How To Make Mad Hatter Hat Centerpieces

How To Make Mad Hatter Hat Centerpieces
How To Make Mad Hatter Hat Centerpieces

A couple of weeks ago, I posted the pictures from the Alice In Wonderland anniversary party I held for a friend of mine.  And promised that I would show how to make Mad Hatter hat centerpieces.

Mad Hatter Hat Centerpieces
Mad Hatter Hat Centerpieces

They definitely stole the show at the party.  And they were so easy to make, I may have to think of a way to do something similar for my Halloween party…maybe with witch hats…

Anyhow, there is kind of a “formula” that I used to put the hats together, so if you want to know the easy way to make these hats, keep reading.

What You Need

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The Hats

The hats
The hats

Okay, first I have to admit, I didn’t actually make the hat forms. I bought some really inexpensive tall fabric hats in pink, white and black stripes from Party City.

But you can pretty much use any kind of hat you want to.

And, if you do want to make your own, there’s a tutorial at thisfairytalelife.com that might help (you can also get some hat decorating ideas from them, too).

Or you can buy a hat pattern and sew one if you like to sew.

The Hat Decorations

Mad Hatter pink hat #1 supplies
Mad Hatter pink hat #1 supplies

All of the hats used the same basic embellishments…3“ wide ribbon, feathers and a decorative pin (or broach) (plus some sewing pins to hold things in place).  You can change out the exact width and colors to match your decor, but here is what I used for this hat:

3″ wide black and white checked ribbon.  I got this from zazzle.com.  It is a little more expensive but they have a ton of different options to choose from, so you’re sure to find a pattern and color that goes with your decor.  And I used this ribbon on more than one hat so I didn’t have much left over.

While this traditional gros grain ribbon works, wired ribbon is definitely easier.  The wire holds whatever shape you put it in so it’s easy to make it look like you want it to.  And if you happen to have a Costco membership, it is the least expensive place I have found to buy wired ribbon.  My local store only sells it at Christmas so I could only use it for the colors that I had leftover from other events.

Dyed ostrich feathers – The 12″ to 14″ feathers are more than long enough for hats, so don’t worry about spending the extra money to get the really big ones.

Chair sash pin* – I like to use these chair sash pins for this kind of thing.  They are meant to hold chair sashes in place at weddings but I find they are really useful for other kinds of party decor.  You could also use a broach or any other kind of decorative pin.

Sewing Pins – I used these to hold the ribbons and other embellishments in place on the hats.  If you want a more permanent solution, you can try hot glue or sewing them in place.

Candelabra – I originally started out using candelabras as the base for my hats because I couldn’t think of anything else to use.  But after I got them set up on the table with the tealight candles (flame-less of course), I actually really liked them.

The Basic Mad Hatter Hat “Formula”

Mad Hatter Pink Hat #1
Mad Hatter Pink Hat #1

This pink hat was my favorite one so I thought I would use it to demonstrate the basic hat decorating instructions.

Cut a ribbon that is long enough to go around the hat
Cut a ribbon that is long enough to go around the hat

1. Cut the ribbon so that it is at least long enough to wrap around the hat.

2. Wrap the ribbon around the hat and secure it.  I used pins to hold it in place.  If you want a more permanent solution, you could hot glue it or sew it in place.  Also, I didn’t bother to hem the ends, but if you want a more finished look, you could turn the ends over and sew, fuse or glue them so that you don’t see the cut edges.

Cut a shorter ribbon and fold it in half with the right side facing out
Cut a shorter ribbon and fold it in half with the right side facing out

3. To add some tails, cut another shorter piece of ribbon.  Fold it roughly in half.  If it’s one-sided ribbon, you may have to twist it at the top so that the right side faces out.  You can also cut a V-shape in the ends if you want to finish the ends off a little.

Add a broach or pin to hold the ribbons in place
Add a broach or pin to hold the ribbons in place

4. Position the tails under the ribbon and use the sash bin or broach to hold them in place.

Use the pin to secure the feathers behind the ribbon
Use the pin to secure the feathers behind the ribbon

5. Finally, stick the feathers in behind the ribbon so that the ends get caught in the back of the sash pin.  Again, if you want something more permanent, you can add a bit of glue to hold them in place.

Thread the stem of the flower through the front of the pin
Thread the stem of the flower through the front of the pin

6. For this particular hat, I added a large fake flower on the front of it.  (This flower came from Pier 1, but unfortunately, they no longer carry them.)  I held it in place by having the stem go behind the sash pin (which wasn’t very stable, so you may want to use pins to attach the flower to the hat).

Pink Hat Centerpiece #2
Pink Hat Centerpiece #2

5. Place the hat over the middle of the candelabra and that’s it for your basic Mad Hatter Hat Centerpiece.

 

The Blue Hat With A Fake Rose

Mad Hatter blue hat
Mad Hatter blue hat

The blue hat was another really simple hat that used the same ribbon and sash as the original pink hat, but added a white rose with the feathers.

The Supplies

Mad Hatter blue hat supplies
Mad Hatter blue hat supplies

3″ wide black and white checked ribbon from zazzle.com

12″ Blue ostrich feathers*

Chair sash pin*

Ivory White Wooden Rose*

How to Put It Together

Add the white rose
Add the white rose

Make the ribbon hat band and attach the sash pin the same way as the first hat.

Add the rose behind the ribbon, using the back of the sash pin to hold it in place.

