Indigo Tribe Safari Hat

I made this Indigo Tribe/Lantern Safari Hat for my wife.  Indigo is the symbol for Compassion.  It will be part of her Steampunk Indigo Lantern costume I am designing.

I started with a basic costume piece safari hat and a pin made for me by Miyuka (Miyuka's Etsy).

I began by mixing even amounts of Jacquard Dye-Na-Flow Azure Blue and Violet; this is an acrylic paint that acts like a dye and can be brushed on and soaked in.  The hat proved resistant to absorbing it, so after two-three coats I decided I needed something more, making use of a can of spray-on Metallic Purple lacquer designed for model cars.  I lightly sprayed all over, then added a spritz of silver glitter for some sparkle and shine while the lacquer was still wet.  Once dried, I added a further coating of the Dye-Na-Flow to push the color more toward a blue-violet and fill in gaps.  A gold leaf inking pen for the grommets and matte clear acrylic sealant finishes the hat.  Turning the symbol into a pin and adding it to a fun iron-on patch makes for a nice, light symbol; I was working to keep this light and airy, to make it easy to wear.