Making a sorting hat and other HP craft

[3bunnies]

Been googling and can't decide how to make a sorting hat - it is for a party so needs to be able to go on heads and relatively durable as I hope to use the same theme for younger dc too. I can't crochet but can sew and already have some left over pvc faux leather scraps so I could sew but I don't think it would be v stable and not sure how to mold the face. I could make a cardboard one and papier mache the details but not sure if it would be too heavy. Or other sites seem to use chicken wire but say that the hat was just decorative. Or could try to pick up a cheap Halloween one and try to customise it. Or give in and get one from ebay!

Any other tips welcome - planning to make toilet roll floating candles and owl lectern with music stand base.

I would use an existing witches hat...a good quality one...and then use a mixture of thin beige cotton and pva glue to cover and mould a face.

When soaked in PVA, cotton fabric becomes mouldable in the same was as newspaper.

It will be firm but not heavy. Buy the thinnest possible cotton...lining for curtains.

Whilst you're moulding on the cotton, you should have the hat placed on a cone of cardboard to keep the basic shape.

Would muslin work for the creases do you think claw ? still looking for ways to use them up and save buying too much material! Then a layer of beige material on top? Hobbycraft have a felt one on their website, would that make a good base do you think?

Yes I bet it would...perhaps better than thin cotton! Don't bother putting another layer of beige on top....just paint the bugger. Spray paint would be best...it will make it go stiff but if you support the "inner hat" well enough it will be tough too.

You could use chicken wire to make an inner support actually...would be better than card as it could sog up when you're applying muslin.

I thought you might like to see the nearly finished result. I turned an orange stripey hat into a sorting hat. It used about a muslin and a half. I ended up sewing lots of it on but using a rough running stitch. It is in keeping with the style of a patched old hat. Spray paint was a bit pricey so I used a dilute mix of brown acrylic paint. I just need to sew the fabric on the rim of the hat (currently just glued and looking a little fragile) I might also add a bit more dark brown paint under the eyes and nose. They are clearer in rl than on the photo and obviously 3d but could be more distinct. Now to tackle floating candles and owl lecturn!

Oh it's amazing! THanks so much for sharing....it looks real!

That looks fantastic.

For DdsParty a made a small beanbag ball from a juggling ball pattern and added some felt wings into the seams for a snitch. The kids knew plenty of ball games so it kept them occupied for quite a while.

Oh that sounds like a good idea. Currently stashing away cardboard for the owl lecturn. I would love it to look like this but literally cannot stand the feel of polystyrene which it seems to be made of so going to improvise with layered cardboard on a music stand. I doubt that the 10yr olds will be too discerning!