How to make an Easy Witch Hat

If you love everything about Fall and Halloween except the projects and having to sew. Well, I have a wonderful and easy NO-Sew Witch Hat for you. This took me a couple of attempts to find what worked best.

How to make a Crooked Witch Hat

I should have explored more ideas and ways for this to be done easier but sometimes we learn best by just diving in. That’s why You’re here! I did the major work for you. And trust me when I say this was the easiest hat I’ve ever made. The hardest part is literally the form. This is a great project that can be made in a day or two (if you have time to let it dry naturally that is 😉 )

You will need:

• scissors
• craft glue/fabric glue
• hot glue
• hot glue gun
• decorations of your choice, see hat for ones I used.
• thick felt or thinner fleece fabric
• mesh ribbon or ‘scary fabric’ as I used
• mod podge (thinned out with water 1/3 water to 2/3 mod podge) (see DIY recipes here)
• spray bottle
• saran wrap
• packing tape
• tin foil
• cardboard
• large bowl

(I definitely recommend the thinner fleece as opposed to felt for this, I used the felt from the dollar store and it was just too thin and had to add more to the inside as a liner, extra work I wouldn’t have had to do if I’d just used thinner blanket weight fleece)

Steps:

1. Wrap the cardboard around the bowl you will be using for your base for your head size.

2) Tape the cardboard onto the bowl…you may need help with this step as it can be difficult to keep in place until you get it on the bowl.

3) Continue wrapping the cardboard with the tape going from all the way up to the tip of your hat. Cutting the cardboard extra off until you get the shape you desire, cutting long lines into the cardboard to bend it over itself, and twisting it as you go upwards to help with the shape.

4) After it is taped all up, apply the saran wrap in the same way as you did for the tape you will need another person to help with this step as well.

5) Once saran wrap is on you can then wrap your entire form in the tin foil, making sure to follow the form all the way to the tip and making sure to leave enough so that when left inside the tip of the hat you can bend it to your desired shape.

6) Now you are ready to begin putting the fabric on.

7) Make sure you have your mod podge mixture 1/3 water to 2/3 mod podge and add together into a spray bottle.

8) Spray your entire form well and as even as possible with the mod podge and water mixture.

9) Begin at the base of your form and lay on the fabric and smooth it out and upward as you go working your way around to the back where your seam will be. You can either pre-cut the fabric or wait like I do to ensure I have enough for complete coverage and cut it away as you go.

10) Once you are at the back you can lay your fabric over each other and determine how much you want to cut off… leave no less than one inch so they can lay one on the top of the other without gaps.

11) continue this process to the tip, cutting off any excess fabric.

Note: I really recommend using hot glue at all the seams, especially if you are in a hurry, this glue took forever to dry!

12) You will continue to add more mod podge over the top of the fabric, gently smoothing it into the material as you go. This will generally take 3-6 layers of spray to achieve the stiffness of the fabric you need to keep its shape.

13) I use my hairdryer to help the mod podge dry quicker between layers but be careful doing this as it can scorch your fabric if you get it too hot or too close. Turning up the ‘brim’ area as I dry it.

14) Trim around the base of your hat, rounding it off…I added a few curls and notches in mine.

15) Once the form is almost completely dry you will want to begin gently peeling the hat off the form by working your hands between the fabric and the form gently plying the fabric off of the form.

16) Stop when you get to the portion where the tip area begins and peel back fabric to reveal the tin foil inside and snip it off leaving enough to leave inside the tip.

17) After you’ve cut off the excess foil for where your head will be glue it in place with hot glue then gently reshape your hat pulling the fabric back down while holding onto the tip of the hat. I added a piece of fabric to cover the tin foil, even though it won’t be seen, I wanted it to look finished. Hot glue to the rescue once again!

18) Now you are ready to decorate! Hot glue gun and glue sticks at the ready!

19) I used what they call ‘scary cloth’ or ‘scary fabric’ from the dollar store. It is used for many things, I used it last year for my mantle in place of spider webbing. It is a mesh-like cloth that easily separates from itself and yet gives a spooky feel. I didn’t like any of the ribbons I had and this was very easy to work with and just kind of toss on and it helped cover the seams on the hat (also I am not good at bows with ribbon so this was a great option for me!) I had also thought some nice lace doilies in different colors would look great on this but didn’t have any so the mesh gave it a look of old lace too which I liked. Anyways.

20) I used more of the feather and grass fall floral pics like some of my other projects you see on here. I also used some very very very very messy glitter branches cut into sections and applied with hot glue! Hot glue to the rescue…I love hot glue!…

As I stated elsewhere in this article, I originally tried to use fabric glue but it wasn’t drying so I ended up using the hot glue on all my seams, so I would just start with the hot glue and save yourself this headache of using glues that don’t dry quickly enough, especially if you are an instant satisfaction crafter like me…LOL.

The beautiful and whimsical end result! Hope you had fun and this was an easy and quick hat for you to make. This same process can be used to do other hats as well…I used the same form for the Woodland Fairy hat from the costume you will see posted here as well. Onto the next project!