Hats and Millinery
Wearable art with serious personality.
The Set Up
Grab any hats you have on hand. Baseball caps, bucket hats, soft felt shapes, even the plain kids’ sun hats from the supermarket. Anything becomes a canvas.
I love sticky-backed fashion patches for this one. They feel retro in the best way and bring all the 90s kid nostalgia straight back! You can also offer felt scraps, sequins, pom poms, ribbons and glue if you want more sculptural magic.
Lay out a table of patches and textures, plus a few mirrors if you have them. Kids get a little spark when they can see themselves trying things on, and the whole process becomes part fashion design, part dress-up.
The Making
Treat this like a mini fashion studio. The goal isn’t to decorate a hat neatly, it’s to explore how materials change the mood and personality of something wearable. Invite the children to test placement before committing. Tilt a patch, layer two textures, hold the hat at different angles and notice how the shape shifts.
Encourage them to make decisions based on feeling rather than “getting it right”. Does it feel bold? Balanced? Fun? Does adding one more detail change the whole vibe?
Variations
Introduce fabric markers for hand-drawn details or signatures.
Run a mini fashion parade at the end so each hat has its moment.
Offer felt sheets so kids can cut and design their own custom patches.
Try a themed studio: disco hats, adventure hats, garden hats, superhero hats.
Materials
• Hats of any kind (cotton, canvas, felt, thrifted)
• Sticky-backed patches
• Felt scraps and fabric offcuts
• Sequins, pom poms, ribbons
• PVA or fabric glue
• Mirrors (optional but wonderful)
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Hats and Millinery
Wearable art with serious personality.
Bookmark
Sculpture
The Set Up
Grab any hats you have on hand. Baseball caps, bucket hats, soft felt shapes, even the plain kids’ sun hats from the supermarket. Anything becomes a canvas.
I love sticky-backed fashion patches for this one. They feel retro in the best way and bring all the 90s kid nostalgia straight back! You can also offer felt scraps, sequins, pom poms, ribbons and glue if you want more sculptural magic.
Lay out a table of patches and textures, plus a few mirrors if you have them. Kids get a little spark when they can see themselves trying things on, and the whole process becomes part fashion design, part dress-up.
The Making
Treat this like a mini fashion studio. The goal isn’t to decorate a hat neatly, it’s to explore how materials change the mood and personality of something wearable. Invite the children to test placement before committing. Tilt a patch, layer two textures, hold the hat at different angles and notice how the shape shifts.
Encourage them to make decisions based on feeling rather than “getting it right”. Does it feel bold? Balanced? Fun? Does adding one more detail change the whole vibe?
Variations
Introduce fabric markers for hand-drawn details or signatures.
Run a mini fashion parade at the end so each hat has its moment.
Offer felt sheets so kids can cut and design their own custom patches.
Try a themed studio: disco hats, adventure hats, garden hats, superhero hats.
Materials
• Hats of any kind (cotton, canvas, felt, thrifted)
• Sticky-backed patches
• Felt scraps and fabric offcuts
• Sequins, pom poms, ribbons
• PVA or fabric glue
• Mirrors (optional but wonderful)
Back to Top
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Thoughts?
Would love to hear if youv'e tried this or have any ideas on how to make it even better!
