How to Make the Bag Hatter's Hats Out of Paper Bags

Grocery store bags are the right size for this hat.

The Mad Hatter is one of the most popular characters from "Alice in Wonderland," though it’s sometimes mistakenly referred to as the Bag Hatter. The character is from the Lewis Carroll book of the same name, though modern day audiences often associate the character with the role played by Johnny Depp in the modern movie adaptation. The character’s hat is the most important part of the costume and it’s easy to make one from paper bags.

Things You'll Need

• Brown grocery store bag
• Tissue paper
• Utility knife
• Paper plate
• Masking tape
• Scrapbooking paper
• Scissors
• White glue

Instructions

1. Pull the inside of the bag towards the outside, which places the label and any logo from the store, on the inside of the bag. Fill the bag with tissue paper, to create the shape of the hat.

2. Use the utility knife to remove the middle of the paper plate, leaving the outside edge of the plate behind. This serves as the brim of your hat. Set the circle you cut from the paper plate, to one side. This will serve as the top of your hat.

3. Flatten down the sides of the paper bag, making it slightly large on top and smaller on the bottom. Twist the bottom of the bag in your hand and push through the hole in the paper plate. Untwist the bag and turn the edges up, pressing them flat against the bottom of the paper plate. Use masking tape to secure the bag to the plate.

4. Cut the scrapbooking pages into different shapes and sizes with your scissors. Glue the pieces onto the paper bag area of your hat, creating a design. Cover the brim of your hat with more paper pieces. Glue additional pieces onto the paper plate circle you created earlier.

5. Apply a thin layer of white glue to the top of your paper bag hat. Place the paper plate circle on top and push down with your hands, to remove any air bubbles. Once the glue dries, you have a basic Bag Hatter or Mad Hatter style hat.

Tips & Warnings

• Try measuring the paper plate against your own head, before cutting out the circle. This provides a more comfortable fit and ensures that your hat isn’t too big or too small for your head.

References

• Many Hat Returns: Still Time to Make Your Mad Hatter Hat for Halloween!
• The Imaginary Librarian: Instructables: Mad Hatter Hat