online at places like The Felt Shoppe, which offers zillions of great colors.

Hope you have some fun with this tutorial at your own Kentucky Derby^® celebrations & beyond! :)

Here’s another peek of the finished product – all dressed up for the Derby party and filled with 14 Hands wine, proud sponsor of the Kentucky Derby^® for the 2nd year in a row, and the same wine that guests at Churchill Downs will be enjoying this week. Cheers!

Derby Garden Party Printables

Planning a Kentucky Derby party? Check out my Garden Party printables! They make it so EASY to add pro designer style and personalization to your event. It’s like branding for your party! 🙌 Click here to shop now.