How To Cover A Hat With Fabric

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Hat making, also known equally millinery, may look intimidating and complex, but information technology is actually quite simple. If you want to get really professional, you will demand to use a chapeau block and a felt hood. If y'all are only starting out, or if you desire something easier, however, consider making a needle felted chapeau out of wool roving instead.

1. one

   Cover a hat cake with plastic wrap to make removal easier. Purchase a woods lid block from a millinery shop or online. Set information technology downward on a stable surface, so embrace it with plastic wrap. Secure the plastic wrap to the base of operations of the chapeau cake with a prophylactic ring or tape to go on information technology from sliding around. The plastic wrap will make information technology easier to remove the finished lid.^[1]

   • Information technology would be a skilful thought to work in a well-ventilated area. The hat stiffener tin olfactory property and make you feel light-headed.
   • Don't apply a Styrofoam lid base. It is non the same thing. You need something more than rigid.
   • The shape of the hat block volition determine the final shape of your hat, and then cull the shape and size wisely!

2. 2

   Turn a felt hood inside out and coat information technology with felt stiffener. Purchase a felt hood from a millinery store; it looks a little like a cloche lid. Use a paintbrush to apply felt stiffener to permeate the felt. Use plenty felt stiffener to permeate the material, but non and then much that it soaks through to the other side.^[two]

   • You can also utilize a wool felt or fur felt sheet. You can notice it online or in the needle felting section of a craft shop.^[iii]
   • Do non apply the acrylic felt sheet from the kids' crafting department of a craft store. It is non the same thing.

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3. iii

   Turn the felt hood right-side-out and stretch information technology over the lid block. Pull the felt hood over the hat cake, stiffener-side-downwards, then flip the chapeau block over so that you lot tin see the underside. Wrap the edges of the felt over the bottom edges of the hat block and secure them with pins. Information technology doesn't matter if they are parallel or perpendicular to the edge.^[4]

   • Start with a pivot in each of the cardinal directions: North, Eastward, South, and West. Fill the gaps in with more pins until the entire edge is pinned.
   • If you are using a felt sheet, identify it stiffener-side-downward against the hat block. Pull and stretch it over the lid block, then secure it with pins forth the bottom edge.^[v]

4. 4

   Leave the chapeau to dry for 30 minutes. During this time, you can wipe your castor clean, and then wrap it in plastic. Practice non use water, or this volition cause the stiffener to turn solid.^[6]

5. 5

   Comprehend your hat with a tea towel, then steam it with an iron. Mantle a tea towel over your lid, then make full your iron with water. Turn the iron on, enable the steam function, and set the heat to "Wool." Stretch the tea towel over the lid every bit you press the chapeau with the atomic number 26. Work your way around the hat, starting at the crown and finishing at the peak of the brim.^[7]

   • If your iron doesn't have a wool setting, choose a low or medium-low setting.
   • Always go on the tea towel between the iron and the felt. Don't allow information technology wrinkle nether the fe; pull information technology taut.
   • How long you printing the chapeau will vary. You lot should press it long enough for it to hold its shape. This should only be five to x seconds.

6. 6

   Wrap string around the crown where you want the skirt to start. Yous can as well use a rubber band for lid making instead, which you can purchase at a millinery supply shop. This will help create that crease between the sides of the hat and the brim. In about cases, the skirt volition lay correct where the hat starts to flare out.^[viii]

   • It does not matter what the string looks similar; you'll take it off later.
   • Non all hats have a brim. For example, a pillbox hat is just the crown. In this case, y'all can skip this step.
   • Y'all can also stick a bunch of pins next to each other to create a line, but be enlightened that this will get out an indent.

7. vii

   Proceed to sculpt your brim with the iron. Keep moving the tea towel around the lid and pressing the chapeau with an atomic number 26. Exist sure to iron out any puckering or wrinkling that occurs, especially in the pucker and the border of the brim.^[ix]

   • If yous want to brand a cloche hat, take the lid off of the block, then iron the brim on an ironing lath. Ever proceed a tea towel betwixt the felt and the iron.

8. 8

   Allow the hat cool, remove the string, and trim the edges of the brim. Remove the pins holding the brim to the underside of the hat cake, so remove the string you used to make the brim. Finally, pull the hat off of the chapeau block. Use scissors to cut the folded-nether edge. At this point, you tin can also trim the brim narrower or give it an asymmetrical shape.^[10]

9. nine

   Sew millinery wire to the edge of the brim, if desired. Wrap a piece of millinery wire around the brim, then cutting the excess off with wire cutters. Use a blanket stitch to sew millinery wire to the edge of the brim.^[xi]

   • The colour of the thread does not affair considering you will be covering the wire up.
   • This will help give the brim more than structure. If you don't desire this, skip this step and movement onto the next.

