Steampunk Top Hat

Based on Steampunk Top Hat by Becca K.
My main inspiration for this hat came from these beautiful hats I saw on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5868512

I made this hat for my boyfriend. He had an old boring top hat lying around that desperately needed an upgrade.

It was a bit too tight on his head, and I knew that I would only be adding fabric inside, thus making it tighter, so I split the hat up the side and glued in an 'extension' - I just cut out a 2" wide strip of heavy duty felt (the kind you might use for pasties) and hot glued it in.

I then covered it with fabric I found in the $0.25 sample bin at my local fabric store (I <3 Dressew!), I also got the flower and other lace there. The tan doily is an 'antique' from my grandmother, the feathers are 'chicken hackles' from a local bead store, and the buttons are from my new favorite button store. Besides that, all ya need is a hot glue gun!

In total, the hat cost <$20. This one took a bit longer because gluing on all that fabric takes a while - you have to be sure to get it taught as you're gluing.

Enjoy!!