It’s safe to say there’s no Christmas without a Santa hat. Many Xmas lovers want to DIY the hat at home without all the fancy materials, but one that would still speak volumes of the holiday. Santa Claus has been portrayed as wearing the iconic, novelty Christmas hats since the break of dawn. His hat can be found in the 18th and very early 19th centuries and is modelled after a nightcap for men.
Back in the day, the pileus cap, thought to be the first model for today’s Santa hats, was common in ancient Greece, Pannonia, Eturia, and other nearby areas. The fashionable Christmas hats in the UK we see today, complete with the famous red suit, were then popularised by Coca-Cola in later periods. Now, it’s impossible to imagine the birth of Christ without the novelty Christmas hats and bright red outfits that everyone is familiar with and loves. Even the Pope has worn the famous Xmas hat, as Christians everywhere may have recognised.
This merry season, why don’t you make your own Christmas party hats at home? There’s nothing more festive and rewarding than making your own decorative items or Christmas personalised gifts. Currently, you can easily find different guides on the Internet to help you make one, so let us help you create a beautiful hat!
We’ll show you how to make a simple yet beautiful funny Christmas hat from common fabric and paper. Once finished, you can use them as personalised Christmas gifts for your loved ones. Grab your piece of fabric or paper, and let’s get started!
Source: freepik
1. Making a Fabric Santa Hat
Many have opted for handmade Santa hats instead of buying ready-made Christmas party hats thanks to their customisability. The main reason for this is the creativity they can channel into making this festive item. Every Christmas season, kids and adults alike join hands for some unique hats and wear them with Santa costumes, funny Christmas jumpers, a Christmas cardigan or even DIY, personalised t-shirts.
All you need to have a fabric Santa hat is some pencils and erasers for sketching, a piece of red fabric of choice, rulers, and glue to make your Santa hat, knitted by hand 100%.
Here is our take on the hat, fabric version!
Source: freepik
Step 1: Drawing Layout on Paper
To create the first layer of the hat, start by measuring your head’s circumference and dividing it by 2. You can use a measuring tape for this purpose.
Then, draw a triangle with the base equal to the number above (half of your head’s circumference) on a piece of paper. Choose the height of the triangle as you want to. For your reference, an adult hat is usually 14 inches (36 cm) tall.
After that, sketch a curve along the bottom of the triangle to finish the layout. You can also use a compass instead of a pencil/pen for better accuracy.
Step 2: Applying Fabric
Use a red cloth made from any materials, fleece, flannel, felt, and velvet, whichever you like for the knitted Santa hat.
Start by folding it in half with the wrong side out. With one of the triangle’s diagonal edges parallel to the fold, place it on the paper drawn in step 1.
Make sure to cut along the curved line so that the triangle’s bottom edge is curved rather than straight.
Add a seam allowance of 1.3 cm while cutting out the pattern. If you don’t, the Santa hat will be too small without the seam allowance.
Step 3: Stitching It Together
Use a straight stitch and a seam allowance of 1.3 cm to sew the edge, starting from the base of the triangle and working your way up.
Then, carefully match the thread’s colour to the fabric. You can also use sewing pins to keep the triangle together, but hey, don’t forget to remove them once you’re finished. This stitching can be done manually, but it’s going to be easier with a sewing machine to help.
Alternatively, you can also use some fabric glue or hot glue to adhere the seam together if you can’t sew.
Step 4: Making the Trim of Santa Hat
For this step, you can cut out a piece of white fuzzy cloth to make the trim. The most common colour is white fur, although you can also use white felt or fleece.
It should be around 2.5 cm (1 inch) longer than the circle of your head. The strip must be twice as broad as the trim you want it to be, plus an additional 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) for the seam allowance.
Step 5: Finish up the Santa Hat
With a straight stitch and a 12 in (1.3 cm) seam, sew the ends of the fur together. Fold the trim in half with the wrong side out.
To ensure accuracy and a beautiful final Santa hat, you should align the edges before sewing them together with the stitch and a seam allowance of 12 in (1.3 cm). Use a white thread for this step.
If you’re new to all the sewing, consider using pins to temporarily stitch the trim’s short ends. Remember to remove them after using.
And voila! Your unique, handmade Christmas hats for adults are ready for the season! If you’re usually not the crafty type, this self-made Christmas item will definitely gain you some applause from friends and family members. Perhaps you can mix and match the hat with some personalised t-shirts to complement the fresh look!
Source: freepik
2. Making a Paper Santa Hat
If you’re still unsure about using fabric or simply want something easier to make, a paper Santa hat is your best bet! Paper is a cheaper material and an easier one to modify. This will come in handy if you want to take exact measurements of your hat model.
Follow these 6 straightforward steps and you’re ready to level up your Christmas look without hassles. Let’s get started!
Source: freepik
Step 1: Drawing Layout on Paper
On a piece of red paper, draw a semicircle that is 20 inches (51 cm) broad. Put a pencil on a string, tie it to the pencil, and place the string’s end at the 10 in (25 cm) mark on the page. If you have a compass that’s wide enough, use it for better accuracy and a rounder shape.
Next, draw an arc from the 1 in (2.5cm) mark to the 20 in (51cm) mark while holding the taut.
Step 2: Cutting the Paper
Once you have the semicircle, use a pair of scissors to cut it out. Erase any pencil marks left on it. You don’t want a festive hat with too many drawing marks on it as it will affect the aesthetics, do you?
Step 3: Making a Simple Santa Hat
Create a cone by putting the semicircle’s straight edges together. Depending on how large you want the Santa hat to be, you can adjust the overlapping based on this preference. A larger overlapped area will result in a smaller hat.
Once you have a prototype, check if it fits your head by putting it on. Don’t wait until the final step to try the hat on as you can no longer reverse the inaccuracy.
Step 4: Sticking It Together
Now it’s time to glue or staple the hat shut. The hat’s seam should be stapled down, too. For the peak and the bottom of the hat, you’ll need one stapling each. Use glue or maybe a piece of double-sided tape for a neater finish.
To hold the Santa hat together while the glue dries, you can use tacky glue, white school glue, or a glue stick. Depending on what you choose, it may take a few hours or as little as 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 5: Finishing the Christmas Look
You can accentuate the hat by adding white cotton balls on the top. Hot glue guns, tacky glue or white school glue will work just fine. Firmly press the cotton against the top to avoid any gaps, but don’t overdo it if you don’t want the paper to tear.
If cotton balls are not available, you can replace them with a piece of white felt.
Hot glue sets up in a matter of minutes, while it will take a few hours for white school glue or tacky glue.
Step 6: Having Fun with Decoration
The best part about customising your own hat at home is that you can make it as silly (and unique) as you want to! Get ready to grab some crayons, coloured pens, and any other materials you need to stick on the funny Christmas hats.
Better yet, you can write some messages on the hats to make them personalised gifts for mum, dad, or besties. If they are too familiar with conventional gifts, it’s time to make their holiday season a more pleasantly surprising one.
Source: freepik
Conclusion
Making funny Christmas hats for adults shouldn’t be tricky now that you’ve got our tips ready! Say goodbye to unreasonably priced Santa hats. UK folks are now doing it at home thanks to how easy and simple it is. You can do it, too. With a few hours maximum, your customisable items are ready. This one will be of higher quality than the ones purchased at the dollar store and more fun to make, too.
Whether your budget for gifting this Christmas is tight or you want to refresh the holiday season with some personalised gifts, something new, creative, funny, and novelty, these Santa hats will save the day.
What are you waiting for? Impress your friends with your skills, maybe they’ll want one too!
