faux-bridal-veil

FAUX BRIDAL VEIL

Planning a bridal shower? Here’s an easy to make gift for the future bride to wear. It won’t have a Vera Wang label but it will be custom made. All it takes is a few paper towels, and a little netting.

DIRECTIONS

1.To make the braided headpiece, count seven paper towels, then tear the strip off the roll. Leave the seven towels attached to each other. Now do the same thing two more times.
2.With sharp scissors, round off the corners of all the towel ends so they curve rather than angle.
3.Fold each strip in half lengthwise, three times leaving the last two towels on each end unfolded. The folded strip should measure approximately 1 1/2” wide. Use straight pins every few inches to keep them from unfolding.
4.Begin braiding the three strips, pulling taughtly as you work, leaving the two towels on each end free.
5.Wrap the finished braid around your head to check for size. Using heavy thread or cord, tightly tie the two pieces together. Don’t cut the thread ends yet. This will be the center back of the headpiece and the place where you will attach the veil.
6.Remove pins. Set aside.
7.Round off the corners of one single paper towel to create curved ends. Lay the towel flat and bunch it in the center, tying it tightly with thread, so it resembles a butterfly.
8.Attach the bunched towel to the braid using the uncut threads. Tie it tightly then cut off excess.
9.Cut two pieces of netting for the veil. One should measure 36” X 36”. The other should measure 36” X 28”.
10. Lay the veil pieces on top of each other, aligning one edge. Grasp that edge in a bunch and fold the end over to create a three inch high poof. Tie the folded end to the rest of the veil using thread.
11. Using a glue gun, attach the veil inside the braid at the center back.
12. The five round accents on the braid are made with strips of paper towel. For each one, cut a two inch wide strip from a single paper towel. Twist the towel ends in opposite directions creating a tight thin strip. Wind it into a circle as you twist. Apply dots of hot glue to hold the circle together as you keep working. The finished accents are applied to the braid using the glue gun.
13. To create a tiered effect with the loose towels at the center back, tear one towel piece off of two of the free strips at the perforations, then cut the edges into curves with the scissors.