How to Make a Sequined Hat
A sequined hat is the perfect addition for a dressy masquerade ball, a fashion show, a theatrical production or your next Halloween costume. If you've been looking around for this hat you probably didn't find it. Sequined hats are rather rare and hard to find. Lucky for you they are not hard to make. Find a hat body in the shape you want and soon you will have the sequined hat of your dreams.
Things You'll Need
- Hat body
- Sequin fabric
- Ribbon
- Needle and thread
- Hot glue gun
- Double bias tape
- Sewing machine
Instructions
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Place the hat body on the table. A hat body is the structure of a hat in felt, fabric, straw, sinamay, an open fiber weave, or other materials. These bodies are available at some craft stores, fabric and millinery stores.
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Position your sequins near your hat. Sequins are available in sheet or fabric form, rows and individually. They are available from small to very large sizes and can be attached through glue or sewing. Try out several arrangements of your sequins until you have a design you like. For designs with stripes or shapes, draw the stripe or shape onto the hat using tailor's chalk. This will help you align the sequins in straight lines and even rows.
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Apply your detail or design sequins first. Machine sew rows of sequins to the hat if you have a sewing machine with the correct armature, otherwise you won't be able to fit the hat close enough to the head of the sewing machine. It is usually easier to hand sew the sequins using a matching thread. This has the advantage of allowing you to hide your stitches under the overlapping sequins.
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Thread a needle with a heavy-duty thread of the hat color or sequin color. Start at one end of your design or stripe and sew across the trim and through to the inside of the hat. You can skip two or three sequins when sewing a row. Sew in individual sequins by bringing your needle through the hat body from inside to outside, through the sequin hole and back over the closest edge. You can also take the thread through a bead and back through the same sequin hole. Sew on all of your detail and pattern sequins on the hat and brim.
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Cut sequin fabric for the top of the hat. Cut the fabric one-half inch wider than the top. Paint fabric glue over the top of the hat. Center and press the sequins into the glue. Make notches along the outside extra material and glue the notched seam material down over the sides one-quarter inch Pull away the sequins that are cut or not connected well in the last one-quarter inch of sequin fabric.
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Cut sequin fabric to fit around your design sequins on the upright section of the hat. Make your sections one-quarter inch larger than needed and strip off the damaged edge sequins and trim back so that when you glue your piece will be all good sequins that are well attached. Turn under any excess backing or trim it off. Repeat this for both sides of the brim.
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Sew one-quarter inch double bias tape around the outside edge of the brim starting at the back. This will cover the ragged edges of the sequin fabric. Cut and glue ribbon around the upright portion of the hat to cover the seam between the hat and the brim. Cut and glue ribbon to fit around the inside edge of the hat to act as a sweatband.
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Tips & Warnings
Hand sewing often gives you better control over small trims and it prevents glue residue and strings.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