10. 10

    Wrap and sew ribbon around the edge of the brim, if desired. Cut a length of ribbon long enough to wrap around the brim. Sew together the ribbon to the brim with the correct side against the superlative of the skirt and the edges matching upward. Wrap the ribbon over the edge of the skirt to the underside, and run up information technology down again.^[12]

    • You tin sew this by manus or on a sewing machine. Use a straight run up and a thread color that matches the ribbon.
    • Use a ribbon that matches the blueprint of your lid. Satin or grosgrain work well here.
    • If you added wire to the skirt, then you lot need to complete this footstep in order to hibernate the wire. If you did not add together wire to your brim, you tin can notwithstanding do this step for a nicer finish.

11. 11

    Add together a grosgrain ribbon to the within side of the chapeau, if desired. If you look inside professionally-made hats, you'll observe a grosgrain ribbon band just inside the sides of the crown. Only cut a length of ribbon long enough to fit within the hat, and then sew together the ends together. Tuck the ring into the chapeau, then hand-sew the top edge down.^[thirteen]

    • The ribbon needs to go right where the sides of the hat start to flare out to create the brim.
    • This will assistance the hat maintain its shape and foreclose the felt from stretching out. It is not the aforementioned as the outside hat band.
    • The stitching will exist visible at the end. You will have to wrap a lid band around the exterior of the hat later.

12. 12

    Decorate the hat as desired. Hither is where you lot can get as creative as you want. For a more professional person stop, run up the decorations on by hand with a needle and thread. If y'all don't wish to sew, yous can endeavor gluing them on with hot glue or fabric gum.^[14]

    • For a simple look, wrap a ribbon around the base of the crown, then sew together the ends together. Comprehend the seam with a bow or flower.
    • For a more rustic wait, utilise ornaments fabricated from felt, such every bit matching felt flowers or felt bows.
    • For a vintage look, add together a skinny plumage into the lid band.

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1. ane

   Encompass a Styrofoam hat form with a plastic bag. You can notice Styrofoam lid forms online or in millinery shops. You tin as well brand your own by carving a Styrofoam block into shape, or by covering a bolter pillow with sheet foam. Equally long equally the hat form is the same size equally your caput and the shape you want your hat to exist, you are good.^[fifteen]

   • When buying a hat form, make sure that it is labeled for felting. If it is besides rigid, you won't exist able to insert the felting needle into it.
   • Do not utilize a wooden hat cake; information technology is not the aforementioned affair.
   • Don't use plastic wrap; it'southward not durable plenty. Stick with a plastic purse instead. Information technology will brand removing the hat easier in the end.

2. two

   Cover the chapeau form with crisscrossing layers of wool roving. Comprehend the acme of the hat form with a thin layer of wool roving; arrange all of the strips horizontally. For the next layer, arrange all of the strips vertically.^[16]

   • Wool roving is but raw wool that hasn't been spun into yarn nonetheless. You tin can find it online and in the needle felting section of a craft shop.
   • Y'all can use notwithstanding color, or you can use different colors for a unique effect.

3. iii

   Press the layers together with a needle felting tool. To exercise this, merely press the felting tool against the felt until you feel the needles embed into the lid form. Lift the felting tool out, and printing it down again. Keep going until y'all accept all of the wool roving felted into place.^[17]

   • A felting tool looks a lilliputian similar a castor, with a flat base of operations and a agglomeration of pins sticking out of one terminate. Y'all can find information technology online or in the needle felting section of a craft store.
   • Be very careful when handling the needle felting tool; the pins are very precipitous.

4. 4

   Add more than layers of wool to the sides and the pinnacle. Add crisscrossing horizontal and vertical layers of wool to the sides of the hat form start, including the brim if yous take it. Felt them into identify with your felting tool, then repeat the process. You want a total of 4 layers of wool roving.^[18]

   • Start at the top of the chapeau (crown) and piece of work your way downwards the sides and to the brim.
   • A vertical layer counts as ane layer, and a horizontal layer counts equally another.
   • You tin can do more than 4 layers if you want a thicker hat. Work in even numbered sets, so 6 or 8 layers (maximum).

