Step 1: Prep the Bottom of the Hat
In this step you will want to trace your hat out onto your hat fabric with chalk liner, and be sure to add an additional 1/2in for seam allowance. Cut two of these and place one to the side. On one of the circles place your hat on top of it and cut out small notches every 1/2in or so from this added seam allowance as shown with the red lines. Next, hot glue the individual notches to the top of the hat. Cut a circle in the middle and repeat for the center, gluing the notches down to the inside of the hat. Step 3: OPTIONAL Prep the Hat Brim for Top Stitching
You are more then welcome to just hot glue the notches down just as you did the bottom of the hat, but I decided for mine I wanted a cleaner edge. Therefore I used wonder clips to fold the notches to the inside of the hat so I could top stitch them into place. If you prefer to use more hot glue you can skip this step and the next. Step 5: Add Uplostry Foam and Make it Work!
This step is a little hard to explain, but I started off by making a large cylinder around the top of the hat with my 1/2in upholstery foam and pining it into place. I then used the blanket stitch to close the two sides together. Next I started to cut darts out in the hat and then used hot glue to connect the pieces back together until I had a shape I decided I could work with, as shown below. Then I repeated this process of adding darts and gluing it all back together until I was happy with the shape. Honestly this step was a TON of trial and error, but in the end it was worth it to get the shape I was looking for. |
Step 2: Prep the Top of the Hat Brim
This step is almost identical to the start of the last one, except you will be working with the top of the hat. Cut your notches on the 1/2in seam allowance on the hat brim and the center of the hat. Once you like how it sits glue the center of the hat notches with your hot glue, and leave the outer rim ones for now un-glued. Step 4: OPTIONAL Top Stitch Hat Brim
Using your machine, carefully top stitch the notches to the inside. Step 6: Add Fashion Fabric Over it and Tack into Place
The last step here is draping your hat fabric over the foam witch hat shape you just made, then sew your darts and hot glue or slip stitch it into place. For my Snow White hat here I then bent the hat and tacked it into place so it had the bend I was looking for. |