How to Make a Cheap & Realistic Top Hat

The top hat has been in mode since the late 1700s; its first appearance in London caused quite a stir. Soon, top hats gained a reputation for expressing style and elegance. Wear a top hat for New Year's Eve, Halloween or a theatrical production. Tip your hat to top hats and create one using poster board and craft supplies.

Things You'll Need

• Black poster board
• Measuring tape
• Pencil compass
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Stapler
• Box cutter
• Glue gun
• Glue sticks

Instructions

Creating the Top Hat Crown

1. Take the measuring tape and measure your head. This will be the width of your top hat crown. Lay the measuring tape flat on a piece of poster board and mark the poster board. Add 1 inch to the width so that you will be able to overlap and staple the edges. Determine the height you would like your top hat to be. Mark the height of the top hat crown on the poster board, drawing a line parallel to and as long as the width line. Cut out the poster board crown: you should have a rectangle.

2. Create the crown of your top hat by overlapping the width of the poster board rectangle. Staple the overlapped edges of the crown shape. Try on the crown to check the fit. Remove the staples to adjust the size, if necessary. Squeeze glue in between the overlapping edges and press together.

3. Adjust the pencil compass to the size of your head measurement, and add 3 inches. Draw 2 circles on the poster board. Cut out the circles. Circle 1 will create the crown top. Circle 2 will create the brim of the top hat. You add 3 inches to each circle to create tabs for circle 1, and to create the top hat brim with circle 2.

4. Adjust the pencil compass so it is the same size as your head measurement. You will draw a smaller circle inside circle 1 and a smaller circle inside circle 2. Place the pencil compass point in the center of circle 1 and draw the smaller circle Y, inside it. Place the pencil compass point in the center of circle 2 and draw the smaller circle Z, inside it. You will have 2 poster board circles. Circle 1 has small circle Y drawn on it. Circle 2 has small circle Z drawn on it.

5. Place circle 1 on your work surface. This circle is the very top of the top hat. Use the box cutter to cut 1 inch tabs from the drawn edge of circle Y to the edge of circle 1. The tabs will be bent and glued to the inside of the top edge of the crown, forming the crown top of the top hat.

6. Bend in the tabs of circle 1. Slide the tabs inside the top of the crown and check the fit. The tabs should fit snugly into the crown.

7. Squeeze glue onto the top inside edge of the crown. Slide the circle 1 tabs into place. With one hand outside of the crown and one hand inside the crown, press the tabs into the glue.

Creating the Top Hat Brim

1. Place circle 2 on your work surface. This circle is the brim of your top hat. Use the box cutter to cut 1 inch tabs from the drawn edge of circle Z inside to the center of circle 2. The tabs will be glued to the bottom inside edge of the top hat crown, creating the top hat brim.

2. Bend in the tabs of circle 2. Slide the tabs inside the bottom of the crown and check the fit. The tabs should fit snugly into the crown. The outside edge of circle 2 is the brim of your top hat.

3. Squeeze glue onto the bottom inside edge of the crown. Slide the circle 2 tabs into place. Press the tabs into the glue. Try on your top hat to check the fit. Add glue to secure loose edges.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the inside measurement of a cap that fits to determine the size of the top hat crown. Top hats vary in height, starting at 4 1/2 inches. Cover your top hat with felt paper to create a more polished result. If the top hat is too loose, glue 1 inch foam pieces to the inside edge of the hat.

• Use a glue gun with caution. The glue and glue gun tip can burn your skin.

References

• History of the Top Hat
• More Hat Ideas

Resources

• Miniature Top Hat
• How To Make a Top Hat