DIY Cowboy Hat Instructions
Cowboy hats are cowboy hats in the United States and Canada, as well as in many other Western countries. Cowboy hats are often worn at rodeos. Cowboy hats were popular among cowboys because they protected them from the sun and rain. Cowboy hats with brims stiffened by wire were introduced in the late 19th century to replace the original soft headgear which had become difficult to shape after years of hard wear.
DIY cowboy hat instructions
Below are instructions on how to make a cowboy hat.
1. Gather your materials.
The materials you will need for this project are:
-Paper
-Scissors
-A pen or marker-Glue and/or tape
-Toilet paper roll or paper towel roll or pencil(for making a pattern)-Black felt(or color of your choice) and scissors.
2. Make your pattern.
You can make your own hat pattern using the instructions on the right. Once you have created a pattern, cut it out and tape it onto the toilet paper roll to create a template for your design. If you are making this hat as a gift, be sure to add the size of the person who will wear it and any other special instructions. (See here for tip on making your own cowboy hat pattern. )
3. Cut out your hat.
Line up the tabs with the eyelets on the toilet paper roll and cut along the marked line. Cut one at a time, cutting in an even direction (vertically down from top of hat to bottom) in order to make sure that each tab is cut accurately and straight. You will also want to make sure that you have a straight edge for your hat pattern to rest against as you cut around it, as well as a straight edge for your hat base-piece (the part of your project that will be covered by the rest of your hat). If there aren’t any straight edges available, you can place them with tape or glue.
4. Remove tabs.
After you have cut out your tab pieces, you will need to remove them from the toilet paper roll. The tabs will be connected at the bottom by a series of small slits. Use a pair of scissors to carefully remove the tabs from the paper roll, cutting from one end all the way around towards your starting point, like you would if you were uncorking a wine bottle.
5. Glue top and bottom tab pieces together to create one large circle with straight edges for your hat base-piece.
You can glue or tape these two pieces together so that they are stuck together firmly. Then wrap your template around this circle with the tabs facing outward (You will want to do this on a hard surface). Once you have wrapped the template around your circle, cut out the top and bottom pieces of the hat base-piece.
6. Use white glue to glue tabs to base-piece.
Before you begin gluing your tabs onto your base-piece, make sure that you have placed about 1/2 inch of toilet paper or paper towels in between each tab. This will give you a softer hat in the end and help prevent any of your tabs from falling off or leaking. You can then use your glue gun to place glue on every other tab hole. Carefully line up your tabs so that they look even and straight. You can then create a border around the edge of your base-piece by gluing down each tab on the outside to create a neat look at the base of your cowboy hat.
7. Create inner support for brim by taping together two toilet paper rolls, cutting out circles and placing them in your finished hat.
You will start by cutting out two circles from brown paper and taping them together, forming one large circle lined with tape inside of it. Then you will place this ring of paper inside of your finished hat (you can use glue on the inside or outside to make sure that it stays in place). Then you will use a marker or pen to create evenly spaced dots around the outside of your inner ring. These dots will mark where to make cuts in order to have a brim. Remove the inner circle and then cut along each dot so that you have tabs. Arrange these tabs so that they are even with each other, creating as smooth of appearance as possible. Then glue these tabs onto the top of your hat for a finished look.
8. Create a felt hat band for your cowboy hat.
If you want to make your hat even more unique, you can create a felt band for the top of your hat. To do this, you will need a roll of black felt and brown or white felt. If you want to make your hat look like it has real leather on it, you can glue the brown or white felt onto the outside of your black one. Then cut out two long strips that are three inches wide and long enough to go around the circumference of your finished cowboy hat (this will be longer than the circumference of the bottom of the brim area). Then create two small strips that are an inch wide and long enough to go around the circumference of your finished cowboy hat. Glue or tape the small bands onto the bottom of the long ones and you will have a felt hat band. Then glue this band onto the top of your hat for a finished look.
9. Decorate your cowboy hat with material from old T-shirts or material that you have at home.
You can use old T-shirts to decorate the outside of your cowboy hat, by cutting out shapes, circles, or letters from them and using them as decoration on your project.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a quick and easy way to decorate a cowboy hat, the DIY cowboy hat is for you. This is a simple project that can be done in less than an hour, making it perfect for last-minute gifts or party favors. This project can also be done using various colors of felt and different patterns of felt to make it your own.