making handmade felt birthday hats

Posted on 18. Apr, 2011 by in in the studio

I’m working on a whole bunch of felt party hats for me and Alice’s birthday on May 9th.
Do you want to know how we made them?

Materials needed:
…Felt in your favorite colors (the 9×12 sheets from craft stores are actually perfect for this)
…This printable party hat template printed at 200%
…Your favorite fabric glue (I prefer Fabri-Tac)
…Stiffen Stuff or other fabric stiffener
…Ribbon to tie the hat on
…Your favorite trims and embellishments

 

Use the template to cut out a piece of felt. Obviously you can resize it to be the size you want. Use your fabric glue or sew the sides together and create a cone.

Stiffen Stuff? More great stuff made by Beacon Adhesives. You can spray it for small projects, but for thicker fabric like felt I like to pour a little bit into a cup and use a brush to saturate the material.

Make some trim. You can fringe strips of felt or other fabric. You can sew long ruffled pieces. Stitch shapes together. Use pre-made trim like pom-pom trim or rick rack. Ain’t no rules, girl!

Here is how I make pom poms for the top of each hat. First, fringe a strip of felt on both sides, leaving a solid space down the middle for a running stitch. Gather the strip into a fringey little clump and fluff it out.

Tack the trim around the bottom.

Attach ribbons to the sides to tie it under your chin. I didn’t photograph this step, but you know what to do.

 

I’m planning to make a few dozen hats for everybody at the party. Alice is going to love them because she thinks hats are hilarious. It is one of my little presents to her. I can’t imagine her glee seeing a room full of everyone in a bright, pretty hat.

These don’t have to just be for parties though–what about making a few for a dress-up box, or as a little cheer-up gift for a friend? These hats are an awesome blank slate for almost anything you want to add.

xo
meg

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