How to Make a Pirate Hat

Co-authored by Alina Bokovikova

Last Updated: March 24, 2023

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At some point in their lives, everyone wants to dress up as a pirate. And no pirate costume is complete without the appropriate hat. You can make a pirate hat out of almost anything, including newspaper, poster board, or even an old cowboy hat. You can even make one using wrapping paper and a bowl from your kitchen!

Steps

Quick Guide

Pirate Hat

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Making a Newspaper Pirate Hat

1. 1
   Find a sheet of newspaper and fold your paper in half horizontally. Unfold the sheet of newspaper and spread it out on a flat surface. Make sure you have enough room to work. Keep the corners matched up so your hat is nice and even. Run your finger along the fold to make a good crease in your paper.

   • A solid sheet of newspaper makes for a large pirate hat. If you'd like a smaller hat, try cutting off about ¹⁄₄ inch (0.6 cm) from one of the edges.
   • If you're working with kids, try telling them to fold "hamburger" style to make sure they get the fold right.
2. 2
   Bring the corners to the center. Take the top right corner of the paper and bring it to the center of the newspaper making a triangle. Do the same thing with the other corner.

   • You should have two triangles now, with the vertical edges lined up in the middle of the paper. For a good hat, try to keep the edges straight. Make good creases when you have everything lined up the way you want it.
   • Add some tape to the triangles if they start to unfold.
3. 3
   Fold the bottoms of the paper up. You should now have a piece of paper that looks roughly like a pirate hat, except for two bottom flaps. Fold one bottom flap up to the bottom edge of the triangles, and tape it down to secure it.

   • Turn the hat over, and do the same with the remaining bottom flap.
4. 4
   Add decorations to your finished pirate hat. Your pirate hat is almost finished. The only thing left to do is decorate it. Draw a skull and crossbones on the hat, or print one out and glue it on.

   • You could also draw a skull and crossbones on a piece of poster board. Cut out the design and then glue it on to your hat.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Making a Poster Board Pirate Hat

1. 1
   Assemble your workstation. To make this pirate hat you will need the following:

   • Black poster board
   • Scissors
   • Glue
   • A pirate hat template
   • Spare sheets of white paper
   • Pens, pencils, markers, or crayons
2. 2
   Create or print a pirate hat template. You can find a pirate hat template online, or you can draw one yourself directly on the poster board. If you need to make multiple pirate hats, consider drawing a stencil on a separate piece of poster board.

   • If you're drawing your own template, you have some freedom when it comes to the shape of your pirate hat.
3. 3
   Copy the template onto the poster board. If you printed your template out online, place it on the poster board and trace the shape of the hat. Make two copies of the pirate hat shape.
4. 4
   Cut out the two pirate hat shapes. Make your cuts as clean as possible. When you've finished cutting out your hat shapes, line them up with each other. Make sure they're both about the same shape.
5. 5
   Draw a skull and crossbones design on a separate piece of white paper. Cut out the design and glue it to your hat.

   • Draw features on the skull and crossbones using the markers. If you're working with kids, have them try their hand at drawing the skulls.
   • If you don't have any spare paper, you can draw the skull and crossbones directly on the hat.
6. 6
   Finish building the hat. Glue the top edges of the hat together. Do not glue the bottom edges of the hat together, or you won't be able to wear it.

   • Allow plenty of time for the glue to dry before trying the hat on.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Making a Tri-Corner Pirate Hat

1. 1
   Gather your supplies. To make a tri-corner pirate hat, you will need the following:

   • A pencil
   • Twist ties
   • Scissors
   • Glue
   • A bowl about the size of your head
   • A ruler or other straight edge
   • Brown wrapping paper or a grocery bag
2. 2
   Make a band for the bowl. Cut a strip of paper about 2 inches (5.1 cm) wide that can wrap around the rim of the bowl with 2 to 3 inches (5.1 to 7.6 cm) extra so the strip overlaps itself.

   • Don't worry if you have to glue 2 smaller pieces of paper together to form your band.
3. 3
   Cut the rest of your paper. You'll need enough paper to make two rather large cuts to form the top of the hat and the brim. Cut the first square to about 16 inches (40.6 cm) square and the second piece to about 24 inches (61.0 cm) square.

