Halloween is just a few days away and I am notorious for not finishing costumes until the last minute. Thankfully, when Eleanor said she wanted to be a princess for Halloween, I knew just what I’d do: pick out a dress from her closet and make a princess hat to complete the look. Quick, easy, and inexpensive–my favorite kind of costume! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Large white posterboard
- Appx. 1 yard of tulle (or any fabric with drape–I found mine in the curtain section of my favorite thrift store)
- Ribbon
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun
Start by cutting your poster board into an almost-triangle shape, curving the edges at the bottom. Mine measured about 21″ on the bottom, 16″ along the sides, and 4″ on top for my three-year-old.
Next, lay your poster board on top of the tulle and cut about one inch along the bottom and sides. Flip the board over and cut the fabric the same way on top, creating an hourglass shape.
Pull the edges over and hot glue them to the inside (make sure there aren’t any pencil markings on the outside first). I didn’t glue the bottom edge of mine, because there was a serged end I wanted to show, but you may want to glue yours if it’s not a finished edge.
To finish shaping the hat, gently roll it in half and hot glue one edge over the other. I glued just a little at a time, and made sure to press the inner and outer sides together to ensure they’d stick. After I glued it all, I used a large clip to hold it closed while it cooled. I intentionally left a hole at the top to allow the remaining fabric to flow down and around the hat (so make sure it’s not inside the hat when you glue it).
Finally, cut and glue two strips of ribbon to the inner sides of the hat, and your hat is done! (This is actually a miniature mock-up I did first to see how it would all come out.)
Now just add your princess!
Or her doll 🙂
I hope this helps any of you who are still searching for costume ideas! What other Halloween costume tricks do you have up your sleeve? I’d love to see your princess hat if you make one. If you still need costume ideas for the rest of the family, then check out my list of 100 DIY Halloween Costumes. Happy frantic costume-making everyone!
This is awesome–and so easy! Juliet has that same rapunzel doll–it never leaves her side… 🙂
vanessa
ADORABLE!
If you make the top end of the hourglass of fabric about a foot wider, you can glue the outside edges to the side of the hat, and it will flutter but stay mostly to the back — may be helpful for little ones who need to keep the fabric out of their faces.
Thanks for the pointer! Fortunately I didn't really have any problems with the fabric, but I did add an elastic strap to help keep her hat on!
I love this. What a wonderful and creative idea! My daughter will now fit in with all of the other princesses on a birthday this Saturday (today is Thursday evening).