How to make a St Patricks Day Leprechaun Hat.

How to make an Irish Leprechaun hat.

Free Downloadable Leprechaun Hat template.

How to make a St Patricks Day Leprechaun Hat NB: This project is designed to use A4 craft card being that its more readily available in schools. However, A3 card or scrap card can also be used if it is available.

Firstly, download template A.

Secondly print off three copies of template A using A4 card. Then carefully cut them out as shown in the image above.

Thirdly, stick each piece together using the tabs provided as shown in the image above.

This should give you a long enough piece to make a hat to suit most head sizes.

NB: If you are planning to cover the St Patricks Day Leprechaun Hat using Green felt then it is advisable to use the above as a template to enable you to cut a suitable piece to cover the hat. Place it on the felt carefully and draw around it. Do this for any other covering you may want to use. For example, A4 Glitter Paper.

How to make an Irish Leprachaun hat

With that done, hold it on a flat surface and bring the ends round to meet each other making sure that the edges line up and the base is flat on the table. overlap the edges to form a circle roughly to fit the size of your head.

Hold the pieces in place and then add four paper clips to temporarily hold it together, as shown below

St Patricks Day Leprechaun Hat Adjustment.

Carefully offer the hat over your head and adjust it accordingly by letting the template slide between the paper clips until it feels comfortable on your head.

Once the hat's adjusted to fit your head mark the edge of the overlap with a pencil as shown.

Next take the paper clips off and lay the template on a flat surface. Using the line that has just been marked measure approx 2cm's out from it and create a new securing tab. As shown below.

Now cut around the new tab and then add some glue to the tab.

Now bring the other edge around and secure it. Making sure of course that the bottom is on a flat surface and all edges align.

The basic hat's now ready to fit a brim and crown.

How to make St Patricks day hat brim.

With all of the above completed the next thing is make the Leprechaun hat brim.

Take 2 sheets of stiff A4 card and join them together by slightly overlapping them, as shown.

NB: A3 card or an A3 sized piece of scrap card can be used if it is available.

Next, using a straight edge draw a line from corner to corner forming a X. This will also mark the center of the page.

With that done, now take the basic hat and measure the diametre (from side to side) of the widest end of the hat then half the measurement. Next take a compass and set it to the half measurement. Place the compass on the centre point and draw a circle.

Next, again use a compass and mark the centres between each line as shown in the image below by placing the compass point on each each point where a circle line crosses the X. Mark a small ark roughly at each center point between the lines.

Where each mark crosses draw a line to the oposite ark until the circles divided up like the one shown below.

Next measure up from the edge of the centre circle using the measurements shown and make a small mark. You will notice that all the measurements are mirrored on their opposite sides.

With that done the next thing to do is to carefully join each point as shown in the next image.

Once you have completed the above, take a sharp knife or pair of craft scissors and firstly carefully cut out the circle in the middle. Try to cut it out in one piece as it can then be used to make the hat crown.

The next thing to do is to carefully cut around the brim.

Adding a brim to your St Patricks Day Leprechaun Hat.

With the brim fully cut out, now place it onto your chosen covering and again carefully draw around it to make the covering pieces. NB: You can make 2 brim covers if you'd prefer to cover the underside of the brim also.

Fixing the brim to the hat.

With the hat made and the brim cut out. Its now time to fix the brim to the hat.

To do this, apply a good covering of glue to the inside edge of the hat brim.

Place the hat wide side down on a flat surface and then carefully offer the brim over the narrow end and move it down until it comes into contact with the wide edge of the hat. Make sure that it's flush with the bottom edge and that all surfaces are in full contact with each other. You may need to temporarily secure them with tape until the glue has fully dried.

Adding a crown to an Irish Leprechaun hat.

Next take the hat and place it onto the circular piece of card that you had left from cutting out the brim. place the top of the hat onto the circle and draw around the inside edge.

This is important as the edge of the brim must sit snuggly against the inside edge of the hat.

Now repeat the same process as with the brim making sure the edges are flush both on the inside and at the top edge.

How to make a St Patricks Day Leprechaun hat, adding the finishing touches.

The basic hat's now complete which means that the next thing to do is to add the coverings that were made ealier.

Start by first covering the main hat. Make sure you put the covering on the correct way up to maintain the slightly tapered profile of the hat. Do this by first offering the cover dry to make sure it fits correctly. With that down apply some glue to the hat and then offer the covering onto it. As you wrap the covering around the hat be sure to line its edges up and keep the covering taught so as not to get any creases in it. Where the edges of the covering meet, carefully cut them so that their edges meet flush together hiding the join as much as you can.

Next stick the brim in place by offering it over the top of the hat and moving it down into place making sure that you align the edges for a perfect fit.

With that done take the last piece and stick it onto the crown of the hat. Once it is in place carefully trim off any excess around its edges. Make sure not to cut to much off and expose the card underneath or damaging the rim of the crown.

You can either cover the edge of the brim with a thin piece of covering material which I found to be very fiddly or colour it over with a dark green sharpie as shown in the image.

Adding a hat band and Buckle to an St  Patricks day hat.

With the hat now covered you can add the hat band and buckle. Using template B provided firstly cut out the hat band and assemble it in the same way as you did the hat.

Now take the buckle template and carefully cut it out. You could make the buckle out of a piece of gold card if you have it. Or you can cover the template provided with gold foil or paint it with gold paint. As shown below.

With the hat band assembled, either transfer it onto black card or paint it black.

Next carefully thread it through the buckle to approximately the mid point .

With that done attach the hat band to the hat making sure that the Gold buckle is facing forward on the hat, as I have shown below.