How to Make a Burlesque Hat
Burlesque is back and you can bring the spirit of this glamorous art to any occasion. Make a fun burlesque mini top hat to add a touch of whimsy to your prom dress, wedding dress or for any occasion. Match the fabric of your hat to your dress and accentuate the piece with feathers, flowers and beads. The hat takes some patience to make, but you can create it in an afternoon. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- 2.4 mm thick cardboard
- Compass
- Pencil
- Spray Adhesive
- Satin fabric
- Iron
- Craft knife
- Scissors
- Hot Glue gun
- Feathers
- Alligator hair clips
- Beads, plastic flowers and other decorations
- Ribbon
Instructions
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1
Use the compass to draw a circle on the 2.4 mm thick cardboard. Experiment with different sizes until you find one that suits your hairstyle and outfit. Cut out the circle and place it on your head to ensure that it is the right size. Place the compass in the same hole and trace a smaller circle inside the first and cut it out. Use the craft knife so as not to damage the brim or inner circle. The doughnut shape will be your hat brim. Keep the small inside circle you cut out as this will be the top of the hat.
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2
Decide how high you would like the crown to be and cut a strip of poster board. Curl it into a tube that fits into the hole in the hat brim and trim off any excess. Smooth the strip out.
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3
Lay the brim on the fabric and use the pencil to trace around it. Cut out a circle shape from the fabric. Only cut out the brim's outer circle, so not cut out the inner circle. Try to be as exact as possible as this piece will go on the bottom of the brim.
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4
Iron your fabric with a cool iron. Spray both the back of the fabric and the cardboard pieces with spray adhesive. When the adhesive is tacky, press the cardboard pieces onto the fabric. Allow the glue to dry.
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5
Cut the shapes out, leaving a 2 inch piece of fabric around each piece. Turn the pieces over so that the cardboard is showing. Spray the edge of the cardboard and the fabric seam with spray adhesive. When the adhesive is tacky, fold the fabric over. Cut off the bumps on the underside of the brim using the craft knife. Every bump will show up when the brim is covered.
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6
Roll the crown into a tube. Do this carefully so as not to create fold lines in the crown as these will show through the fabric. Glue the crown into a tube shape. Glue the top on and glue the bottom of the crown into the center of the brim. Allow the hat to dry.
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7
Spray the adhesive on the bottom of the brim and on the piece of fabric you cut out in step three. Stick the brim to the fabric to finish it off. As this is a miniature top hat, you are unlikely to see the bottom of the brim too much when it is attached to your hair. This is also why we don't need to cut out the inner circle.
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8
Turn the hat over and glue the two alligator hair clips to the bottom of the hat using the hot glue gun. You will use these to attach the hat to your hair.
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9
Decorate your burlesque hat. Use the ribbon to create a hat band where the crown meets the brim. Add feathers (a must for burlesque), plastic flowers and beads to your mini top hat. You can secure all these items with your hot glue gun.
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Tips & Warnings
To curve the brim of the hat, wet the cardboard before you spray the adhesive on and curve the brim around a soda bottle. Leave to dry and then attach the fabric.
Add a veil by attaching a piece of Russian veiling which drapes over your eyes for a more dramatic effect.
Do not spray too much spray adhesive onto the fabric or it will soak through and leave marks.
Ensure that the fabric and cardboard is free of creases, hair or other debris before sticking them together as each little blemish will show through.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images
