I am having so much fun with these I just can't stop myself- Not to mention they are sooo inexpensive to make (read Free!!) because they are made from recycled and re-purposed materials-all other materials and supplies were from my craft stash
Painted hats
"Felted" hats
Festive Wear
and one for scale!
so, wanna know what they are made from?
if you guessed:
then you are correct!
Ready to make your own?
Here are the basic instructions to do just that?
The Madhatter workshop
Hat making supplies:
Empty tp or paper towel rolls
Cardboard from food boxes (cereal, crackers, etc)
Tacky Glue
Ruler (I use a seam gauge to measure around tubes and things)
Pencil
Craft knife (with a sharp blade)
Scissors
Circle template, compass or a variety of cups, bowls or glasses
(or whatever your favorite method for making circles is)
Mod podge (may use white glue thinned a bit with water)
Paper towels
The process:
1.Using the seam gauge measure 1 1/2” from the edge and mark with pencil
(this is your cutting line and the height of the hat) Measure a second time 3/4” from the edge (this
is your guide for step 2)
from each tp roll you get two top hats and one pork pie hat
2.using a craft knife cut on the cutting line (1 1/2” mark)
using the scissors snip 1/2” intervals to the guide line (3/4”) as shown
3. From cardboard cut one 2” circle (top of the hat)
and one 2 3/4” circle(hat brim)
*since not all empty tubes are created equal you may need to adjust the size of your circles- you want to make your circle 1/2” larger for the top of the hat and 1” larger for the brim
Making the top of the top hat
4. Carefully spread open the fringes to accommodate the smaller 2” circle being careful not crease the sides of the hat- Spread glue to the edges of the fringe insert the top of the hat (2” circle) lining it up with the edges of the fringe as shown – allow to dry 5-10 minuntes ( this depends on the glue you use)
5. Curl the edges of the brim ( I find this is easier to do prior to assembling, but feel free to do it after the hat is assembled and dried) apply glue to the edge of the hat top and attach the brim. Allow to dry fully
The Not So big Finish (well almost)
6. Now that your hat is dried we have one last step before you can decorate the hats.
Seperate your paper towel so you have 2 single ply pieces and cut or tear into smallish squares to make the paper towel(s) manageable - using mod podge (I used mod podge because it was in my stash, but you can use glue thinned with water instead) Coat the top of the hat apply the paper towels continue until the hat is completely coated (make sure the “V” openings are covered- you want your hat to have a smooth surface)
(I found it unnecessary to cover the brim with the mod podge and paper towels but you can if you so desire)
allow to dry fully( I left them overnight)
You are now ready to decorate your top hats as you see fit
Download the pdf to see how I finished mine!
I would love to see what you come up with!
