How to Make a Knight's Hat

A little time and common supplies are all you need to make a knight's helmet.

For a medieval-themed birthday party, school play, Halloween costume or just some imaginative backyard fun, a knight's helmet is a gallant reflection of the era. You don't have to be Merlin the Magician to whip one up; a little time and some common supplies are all you need to create some chivalric style for your 12th-century event.

Things You'll Need

• Rubber ball
• Metallic silver spray paint
• Scissors
• Measuring tape
• Jute material
• Velcro strips
• Heavy duty hole puncher
• Round head fasteners
• Tape
• Poster board or card stock

Instructions

1. Choose a rubber ball, preferably one with a smooth and unmarked surface, that can be cut in half and will fit like a hat over the head of the person for whom you're making the helmet. Paint the ball with metallic silver spray paint, making sure it is evenly covered. Allow to dry.

2. Deflate the ball and cut it equally in half. One half will be used to fit over the wearer's head. Set the other half aside.

3. Measure and cut out a piece of jute material, such as a potato sack, so that its width will fit around three-fourths of the edge of the ball's open end. The length should be the distance between the edge of the opening and the shoulders of the person who will wear it.

4. Coat the jute with the metallic silver spray paint and let it dry. The jute will represent the interlocking chainmail armor that was made of steel.

5. Attach the jute to the ball using Velcro strips. Place the strips on the top edge of the jute and on the inside bottom of the ball, then hang the jute around both sides and the back of the ball. Leave the front facing part of the ball open. You now have a helmet.

6. Make the helmet's visor by drawing a diamond shape on the other half of the ball. The visor should be long enough to reach from ear to ear on the wearer and wide enough to comfortably cover their nose and mouth, like a cowboy bandana.

7. Punch one hole in each end of the visor and one hole on each side of the helmet where it fits at the ears. Connect the pieces with two round head fasteners that have flexible tabs on the back. Press the tabs as flat as possible against the helmet and cover with tape to prevent any of them from getting bent and poking the wearer.

8. Make a decorative symbol from poster board or card stock and glue it to the front center of the helmet. Popular symbols from the Middle Ages include the fleur-des-lis, crosses, axes, lions and horses. Colors associated with knights were black, yellow, blue, green, white and red.

References

• Youth Work Practice: Simple Craft Ideas for the Knight Theme
• Knights and Armor: Medieval Armor: Armor of a Knight