I’ve been wanting to do this for quite a while and decided this afternoon to give it a go! We’ll see tomorrow if it worked…
I have some straw hats that I use for Felicity when I make her something from the Colonial time period, but I wanted a hat mold so I could make any color of hat I wanted.
I used Sculpey polymer clay to do the following project. Typically Sculpey is baked in a very low (275 degrees) oven for just a short time, but I am just letting mine dry without baking it, since its taped to a plastic cutting mat. (That’s what I did when I made the mold for Noel’s hat.)
UPDATE: (Well, it appears I did bake the mold I made for Noel’s hats. I checked the post where I made it and sure enough…it was baked.) I woke up this morning and my Sculpey hat mold I fashioned last night was just as wet to the touch as it was last night. I decided to stick it in the oven…we’ll see if it works…
I first needed to find something that I could use for the “flat-ish” crown of the hat. I searched my whole house looking at bowls, cups, dishes, and finally ended up with a plastic container from Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Hopefully it will be the right circumference on Felicity’s head when the straw is glued on top of it… again…we’ll see.
I cut the rim off the container and made it shorter…then I taped it to the center of a flexible cutting mat and marked with a blue pencil an equal distance from the edges of the plastic container all the way around.
I did it the first time, but decided I wanted the hat a little bit smaller, so I brought my lines in about 1/2″.
I got about a golf ball size hunk of my Sculpey and started kneading it. It’s very stiff and hard when you first roll it around in your hands… but the more you squish it around in your hands, using your fingers to push and pull it, it gets much softer. You probably have to knead it with your fingers a good 10 minutes to make it pliable enough to spread. I flattened it out and smashed it with the palm of my hand… flipped it over and did the same thing several times….think rolling out pizza dough…it’s sort of the same idea.
I placed the piece over the crown and smoothed it out as much as possible. It was easier to work in sections than to do the whole entire hat all at once.
Then I took several more pieces and worked them the same way, getting them soft enough to start to form the brim of the hat… it was a slow process and probably took me 2 hours, but once I get the mold made, I can make as many hats as I want using it.
I straightened up the edges and tried to smooth them out as much as possible. Ceramic would probably be an easier way to go, but I had Sculpey and decided it worked for Noel’s and Patsy’s hats, so I wanted to give this a try first.
Once I got it the right size and as smooth as possible, I transferred it to my sewing room. I took a small glass bowl and placed it on top of a white box and then placed the plastic cutting mat on top. I let the hat mold drape down on the sides. I wanted this hat to have naturally drooping sides instead of them being straight out and having to be held down with a ribbon. I saw a beautifully shaped hat on TV recently and I’m hoping mine will look like the one I saw…
I taped the sides of the plastic cutting mat to the box to hold it in place and then I even taped the front of the cutting mat down to give it a “dip” for a special look.
So now we wait…until tomorrow to see if it holds it shape and then try to get it off the cutting mat.
If it works, I’ll still have to build up something on the underside because it can’t hold itself up by the edges that are drooping down. It will have to have more Sculpey put underneath it to make a sort of stand.
Felicity is waiting patiently for this to get dry… she told me she’d “babysit” it to make sure no one got near it and knocked it over! Good girl, Felicity!
This is the fabric I was waiting on from Australia…I had gotten ONE fat quarter of it on a shopping trip, but that was all they had. I loved it so much, I searched everywhere and finally found some in Australia…it took about 3 1/2 weeks to get here. The plan is to use some green hat straw and make a very pretty hat to go with it. I knew as soon as I saw the fabric, I wanted a green hat for Felicity!
I’ll check on it first thing in the morning and if it’s dry, I’ll work on the underside and see if I can’t have something more exciting to show you!
(I always have been a little unconventional when it comes to “crafting”… Kentucky Fried Chicken containers for a hat mold… seriously?)
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Whatever works is great (KFC container). I think you are very creative.
The fabric is so pretty and the hat will be the perfect accompaniment.
It looks like you did a great job with the clay. I’m looking forward to seeing the next steps.
Hope you have a good day!
Take care.
Oh, it’s all wonderful Jeanne. I always look forward to your outfits for the American Girl dolls…I imagine this one to be a real beauty.
Blessings.
I just love your creativity – out of the box! Can’t wait to see how this works out. I agree that fabric is beautiful and the green straw is a perfect match. Felicity is going to look beautiful in your outfit.
Wishing you a great day.
Hello,
Wonderful post. The hat reminds me of Scarlet’s wonderful hat on “Gone with the Wind.” I was hoping you would show us how you made your hat forms. I’m hoping you will show how you make the straw hat. I think it would be interesting. I enjoy having coffee with my darlings bebe’s and reading your post. Thank you
Interesting how you made the mold for Felicity’s hat. The green straw for the hat is perfect – love he material – just beautiful!
Have a lovely day!
It’s a beautiful shape. Finish it up and you could sell the molds on eBay. Is the straw glued together for the hat? What an interesting post. Thanks for sharing.
I love the fabric. In using Sculpey, do you need to bake it? You say you’re waiting for it to dry – does Sculpey have an air dry clay? Thanks.
I think that is the prettiest fabric I’ve ever seen!!!! No wonder you wanted more of it. I can’t wait to see the gown you make.
You are so creative. I wish I had your patience with crafts.
I love your posts. Thank you for the joy you bring every morning.
My mind is foggy this morning, but in searching for a mold, I would want something tight on dolly or even too small? because when clay added it would become bigger and then the straw even bigger yet? Just trying to picture the size. Anyway, I suppose if I found something the aproximate size that was oven safe, it would work? How about George making a turned wooden hat form like the ones used by milliners? I’m sure you could sell some and even use them for making a felt hat.
That fabric from Australia is beautiful. Will be so pretty with that hat braid.
How are the birds doing?
Agreed with MaryRuth that seeing the steps of making this hat will be interesting. The dress fabric is lovely, cheerful and calming at the same time. Felicity and her fans will love it.
What a very informative post on making the hat mold! The fabric and green straw will make a fabulous outfit for Felicity, and she always looks lovely in that shade of green. As for the KFC bowl, I am definitely a fan of using what you have on hand that will get the job done.
Looking good! Felicity looks very pleased with the hat mold. It will be wonderful to make any color to match a dress. I’m sure she’s pleased to be up next. I’m pleased she is as well. Very pretty fabric also, I can see why you wanted more.
I remember that fabric…it really is darling. This should be a beautiful outfit. Can’t wait to se how that mold comes out…it’s such a classic shape.
That fabric would be beautiful in a quilt too!