How to Make a DIY Witch Hat from Canvas

October is almost here and witch hats are always a great the fun decor item at Halloween. They are easy an inexpensive to make, and can be fun to use in everything from hanging decor to an adult witch’s costume. This witch’s hat is no sew so it’s even easier! I made one to go in my planter and decorated it with fun bright colored bats. It’s easy to make a DIY witch hat from canvas and super inexpensive using duck cloth or painter’s tarp. You can grab the cone pattern at the end of the post to get started.

Before making the witches hat (directions and template below), I painted my bats so they had time to dry.

I bought the plastic bats at the craft store, and started painting. It was after the paint dried, and it started peeling right off of my bats that I realized my craft fail.

I didn’t use a Paint Adhesion Medium, which helps the acrylic paint adhere . You would think I would have figured it out by now, like when I paint furniture!!! So, learn from my mistake, and if you are going to paint something with a slick surface, use the medium before the paint. (the colors I used for my bats are Pink Explosion, Radiant Yellow, Green Energy, Knock Out Blue, and Peach Punch)!

To create a DIY witches hat from canvas you’ll need canvas (or cotton duck or an old painter’s tarp), white craft glue (or a hot glue gun), scissors, glue, black paint, and scrap cardboard, poster board or a cardboard cone.

To make the base of the hat, first roll a piece of cardboard (or poster board) to create a form for the witches hat in a cone shape, or use a pre-made cardboard cone. Using the template, trace and cut out a cone shape (template at the end) on the painter’s tarp. If this is for a costume, measure the adult wearer’s head circumference with a fabric tape measure, and size the circle accordingly. Then use a pencil to trace and cut a large circle on the fabric for the brim. The diameter of the circle depends on how big you want the brim( 16 inches across is a good place to start).

Fold the cone shape canvas over and glued the edge. Place the glued fabric over the cardboard cone and let dry. The hat maybe a little slouchy at the bottom of the cone (which I liked, It made it look more “hat like”..). to make it less slouchy either stuff the tip of the hat with paper, or trim it down a bit at he base.

Paint the brim and the hat top with black acrylic paint (craft paint is fine). This will help to stiffen the fabric. This may take multiple coats. Let dry. If you want to make a top point on the hat where it bends a little, you can bend it over and clip it while the paint is still wet so it dries that way.

To add the brim of the witches hat to the top, cut slits an “x” in the center of the base of the brim to create an opening, and glue to the inside circle of the hat. You can glue a black or other colored ribbon where they meet to clean up the edge or add a bit of color.

Troubleshooting when making your DIY witch’s hat: If your hat or brim aren’t stiff enough and still seem floppy after drying, use Mod Podge or decoupage medium to create extra stiffness.

Once it was dry, I painted the underside of the hat black and then glue the top of my hat to the base rim. At this time, I glued my bats on with a strong,multi-purpose tacky glue. If this is going to be outside, even under a covered porch, use a clear coat of a varnish to help the durability.

After that, you are ready to put your planter together! I also painted a few pumpkins with the Neon Lights Paint, and glued some of the extra bats to the pumpkins, witch made (ha ha see what I did there?) for fun decor. A glittery spider to two would also be fun to add!

For my planter with my canvas witch’s hat, I added some sticks for a twisty look, and it made for a fun Halloween front porch scene, or in my case, front step.

Who says Halloween has to be  black and orange?

If you love Halloween, you might love this Edgar Allen Poe mantelscape, this tutorial on how to paint fake pumpkins to look a little but more realistic, and

  a step by step of a pumpkin canvas you can paint!