How to Make a Felt Helmet

Cut felt to shape with scissors.

Dressing up in costumes is a lot of fun, whether it's for Halloween, a class program or just for play. If your child wants to dress up like a knight or warrior, you can make an inexpensive helmet out of felt. Working with felt is fairly simple because it cuts and sews easily and you don't need to worry about finished edges. It does require a bit of sewing on a machine, but even as a beginner you should be able to handle it.

Things You'll Need

• Sweatshirt hood
• Construction paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Felt fabric
• Straight pins
• Thread
• Sewing machine
• Fabric glue

Instructions

1. Make your own pattern for the helmet. Fold one of your child's hooded sweatshirts in half and trace the shape of the hood onto a piece of construction paper folded in half with a pencil. Draw the pattern shape larger by approximately 1/2 inch to allow for the seams.

2. Determine how much felt is required to make the helmet. Lay the two pattern pieces down side by side. Square off the area taken up by the pattern pieces and measure it with a ruler. Add 1/2 yard to the measurement to allow for extra fabric.

3. Choose the color of felt that you want for the helmet. Felt colors commonly used for a helmet include gray, gold and brown, but let your imagination run wild. Purchase a small amount of felt, about 1/2 yard, in a contrasting color for any embellishments you'd like to add to the helmet.

4. Lay the felt for the helmet out on a flat surface. Smooth out any wrinkles and pin the pattern pieces to the felt with straight pins.

5. Cut the felt closely around each pattern piece. Remove the pattern from the felt pieces and trim away any uneven edges.

6. Match the two pieces of felt and pin them together at the seams from the top of the head to the bottom of the head. Leave the helmet open around the face and front of the neck.

7. Sew the two pieces of the helmet together at the seams using a matching color of thread and a straight machine stitch. Allow for a 1/4- to 1/2-inch seam and clip the seam around the curve of the head just up to but not across the line of stitching to make a smoother curve. Remove the pins from the seam.

8. Turn the helmet inside out so that the seam is on the inside. Smooth out the seam so that the helmet will lie flat on your child's head.

9. Cut out embellishment designs from the contrasting felt color. You can attach a nose guard, dragon, cross or a design of your own making to the helmet with craft glue. Let the craft glue dry completely before giving the helmet to your child.

Tips & Warnings

• Add a feather or plume to the back of the helmet with a secure hand stitch.

• Check that all pins have been removed before trying the helmet on your child.

References

• Encyclopedia.com: Felt
• Youthwork Practice: Simple Craft Ideas for ta Knight's Camp