Put the feathers in behind the rose to make the flower more noticeable
Put the feathers in behind the rose to make the flower more noticeable

Then add in the feathers behind it which makes the rose stand out.

The Blue Table
The Blue Table

The Second Pink Hat With Layered Ribbons

Add feathers behind the ribbon using the back of the sash pin to hold them
Add feathers behind the ribbon using the back of the sash pin to hold them

The second pink hat followed the same basic formula, but I layered 3 ribbons on top of each other to come up with the final look.

The Supplies

Pink Hat #2 supplies
Pink Hat #2 supplies

1½” wide white with black swiss dots ribbon from zazzle.com

7/8″ Grosgrain Ribbon

12″ Black ostrich feathers*

Chair sash pin*

How To Put It Together

Find 3 ribbons where each one is about twice as wide as previous one
Find 3 ribbons where each one is about twice as wide as previous one

1. Start by cutting each of the three ribbons to the same length, making sure they are long enough to go around the hat.

Layer 3 different widths of ribbon on top of each other
Layer 3 different widths of ribbon on top of each other

2. Line them up on top of each other and pin together.

Match the ribbons up and use pins to hold it in place
Match the ribbons up and use pins to hold it in place

3. Wrap the ribbons around the hat and make sure that they match at the front of the hat.

Attach the tails under the wide ribbon with a pin
Attach the tails under the wide ribbon with a pin

4. Make a tail the same way as you did with the first hat but use 2 or 3 of the ribbons instead of just one.  Pin the tail behind the brim ribbon.

Add feathers behind the ribbon using the back of the sash pin to hold them
Add feathers behind the ribbon using the back of the sash pin to hold them

5. Add the sash pin and feathers the same way as the first hat.

Pink Centerpiece Hat #1
Pink Centerpiece Hat #1

The Green Hat With a Bow and Two-Toned Feathers

Mad Hatter Green Hat
Mad Hatter Green Hat

I’m sure by now you’re getting the idea of how easy these hats are to put together.  The green hat looks a little different because it had a big bow at the front and used 2 different colors of feathers, but the same basic steps still apply.

The Supplies

Green Mad Hatter hat supplies
Green Mad Hatter hat supplies

3″ wide green and black leopard print ribbon from zazzle.com

12″ Green ostrich feather*

12″ Turquoise ostrich feather*

Chair sash pin*

How to Put It Together

Wrap the ribbon around the hat
Wrap the ribbon around the hat

1. The first step to making the bow is to make sure that you cut the ribbon long enough.  Instead of just wrapping around the hat, you will need an extra 2′ or so on each end.

2. Wrap the ribbon around the hat as you have done with the other hats, but then cross the ribbons over in the center like you are going to tie a knot.

Make a loop with the left side of the ribbon and pin it
Make a loop with the left side of the ribbon and pin it

3. Make a loop with the left end of the ribbon and pin it in place.  If you have one-sided ribbon like this is, you may need to twist the ribbon to make sure that the right side is facing out.

Make a second loop with the left side of the ribbon and pin it
Make a second loop with the left side of the ribbon and pin it

4. Make a second loop with the left end of the ribbon this is closer to the middle of the hat.  Again, pin it to keep it in place.

Make a loop with the right end of the ribbon
Make a loop with the right end of the ribbon

5. Now repeat the process with the right end of the ribbon…make a loop on the right side and pin it.

Make a second loop with the right end of the ribbon and pin it
Make a second loop with the right end of the ribbon and pin it

6. Make a second loop with the right end of the ribbon and pin it in place.

Add the sash pin or broach in the center of the bow
Add the sash pin or broach in the center of the bow

7. Attach the sash pin in the middle of the bow.

Position the feathers behind the bow
Position the feathers behind the bow

8. Add the feathers behind the bow, using the back of the sash pin to hold them in place.

Green Centerpiece Hat
Green Centerpiece Hat

9. Add it to the candelabra and you have your centerpiece.

The Purple Hat Using Wired Ribbon

Mad Hatter Purple Hat
Mad Hatter Purple Hat

The purple hat was one of the simplest ones that I did…it was the only one that I had a wired ribbon for, which definitely made it easier to put together!

Mad Hatter purple hat supplies
Mad Hatter purple hat supplies

Other than the different colors of the hat, ribbon, and feathers, the steps to put it together were exactly the same as the first hat.  And I didn’t even make tails for this one…so actually it was even easier…

The Supplies

Purple wired ribbon

12″ Purple ostrich feathers

Chair sash pin*

How to Put It Together

The steps for this hat are exactly the same as for the first one.  The only difference is that I tied a regular bow with the ribbon at the front and let the sash pin hold it in place.  Since this uses wired ribbon, you can position the ribbon however you want it to look and it stays, so making bows is fairly easy.

Simply Place the hats on a candelabra to raise them off the table
Simply Place the hats on a candelabra to raise them off the table

Put it on top of the candelabra and it is ready to go.

How To Make Mad Hatter Hat Centerpieces
How To Make Mad Hatter Hat Centerpieces

So now you know my Mad Hatter hat decorating formula…by mixing and matching different ribbons, feathers and flowers, there are so many different variations that you are sure to come up with something you like!

Have comments or questions on how to make Mad Hatter Hat Centerpieces?  Tell us in the section below.

This post was originally published on September 8, 2016 but was updated with new content on July 4, 2023.


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