Friday, December 2, 2011

Tutorial - Felt Hat for my Next Bear (Modeled by my Jun Planning Dal :O)

Many years ago, I taught a workshop on making molded wool felt hats for bears - it's been years since I've made one but with my new/old 100 year old mohair, I decided I would make a hat for the bear I am going to make.  This way,  she'll have something to wear once she comes to be!   It's done in the old world way (though I did try to use the microwave to dry it after forming it ... fail, can't use the microwave!!).  I've decided to share a tutorial of exactly how these hats are made - the explanation for each step is printed on the photo.  The top does not have to be round, you can use any number of things for shape - I'm trying a styrofoam ball tonight for a mini hat!  If you have any questions, please let me know - I'll be happy to help you make your own "molded felt hat"!   Hugs, Janice












I finished a little hat last night for my wee Lati Doll - although she's not impressed, I kind of like it!  The top was molded and formed on her tiny hat using a styrofoam ball.  I carved a small 1/16th of an inch groove around the entire ball at the spot I wanted the top of the hat to end and the brim to begin. This way the rubber band fit snugly over the felt and sat in the groove while it dried.

Posted by at

37 comments:

  1. martinastaniekDecember 2, 2011 at 5:30 PM

    WOW !
    thank you a lot to share this with us !
    now i might try a hat too :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownDecember 2, 2011 at 5:43 PM

    What it is nice idea!! Thank you .
    Alena

    ReplyDelete
  3. Joanne@ DesertmountainbearDecember 2, 2011 at 5:49 PM

    Thank you so much for this Janice. I don't know if a bear will ever get to wear one but I know for sure that my Blythe dolls will. This is exactly what I had in mind while I was looking at them today.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wish You Were Here MomDecember 2, 2011 at 6:46 PM

    Great! I would love to see pictures of your dolls/bears wearing your handmade hats! Joanne, you can measure Blythe's head and then find a dome (for a round top or a bottle or planter for a more defined top) in the size you need and just stretch your felt over that! It's fun to use braided trim around the brim, too, for "fancier" hats! I think the fun is in the embellishments ;O) Hugs, Janice

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kays KidsDecember 2, 2011 at 7:00 PM

    Thanks for your tutorial, the hat looks great.
    I wet felt my own felt so you have even more control over it.
    Hugs
    Kay

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownDecember 2, 2011 at 7:06 PM

    WOW! Thanks so much. I am going to try to make a hat too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wish You Were Here MomDecember 2, 2011 at 7:19 PM

    That's wonderful, Kay! Then you can make beautiful colors, too! Hugs, Janice

    ReplyDelete
  8. Rita NgDecember 2, 2011 at 7:26 PM

    Thanks for sharing this, I'd really love to try : )

    ReplyDelete
  9. Bettina GrohDecember 2, 2011 at 7:47 PM

    I'm going to give it a try... hope I can find some embellishments!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wish You Were Here MomDecember 2, 2011 at 9:01 PM

    Make sure to send me your pics .. I'll post them here :O) Bettina, if you can't find the old hats on ebay or etsy, most every antique store has at least one or two and they are usually relatively inexpensive compared to purchasing individual millinery flowers. You can always use silk flowers or beads or buttons or ribbons - the possibilities are endless! Have fun! Hugs, Janice

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousDecember 2, 2011 at 10:50 PM

    Looks wonderful and very easy, def going to give it a go, thank you so much for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  12. ValerieDecember 3, 2011 at 3:04 AM

    the hat looks wonderful. thanks for sharing the tutorial. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Katy CameronDecember 3, 2011 at 3:31 AM

    Aww, very cute, I'm sure the wee bear who finally gets to receive it will look divine

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wish You Were Here MomDecember 3, 2011 at 7:50 AM

    Thanks so much for your kind comments :O) Hugs, Janice

    ReplyDelete
  15. ev.a thompson~December 3, 2011 at 8:17 AM

    Thanks for the wonderful tutorial, Janice. I will have to try this, if not for my bears then for the few dolls I have. I still have a couple of babies that I got as a very tiny girl. Of course their hair is worn off in places from too much loving but these hats would look amazing. I always wondered how they were done. :o) Hugs, Ev

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wish You Were Here MomDecember 3, 2011 at 10:33 AM

