2012 in review: january

It seems that last January was a month of hats! Hat day is January 15th which is soon soon soon! Here are nine easy hat projects you can mkae with supplies you may already have on hand! 

ten hats in ten days: perfect for spring tissue paper bouquet

 This one may be a bit on the feminine side but you can tweak it by using different colors of tissue paper.

Materials

*tissue or crepe paper

*white glue

*sturdy paper

*scissors

*hole punch

*yarn

 Grab a sheet of paper and cut a blobbish shape out of it about 6" round.

Punch 2 holes at opposite sides and add a length of knotted yarn to each hole.

Slather a party of glue all over the top of your paper shape.

 

Have your kiddos crumple, fold, and dollop small pieces of tissue or crepe paper into the glue. Crepe paper streamers work perfectly for this. Set aside to dry.

Once dry, plop atop the noggin and celebrate! How's that for ten hats in ten days? Which hat will you make for hat day? Send me a link or a photo and I'll post it here on the 'do!

ten hats in ten days: paper bag bonanza

 Here's another hat from the archives, the first Hat Day post ever! All you need for this is a large sheet of gift wrap, newspaper or a paper bag. Have fun!

ten hats in ten days: old school party hat

 Cone party hats are always a blast, grab yourself a large sheet of paper or newspaper and get to it!

Materials

*large sheet of paper

*pen

*tape

*glue

*yarn

*hole punch

*scissors

*crepe paper streamer

 There are of course far easier and precise instructions for making a true cone shaped party hat. If you would like something more accurate a quick internet search will bring you all sorts of instructions. for this hat, I used one large square of scrapbooking paper. Grab a square and draw a curve along one edge. Cut out with scissors and fold in half.

 Open up your soon-to-be party hat and give your kiddo a bottle of glue and have them draw a long line of glue along the curved edge. Tear a length of crepe paper streamer and add it to the glue along the edge. You can crinkle and/or fold it up to create texture if you like. Tape down rough edges to keep from itching up yer kiddo's forehead.

Grab another length of crepe paper, about 8" or so and fold in half. Tape loose ends and use scissors to cut almost all the way through. Use a strip of tape to affix at the top of your hat.

Fold hat back in half and tape along the edge to seal. Use a hole punch to punch two holes across from each other at the base of the hat. Add a length of knotted yarn to each hole. 

Pop that puppy atop your kiddo's noggin, tie under the chin and have a party, just because.

ten hats in ten days: bowled over

 Greetings friends! This one is from the archives, it's an oldie but oh such a goodie. For the how-to follow this link!

ten hats in ten days: box tops!

 
Here's a fun project for a kooky chapeau. All you need is some paint, glue and a wee box prime for recycling.

Materials

*small empty box (a juice box is good)

*scissors

*hole punch

*yarn or ribbon

*paint & paint brush

*tacky glue

*faux flowers and other glueable bits

 

Grab a small box for your kiddo to paint. A juice box, small cookie box or paper maché craft box will work. Have your kiddo paint it up and set aside to dry. You can also use paper and/or fabric scraps to cover the box.

 

Once dry, punch two holes opposite each other. If your box is too thick for the hole punch, use an exacto knife or awl to create holes. DO NOT hand your kiddo a blade for this part, this is up to you. Grab a length of yarn and tie a knot in the end. Slide a safety pin into the knot and poke the whole shebang through one of the holes so that the knot tucks inside the box. Repeat with a second stand of yarn for the other side.

 

Slather the top of the box with glue and have yer kiddo add their happy bits. Set aside to dry over night. 

To wear, pop the hat atop the noggin and tie under your kiddo's chin or behind their hair. Happy hat wearing!

ten hats in ten days: monster hat with ear flaps

 This hat requires a wee bit of sewing but is far from fancy. A machine will make it go super fast but you can also do this by hand.

Materials

*old wool sweater or sweater pieces

*sewing machine or needle and thread

*scissors

*tape measure

*felt pieces

*buttons and/or googly eyes, optional

*tacky or fabric glue

Measure around your kiddos noggin and divide number in half. Grab a sheet of paper and cut out a rectangle shape that measures the length of your measurement with about a 6" width. Fold shape in half and arc out a quarter hat shape. Cut.

 Lay out your wool sweater (inside out) or pieces and place your open pattern on top. Pin into place. Bring to sewing machine and stitch along the pattern edge. If your sweater is super thick it may be best to use a whip stitch and stitch by hand. This is an imperfect project so don't sweat the bumps and bits.

To create ear flaps, cut off a sleeve from a sweater and cut into two pieces.  Turn pieces inside out and use a marker to create a curve to stitch along. Cut and stitch by hand or bring to machine and stitch along your marks with a medium straight stitch.

Turn hat right-side out and pin flaps into place. Use a zig-zag stitch and contrasting thread to attatch flaps to hat. Trim threads.

Hand your kiddo their hat and all sorts of scrappy bits and glue. Tacky glue works wonders with felt. Stitching the pieces on can add additional color and fun. Let your kiddo create a monster of their choice. Once all glue has dried, pop the hat on and have a monster's bash!

ten hats in ten days: construction paper beanie

 All you need for this one is construction or scrap paper and a roll of tape. You can also use a stapler or glue if you like.

Materials:

*construction or scrap paper

*scissors

*hole punch

*brad

*pom-pom, yarn or tissue paper (optional)

Cut your kiddo a hat band. I used up an assortment of scrapbook paper. You can use any sturdy paper or even repurpose some of your kiddo's art work. Join the ends of the hatband to create a circle.

 

 

 You will need one strip of paper that can be taped from one side of the band to the other. Use tape to secure the crown and give it some length so that it will sit on your kiddo's head. Punch a hole in the center with the hole punch.

Cut four more strips, half the size of the first strip and tape into place along the hat band. Punch a hole at the top of each strip.

 

 

Arrange your paper strips so that punched holes overlap. Insert the brad and fold open the ends. 

 

Add a pom-pom or other bit of aplomb to the top if you like. Pop it on a noggin and have a hat party!

ten hats in ten days: felt and paper jester hat

 Ring them bells! This easy to create hat makes for a great dance party accoutrement. All you need is some felt and paper from around your home.

Materials

*2-3 pieces of felt (your average felt sheet 8"X11")

*scissors

*fabric/tacky glue

*needle and embroidery thread

*four bells

*heavy paper

Cut a long strip of paper for your hat band. My band was made from two strips taped together. 

 Gather your felt pieces and cut into four triangles. The easiest way to do this is to fold a felt piece in half width-wise and cut up from the bottom at an angle to the middle of the top. You will get three triangles this way. Repeat until you have 4 triangles. Trim them down if you wish to use more triangles.

Flip your hat-band preferred side down on your work surface. Arrange your triangles so that they slightly overlap, keeping sure to not put a single triangle directly over the front center of the band. Otherwise your kiddo will have a difficult time seeing!

Glue felt pieces to paper using a fabric or tacky glue. Set aside to dry.

Use a needle and thread to loop a bell to each point. An easy way to do this is to push your needle and thread through the tip of a triangle until almost all the way through. Before passing completely through the felt, bring the needle back through to meet the loose tail and thread through a bell. Tie of ends and trim with scissors. Repeat for each bell.

Tape ends of hat band to create your jester's hat. Pop on your kiddo's head and have party!