How to decorate a hat

The first hats had a purely practical meaning - they protected from wind, rain and, possibly, from the troubles of medieval cities.

The material of the hats was extremely dense and held its shape well. Modern hats, first of all, decorate their owner. They are now made from a variety of materials with a variety of characteristics.

Ways to decorate hats

Simple smooth a headdress without decoration looks a little dry, which means we’ll decorate:

• Feathers, by the way, are the oldest decoration for hats.
• Ribbons of different thicknesses and lengths.
• Voila.
• Fabric lined on the inside of the brim, as well as along the crown.
• Flower arrangements.
• Metal, wooden small decorations along the edges of the fields.
• Applications.
• Stencil painting.

DIY jewelry options

Decorate with paints using a stencil

Suitable for: felt hats, as well as straw hats made of any dense material.

Required:

• Acrylic paints.
• An eraser, a potato, a piece of rubber - any elastic material from which a stamp can be made.

Progress:

• We cut out a convenient stamp, it is better that it is not very large.
• Apply a little paint to a flat surface.
• Dip the stamp.
• We apply the drawing randomly, or according to a pre-developed sketch.
• Dry at room temperature for 3-5 hours, depending on the thickness of the coating. It is better to leave it to dry for a day.

Fabric ribbons, scarves

Hats are decorated with satin, lace, guipure ribbons, as well as any rectangular pieces of fabric in the form of ribbons, scarves of various widths.

Suitable for any hat with a brim, looks best on straw hats and boaters.

Reference! Boater - a hat with straight brim of medium width and a flat crown.

Required:

• Chiffon, organza, viscose, length equal to the circumference of the crown, plus free edges as desired. A bow usually requires about a meter of fabric in length and 25-30 cm in width.
• Scissors.
• Threads to match.
• Sewing machine.

Progress:

• We cut out the ribbon to the required length and width.
• We stitch by machine, leaving a small area unstitched so that we can turn it inside out later.
• Turn it inside out.
• Carefully sew up the free area.
• We wrap it around the crown, draping it if necessary.
• We tie a bow or pin it with a brooch.
• Straighten the loose ends.

Decorating the edges of the hat

Along the edge of the brim you can sew various types of fringe, beads, small coins, and so on.

Suitable for straw, cowboy, classic felt.

Advice! When decorating felt hats, it is not customary to use contrasting colors and pretentious shapes. We choose laconic jewelry in complementary shades of the main color.

Required:

• Fringe with hanging elements.
• An awl if the material is very thick.
• Threads to match the hat.
• Glue for straw models.

Progress:

• We measure the fringe with a length equal to the circumference of the edge of the brim.
• We sew the fringe on the underside of the hat brim, piercing the material with an awl or thick needle if necessary.

Important! Felt hats should not be decorated with glue. These hats last for years and decades, and the remaining glue from the felt is completely impossible to remove!

Brooches, flowers

Compositions of silk flowers, various berries, shells, brooches can decorate any model of hat, but try not to overload the headdress.

Suitable for all models, including tablets, cloches, and pork-pies.

Reference! “Cloche” – hat – bell, with lowered brims, tightly fitting the head. "Pork Pie" - a hat with a low crown and brim that is curved upward and slightly flattened, in the manner of a “pie”.

Required:

• Brooches, old earrings, pendants, beads.
• Flowers, leaves made of non-shattering material.
• Other decorative elements matching color and style.
• A piece of felt or leather, suede for making a brooch.
• Safety pin for a brooch.

Progress:

Advice! If you are not sure that you need this decoration permanently, make it removable, for example, using a safety pin or brooch.

• We decide what your composition will look like.
• The necessary components are glued onto a piece of felt or suede.
• Glue a safety pin to the resulting decoration.
• We attach it to the hat.

Advice! Try to keep your decorations unobstructed by the brim.

It is recommended to make any decorative elements removable so that you can flaunt a newfangled hat next season.