    It would be a good way to cover those bald spots, Ev! I'm glad you're going to give it a try! Hugs, Janice

    ReplyDelete
  17. Esther BearsDecember 3, 2011 at 11:10 PM

    Thanks so so much Janice for sharing. This is so beautiful :) i will sure to try making this goregous hat for my bears.
    I have a question. So the shape of the hat will stay in shape after drying?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wish You Were Here MomDecember 3, 2011 at 11:17 PM

    Thank you, Esther! Yes, the hat will stay in whatever shape you mold it in to after it's dried! Hugs, Janice

    ReplyDelete
  19. Kathy MyersDecember 4, 2011 at 10:54 AM

    Thank you for this wonderful tutorial. I love little hats and can't wait to give it a try.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wish You Were Here MomDecember 4, 2011 at 12:55 PM

    Kathy your beautiful bears would look so cute with a fancy little hat! Hugs, Janice

    ReplyDelete
  21. Mary Ann TateDecember 7, 2011 at 10:29 AM

    Hello:) I'm visiting from CDA. Thank you so much for posting your tutorial. I have posted about it on my blog today...here is the link....http://maryanntate.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  22. Shannon DawnDecember 7, 2011 at 12:38 PM

    Hi Janice! You have a beautiful website! Thank you for the very easy to follow hat pattern-will defnitely be giving this a try!! Hugs Shannon(from Cloth Doll Artistry website)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wish You Were Here MomDecember 7, 2011 at 12:51 PM

    Hi Mary Ann,
    Thank you for posting it on your blog, too!
    Hugs, Janice

    ReplyDelete
  24. Wish You Were Here MomDecember 7, 2011 at 12:58 PM

    Hi Shannon,
    Thank you so much for the compliment on the site! I look forward to seeing your hat!
    Hugs,
    Janice

    ReplyDelete
  25. UnknownDecember 7, 2011 at 3:11 PM

    Beautiful tutorial Janice! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Wish You Were Here MomDecember 7, 2011 at 4:45 PM

    Thank you so much, Sue! Hugs, Janice

    ReplyDelete
  27. PaulineDecember 8, 2011 at 7:00 AM

    Gorgeous hat, how kind of you to share Janice, will have to give this a go in the new year.

    Paulinex

    ReplyDelete
  28. Wish You Were Here MomDecember 8, 2011 at 9:31 AM

    Thank you so much, Pauline! I would love to see pictures if you make one :O)

    ReplyDelete
  29. lvroftiquesDecember 9, 2011 at 1:47 PM

    Janice I really enjoyed this tutorial! The hats are absolutely adorable! I'm brainstorming all kinds of ideas for my boudoir dolls....some of them don't have great hair... just like their mama *winks* and these little hats would add so much charm to them. Thank you for sharing. I'm adding this to my pinterest, I hope you don't mind? Vanna

    ReplyDelete
  30. AnonymousDecember 9, 2011 at 2:33 PM

    You are so generous to do this. I look forward to trying this technique.
    Mary D.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Wish You Were Here MomDecember 9, 2011 at 2:52 PM

    Vanna, I'm so happy you like the tutorial and am honored you are adding it to your pinterest! Thank you for the compliment, Mary! I really hope I'll receive photos of other hats, I would love to post them! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  32. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2013 at 7:31 AM

    Just adorable!
    Thank you for sharing Janice .... I was going to make a huge mess with fabric stiffener or glue trying my hands on this without the proper so simple knowledge.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Joanzie777January 22, 2013 at 11:31 AM

    You're so sweet to share your craft with us, Janice! I'm going to give this a try and IF it turns out, I'll share photos. :) I understand how much you miss your Mom too.

    Joanie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wish You Were Here MomJanuary 22, 2013 at 11:51 AM

      I would love to see pictures of your finished hat, Joanie! If you have any questions about making it, please let me know and I'll see if I can help! Good luck! Hugs, Janice

      Delete
  34. BrendaOctober 12, 2014 at 10:28 AM

    Bless you! This is my 2nd day searching through tutorials for just what I need, and this is it. Thank you thank you thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wish You Were Here MomOctober 12, 2014 at 2:17 PM

      So happy it was helpful, Brenda! Would love to see a picture of your finished hat! Hugs, Janice

      Delete

Thank you ever so much for taking the time to comment. xxxx

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)