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Ugly Joe
07-19-2006, 12:26 PM
For hats...here's a REAL fast how-to...seems to have worked for me...

Materials:

Cheap batting...the real fluffy kind (what I used is the kind of stuff they sell as "snow on the ground" for Christmas village sets).
(mine...after some cutting: Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket )

Cardstock...just simple, cheap posterboard - wide enough to make a circle that will be the brim, and enough extra to make the crown.
(once again, after some cutting: Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket )

Scissors...just in case someone didn't think of it.

Adhesive...spray adhesive is best bet. Covers and sticks to the cardstock and batting well.
(what I've used: Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket )

Polyurethane...at least a quart, as this project will use quite a bit (materials soak it up).


How to:

Cut a big circle of your cardstock...it's going to be the brim.
Make certain you've made it wide enough - adding to it would be a pain, but trimming it down is no problem.

Once you have the big circle, cut a smaller circle in the center, to fit the head of your prop.
Measuring at this point is good...eyeballing may work, but I leave it up to you.

You should have a cardstock donut at this point...

Spray one side with adhesive...

Lay out the batting (it should be wide enough to cover the brim)...

Lay the cardstock donut on the batting - adhesive covered side to batting, if you don't mind...

Use scissors to cut batting to shape around donut/brim...

Repeat for other side of brim (you'll want batting on both sides)...


Now, you should have a fuzzy flat donut...
(like this: Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket )


Cut a long strip of cardstock - this is going to be the wall of the crown.

Measure it to fit around the small hole in the middle of the donut, and glue the ends together to make a cylinder.
(like this: Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket )

Here's the tricky part (and no pics...got so involved I forgot to take any):
The top of the crown needs to fit into the top of the cylinder...cut it a quarter inch too big, and make some (very small) flaps along that 1/4" edge...at least, that's how I did it.

Then, once you have the top of the crown, with little flaps cut all the way around and folded down, spray some adhesive inside the wall of the crown towards the top...

Slide the top in through the bottom of the wall, and push to the top.
This will spread the adhesive onto the flaps, and keep the flaps folded down, inside the wall, giving some surface area for the adhesive to hold on.

Kind of like pushing a cork into a bottle...just a lot bigger, looser, and harder to work with...


I'm cutting for size, and adding a second post in a moment...

Ugly Joe
07-19-2006, 12:29 PM
continuation of previous "how-to" Hat post...


Brim is a fuzzy donut. check.

Crown is holding together (it's a cardstock soupbowl). check.


Now...


Set the crown over the donut's hole, and spray crown and brim with adhesive.

Take a large piece of batting and lay over the crown and brim.
NOTE!! Do it slowly and start from the top of the crown (actually if you can get a little help, it may turn out better than mine)...the batting will stick to EVERYTHING with adhesive, and it will "tent out" away from the crease where the crown meets the brim...causing folds and other hard to deal with fabric issues...

Let it dry for a bit.


Break out the polyurethane, brush, and gloves...it's going to get messy.


Pick a side of the hat to begin painting...under or over.

Liberally coat any batting with polyurethane.
Really...quite liberally.

Once once side is thoroughly urethaned, let dry on a hard, flat surface that you don't mind messing up.
The urethane will stick to everything...I used a laminated board, so I could scrape the hat off with a putty knife.

Once dried (at least mostly...takes a couple of hours), flip it over and do the other side with urethane.

It will hopefully look sometihng like this:
Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket


Once it's all dried (give it a day), it's ready to trim (will likely need a little), perhaps paint, and anything else you want that hat to look like...
Put it on your prop.

Grin.


Really cheap, and one of a kind.

Ugly Joe
07-19-2006, 12:34 PM
And here's how my hat looks on my scarecrow's head...

Mine needs some paint, however...too red-ish for my likeing...
Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket
and
Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket




(yes...this is all newly made since the beginning of the challenge)

Hellrazor
07-19-2006, 12:45 PM
TOoo Creapy!

Dr Morbius
07-19-2006, 01:28 PM
Cool How to, UJ!! That hat turned out terrific...I'm sure it will come in handy...Thank you!

Hauntiholik
07-19-2006, 01:37 PM
The hat looks like skin to me Ugly Joe. Creepy!

These SCs are turning out great! Man, I'm just hoping to be in the top 20 :)
I started working on the SC head last night. It's not looking the way I want it to but nothing ever does until you're close to done right?

ScareFX
07-19-2006, 01:49 PM
And here's how my hat looks on my scarecrow's head...
(yes...this is all newly made since the beginning of the challenge)


Excellent work there Ugly Joe. The hat looks great. Thanks for posting the how too as well. As Doc stated, that will come in handy.

Pandora
07-20-2006, 01:14 AM
Well color you King of the Tutorials. After this and the LED tutorial, you are born to be a teacher. Seriously, that scarecrow scares the S&*T out of me. I don't like it - not coming to your house. But, of course that is the ultimate compliment-now isn't it? Awesome work as usual and good luck with the contest!!!

By the way, how about a pirate hat-where's that tutorial??

Ugly Joe
07-20-2006, 02:03 AM
A pirate hat? (not for the (non-existant) skeleton marionette I need to make for you, and haven't...?)


Seriously though...what style were you thinking?
(not that I can or can't, but I love a good challenge)



...and if I do manage it, I'm going to need to start my own shop:
The Cadavars Habadashery

Pandora
07-20-2006, 02:40 AM
Very cool name!!! My boss is doing a pirate theme this year. And I don't want to buy a bunch of cheesy hats. Making them ourselves sounds much better!!! Just old ratty pirate hats. Your scarecrow hats look great!! And I do love to throw out a challenge!!

mrklaw
07-20-2006, 03:31 PM
Great job on the tutorial! I'm going to try it out.

Thanks!

Torgen
07-21-2006, 09:51 PM
Holy.

Crap.

I am *impressed.* You guys are all giving me an inferiority complex again this year.