5. v

   Pull the felted hat off of the hat form, then pare the plastic purse away. The wool is embedded into the chapeau course, then you need to gently pry it away first. Slip your fingers betwixt the pocketbook and the chapeau course, and gently begin to pry the two abroad from each other. Piece of work your way around the skirt, then up the sides and to the peak. In one case you lot accept the hat off of the hat form, peel the plastic bag away from the felt.^[19]

   • Be gentle when removing the plastic bag and then that you don't distort the hat.

6. half dozen

   Pour hot water over your hat, so add some dish lather to it. Take your lid to a sink, and pour hot water all over it, making certain to soak it thoroughly. Add a few pumps of dish soap to the hat as well.^[20]

   • Don't concentrate the dish soap all in ane area. This volition make it easier to distribute it more than evenly across your hat.

7. 7

   Massage the felt between your fingers. Don't flatten the hat when you work information technology; y'all want to work your way effectually the hat'south circumference rather than squashing it like a sandwich. As y'all continue to work the hat, the felt will compress and compress.^[21]

   • Felt is very absorptive. If it starts to get likewise dry, add together more than h2o and dish lather.
   • Keep working until your lid is felted to your liking. Some people like to leave the felt thick, spongy, and "wooly," while others similar to felt it sparse and smoothen.

8. 8

   Press the excess water from the hat with a towel. Set a few towels on your work surface, then place the hat on top. Cover it with a few more than towels, then press down on the hat firmly. Go along pressing until most of the water is absorbed into the towels.^[22]

   • If the hat is too soapy and produces besides much foam, rinse it with hot h2o start.
   • If the towels go soaked, move the hat over to a dryer spot on the towel.
   • Don't wring, twist, or wrap the chapeau in the towels, or you will ruin the shape.

9. 9

   Ready the hat back onto the hat course or a mannequin head so that it tin dry. If the hat is misshapen, mold it back into shape kickoff. In one case you lot accept the hat on the mannequin head, exit it alone to dry out. This can take several hours.^[23]

10. ten

    Decorate the hat as desired. Because these hats tend to wait more rustic, it's all-time to keep the decorations unproblematic. If you want to keep sewing to a minimum, you can gum the decorations on with hot glue or textile gum. It would be best if you lot paw-stitched them on, however. Hither are some decorating ideas:^[24]

    • Wrap a grosgrain ribbon effectually the hat, run up it in place by hand, then cover the seam with a felted bow or bloom.
    • Decorate the hat with needle-felted flowers or berries.
    • Cutting flowers out of felt, layer them together to make fuller, more than colorful flowers, then sew them onto the side of the hat.

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Add New Question

• Question

  What kind of felt practise I use and where can I get it?

  

  Use wool felt--not constructed. You should be able to buy this at any fabric store or even certain Walmart stores that carry fabrics.

• Question

  Can I use felt blends, or does information technology have to be 100% wool?

  

  I have fabricated several hats (and a pair of shoes!) using this method, all with 100% synthetic felt. It works perfectly for the basin of the lid--stretches like crazy! Even so, for the brim, use just a unmarried layer of felt, stiffened with gum or starch or a sewn-in hat wire (ironing 2 wet, gummy layers together will non work with this felt; I recollect you need the stretching to get them to bond).

• Question

  How long does it take to dry?

  

  2 days is the perfect amount of fourth dimension to let your felt hat dry out.

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Advertizement

• You can make your own lid block by using some other rigid object, such as an upside-down bowl, as long as it fits your head snugly.^[25]

• When roofing the hat cake with saran wrap, make sure there are no gaps.

• A hat made from a felt hood will take a thinner, smoother finish. A hat made from wool roving volition accept a thicker, woollier terminate.

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Things You'll Need

• Paintbrush
• Felt stiffener
• Iron
• Felt hood
• Hat block
• Plastic wrap
• Cord or old ribbon
• Drawing pins
• Needle
• Thread
• Millinery wire (optional)
• Satin or grosgrain ribbon

• 4 to 6 ounces (113 to 170 g) wool roving
• Foam hat course
• Multiple needle felting tool
• Plastic bag
• Hot water
• Dish soap
• Towels
• Mannequin head

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Commodity Summary Ten

To make a hat from a felt hood, identify a plastic purse over a wooden chapeau block. Then, turn your felt hood upside down and employ a paintbrush to coat the inside of the hood with felt stiffener. You lot can get these supplies online or at your local millinery shop. After you've applied the stiffener, place your hood stiffener-side down over your hat block and secure the sides with pins. Let it dry for 30 minutes, and and then iron your lid and add together the skirt. For directions on how to make a felt chapeau using wool roving, scroll downward!

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