   • If you want to add a leathery texture to your hat, soak the pieces of paper in water and wad them up. Remove them from the water and flatten them out to let them dry overnight. Be careful not to rip your paper if you try this!
4. 4
   Form the cap. Place the bowl upside down on a table, and place the smaller of the two squares on top of it. Begin shaping the paper over the bowl by carefully pressing the paper down and around the rim of the bowl.
5. 5
   Add the band. Once you've pressed the paper over the bowl, glue your 2 inches (5.1 cm) strip of paper around the base of the bowl to form the hat band.

   • You may have to use a lot of glue to properly secure the band to the bowl.
6. 6
   Cut away the excess paper. When the glue from the hat band is dry, cut away the excess paper beneath the hat band. Leave a little extra to tuck under the bowl of the hat.

   • To make cutting easier, slide the bowl over to the edge of a table and rotate the bowl as you cut.
   • Once you've cut away all the excess paper, remove the bowl. Test the fit of the cap by placing it on your head. If the cap is too large, crumple it some more and try adding another band for more support. If the cap is too small, you'll have to start over with another bowl.
7. 7
   Prepare the brim. Take the larger piece of paper and draw a vertical line down the center of the square. Make a mark about 20.75 inches (52.7 cm) from the bottom of the paper. Draw diagonal lines from the mark down to the corners to form a triangle.

   • Once you've measured the triangle, cut it out.
   • Make a mark halfway down the side of each triangle. Draw a line to the opposite corner of each mark to make two smaller triangles.
   • Using the bowl as a guide, trace a circle in the center of the triangle. You should now have a circle with six small triangles in the center of the large triangle.
   • Draw three lines in the circle to cut each of the six triangles in half, making twelve triangles.
   • Cut the inner triangles so that they spike up, but are still attached to the paper. Fold them upward until they resemble a crown.
8. 8
   Attach the brim to the cap. Apply some glue to the twelve triangles and secure them to the inside of the cap. You may have to use a lot of glue to get them to stick. Don't worry if you make a mess, as this is the inside of the cap and you won't be able to see it in the final product.

   • Let the glue dry completely before continuing.
9. 9
   Round the corners of the brim. Fold each of the points on the brim to the center of the hat. The tip of each point should just touch the base of the cap. Make a crease on each of the folds and cut the points off.

   • Round off the corners by cutting away the straight edges left from removing the tips. You should have three rounded triangles on your brim.
   • Wrap the rounded corners around a pencil and roll them up to the base of the hat. When you remove the pencil you should have a corner that stays slightly rolled.
   • You can even roll the tips of each corner if you like, to add even more character to your hat. To do this, use your pencil and roll the tips in the opposite direction.
   • At this point, you should start to see the pirate hat coming together.
10. 10
    Connect the corners of the brim to the cap. Wrap a twist tie around the eraser end of the pencil and twist it a few times. You should have a loop and two ends. Remove the twist tie from the pencil. Do this three times.

    • Line up the brim a little higher than the cap and make a hole through them. Run the straight ends of your twist tie through the hole. Turn the hat over and flatten the two ends to secure the tip of the brim to the cap. Do this for the other brim tips.
11. 11
    Decorate your cap. You should now have a solid tri-corner pirate hat. Add a skull and crossbones if you like, or some buttons. You can even decorate the hat band, though most of it is hidden by the rest of the hat.

    • Glue a few real buttons over the brim connectors to give your pirate hat a more authentic feel.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Making a Pirate Hat from a Cowboy Hat

1. 1
   Find a hat from your local thrift store. Look for a wide-brimmed cowboy hat. Choose a dark color, like navy or black.

   • The color is really up to you. If you want to make a brightly colored pirate hat, go for it!
   • Choose a material that is flexible. Felt or velvet hats are ideal.
2. 2
   Stitch or staple the sides of the edges of the brim to the crown at two sides. This will draw the brim up at the front and back, resembling a tri-corner pirate hat.
3. 3
   Decorate the hat. Find a skull and crossbones design in the iron-on patches section of a craft store. You could also cut out a skull and crossbones from an old t-shirt.

   • Stitch the skull and crossbones design to the front of the hat if it's made from fabric. If you're using an iron on patch, follow the manufacturer's instructions for attaching the patch.

Video

Tips

• Earrings and a ring make fine accompaniments to the pirate hat costume.
• Make an eye patch from black fabric or thick black paper. Cut the shape of a patch and attach black shirring elastic to the patch with glue or staples.