Calling crafty people, how do I make ds look like The Cat in The Hat?

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We've decided to go for this for the dressing up as a book character on book day but I can't think where to start with the outfit. Espcially the big hat and the other cats that have to go inside it (remember there are cats a,b,c, etc?) How do I make them? Any bright ideas? TIA!

Do you need all the cats inside?? Could you make them out of felt.

Big hat - you can make it out of thin cardboard. Cut a circle big enough to fit snugly on your DSs head then make a tube to fit inside this to make the tall bit. could do without the circle to seal the top to make the other cats visible?

Other than that, isn't it just ears/wiskers/tail/waistcoat? I have only a vague memory of what the CITH looks like!

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Ears could go on a hair band, or be attached to bottom of the hat. Tail can be one leg of a pair of tights, stuffed, and sewn onto trousers. Definitely face paints for the cat's face. Red bow tie is easy! Hmm, hat...let me have a think!

Ok, this is what I would do. Make the base out of cardboard like Soupdragon says, then make hat out of fabric (cut circle of fabric for top, then sew cylinder round edge for hat. Then, stuff hat with soft toy stuffing to make shape. Then, sew second circle of fabric in to seal hat. Then, attach to cardboard circle - not sure how though - you could staple it? with enough room for his head.

That's probably hideously complicated, but that's what I'd do!

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Ahem - I think you need the white gloves as well. And a box with two things, Thing One and Thing Two.....

Finbars daughter won the prize at ours last year as this will ring her and get her on

Thank you so much, just realised that all the Cats in the Hat are from The Cat in The Hat Comes Back, not the original CITH, so yes, of course, thing 1 and thing 2! MUCH easier than cats abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxy and wouldn't have had to bother with z since s/he's an invisible one. Was wondering how to make Voom too but that's also from the wrong book Oh yes please Coddy, would love her ideas. Musica, will have to re-read those instructions I think when I'm not so tired and incapable but they sound great! Thank you everyone, this sounds like a great housework avoidance project for tomorrow.

Couldn't you just send him as Jay-Kay from Jamiroqui? 'the cat in the hat'?

Sorry no constructive help I'm afraid

Just thought I'd add a message here, as dd was Cat in the Hat on a theme book day and won first prize.

We did the hat thing, like other people said, cereal box, sellotaped on to a circle brim..dd and I painted it red and white, fitted elastic to it and stuck one of her "tea set" cup and saucers on the top (it looked like it was about to fall off)

For the face spent an evening making a mask out of cardboard, first cutting out the shape and then drawing the Cat in the Hat features..those big eyes, eyebrows and black whiskers, then painted it so looked like the picture on the front of the book...whiskers were those art straws painted black (but normal straws or pipe cleaners do the job too)

She was dressed in a black t-shirt, tights, tail (from her cat toy(borrowed) and her tummy had white paper literally stuck on with sellotape...by the time she got home everything except the mask was in tact...good luck

We just did this for today, but I only remembered last night at 7pm we needed to get a hat. Our school just ask fir hats, not full costume. So I got one of my old hats (a blackfelt boater style, wrapped it around with a really tall piece of white paper, then did bads of red paper. It was nearly 2" tall! She insisted on havinga black nose and whiskers which I painted in using my makeup and a red bow tie made form tissue. She was all for wearing a pair of white gloves, but I wouldn't let her!!

Why do they put parents through this?