Magical Witch Hat Cosplay Tutorial
Crafting Coco's Magical Hat from Witch Hat Atelier!
A Short & Sweet Sewing Spell!
Witch Hat Atelier is full of truly enchanting details, and no piece is more iconic than the protagonist Coco's signature pointed hat. Want to bring a piece of that magic into the real world? This tutorial will walk you through creating a sturdy, perfectly-shaped witch hat that looks like it flew right off the manga pages!
Gather Your Ingredients (aka Supplies!)
Before we start casting this crafting spell, here’s what you’ll need on your workbench:
- Babylock Accomplish 2 sewing machine
- A sewing machine that can do zigzag stitching (for the buckram hats)
- Wire (for structure)
- Hat Making Buckram or EVA Foam (This is your hat base—I used buckram!)
- Half yard of your Main Fancy Fabric (The outside!)
- Quarter yard of your Contrast Fancy Fabric (For the smaller accent piece)
- Half yard of Fabric for the Interior Lining
- Tassel, Scrap Trims, or Lace (For that final touch of magic!)
- Button of Choice
- Scissors (Both fabric and scrap.)
- Needle and thread that match your lining fabric
Step 1: The Measure of a Magician (Creating the Pattern)
First things first, let's get the fit right!
Measure Up: Put on the wig you plan to wear with your finished costume and measure the circumference of your head. This will be the length of the bottom edge of your main hat piece.
Find Your Shape: Now, grab your buckram. Cut out a rectangle that is the length of your head measurement (the circumference). This is your blank canvas!
Sculpt & Shape: Place the buckram on your head and start pinning and cutting a scrap piece of buckram until you get that desired conical shape and height of the pointed hat. This is a bit of trial and error, so have fun with it!
Finalize the Curve: Once the shape is perfect, go back to that head measurement. Add a little bit extra to the bottom curved edge to make up for any length lost during your shaping adjustments, plus your seam allowance. My final pattern looks like the one below (the grid is in inches if you want to use it as a guide!).
The Accent Piece: Next, let's create the smaller triangle at the lower half of the hat. Draw the shape you like directly onto your main buckram base, then trace and cut that shape out of a scrap piece of buckram. Since this piece lies relatively flat, it can share the same curve as the bottom of the main hat.
YAY! We have our pattern!
Step 2: Cutting & Prepping the Pieces
Now it’s time to cut our fabric!
- Cut the Fabric: You need to cut two of each shape from your fabric (one outer, one lining), making sure to add seam allowance to all the edges. I recommend adding a little extra to the bottom edge for easier assembly. I used two different fancy fabrics for a rich, layered look!
2. Master Pattern Tip: This is a great time to create a master pattern of all your pieces—the buckram base and all your flat fabric pieces—for any future hats!
3. Assemble the Base: Take your buckram hat base and close the base with a zigzag stitch.
4. Wire: I like to add wire to the bottom edge of the buckram. You might skip this if you're using EVA foam, but with buckram, I strongly recommend it for keeping that structure! Add the wire by sewing a zigzag stitch right over it. Do be very careful for this step. I recommend wearing safety glasses in the event that your needle breaks.
5. Set the hat base aside. It's time to sew!
Step 3: Sewing the Shell & Lining
This is where the magic really starts to take shape and I love my Baby Lock Accomplish 2 for the beautiful and fast stitching!
- The Small Triangle: Start with your accent piece. Sew right sides together the straight edges of the pattern piece. Optional: Add interfacing for more structure here. After sewing, snip your allowance away at the corner, flip it right-side out, iron your seams flat, and add a topstitch to keep things nice and crisp. I just love how close to the edge I can get with the Babylock Accomplish 2.
Ah, look at it, so cute!
2. The Outer Shell: Take your main outer fabric, fold it so the right sides are together, match along the straight edges, and sew.
3. The Lining: Do almost the same for the lining fabric, only sew a few inches from the bottom and a few inches from the top, leaving the middle section unsewn. This gap is our secret flipping hole!
4. Attach the Accent: Take your small, sewn triangle and baste it to the right side of the main outer fabric, making sure to line up the center front.
Step 4: The Final Assembly (A Bit of Fussing Required!)
- Test Fit: Slip the sewn fabric shell over your buckram base. Check that everything is lining up and looking good! Make sure the center back seam of your fabric shell matches the center back seam of your buckram base.
- Marry the Layers: Grab your sewn outside and your sewn lining. Line them up along the bottom edge, right sides together. Be absolutely sure to line up center back with center back. Sew this edge fully closed.
3. The Flip! Turn the hat right side out by pulling the outer layer through the unsewn center back seam of the lining.
4. The Hardest Part: Shove your sturdy buckram hat base into the fabric the top outside fabric shell through that same hole in the lining. Don’t get discouraged if this takes a little bit of fussing! It's worth it for the crisp finish. Again, check your work by making sure the center back seams of the buckram and the sewn hat still match up.
It’s probably looking absolutely darling by now, but we aren't done yet!
Step 5: The Finishing Touch
Time to add some flair! Sew up that small gap you left in the lining using a hand sewing technique. Now you can let your creativity run wild!
- Add some lace or scrap trims along the edges.
- Attach a fancy tassel to the tip.
- Sew on your button of choice to the small accent triangle.
Feel free to have fun with your decorations! You’ve successfully crafted a magical accessory worthy of a true Witch Hat Atelier apprentice!
What are you going to use as your final decorative touches? I'm curious to see what button you choose.
Here's the hat worn with the full cosplay! These photos were taken by @_dannylion_ on Instagram. Skyler used the Accomplish 2 and Celebrate serger to complete the look.
For more from Skyler, visit their Instagram or TikTok!
