How to Make a Nurses Hat for a Costume
Traditional nurse uniforms consisted of a white dress, stockings, shoes and cap. The nurse cap often had the symbol of a red cross emblazoned on the front flap, and nurses secured the caps to their heads with bobby pins. Nurse costumes for dress-up or for Halloween are easy to make because of the basic white attire. Top off the costume with a traditional nurse hat using paper and origami techniques.
Things You'll Need
- Thick white legal-sized paper (8 1/2 inches by 14 inches)
- Scissors
- Tape
- Optional: red marker, bobby pins
Instructions
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1
Lay the paper flat, with the long side up (portrait orientation).
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2
Fold the paper in half by pulling the short top end down to meet the bottom side. Sharply crease the fold by rubbing your thumb across the horizontal fold.
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3
Pull the top folded side one-third down so that the paper size is a square. Sharply crease the horizontal fold.
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4
Pull the top right corner down to approximately 3 inches from the bottom of the paper. Make sure the bottom edge of the triangle produced is parallel to the bottom edge of the paper.
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5
Pull the top left corner down to approximately 3 inches from the bottom of the paper. Make sure the bottom edge of the triangle is level with the opposite triangle created in step 5 so that both are parallel to the bottom edge of the paper.
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6
Crease the folded ends of the triangles.
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7
Pull one layer of paper from the bottom to fold over the horizontal edges of the left and right triangles. Crease this bottom fold to create the back of the hat.
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8
Turn the paper over so that the folded edge is on top.
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9
Tape the free corners from the back of the hat (from the folded flap in step 8) over the creased sides.
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10
Pull the remaining bottom layer of paper up and fold so that it is even with the bottom edge on the back. Sharply crease this fold.
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11
Decorate the front flap by drawing a red cross in the center and/or a red border around the top and side edges to finish the look.
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12
Open the bottom of the cap by separating the bottom folds. Place it on your head with the flap facing the front. Secure the sides and back to your head with bobby pins, if desired.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Resize the paper to customize the hat size. Use wider paper for a larger hat size.
Shorten the length of the paper if you desire a shorter crown.
