Remember all those tomato cages I bought at the end of summer? I used one to make a fall porch display & today I’m going to use one to make a giant, wonky wizard hat! The shape of a tomato cage is kind of hat like when it’s upside down, so maybe y’all can see how my brain jumped to this project. ; )
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Supplies
This project involves things that most DIYers probably have hanging around – except maybe the tomato cage! Beyond the tomato cage, I used cardboard, duct tape, burlap, & newspaper. I did use a few other items which I’ll show you later in the post.
I bent the tomato cage into a form that resembled a wonky hat. This caused some of the parts to pop loose & I just reattached them with duct tape.
Y’all might notice some other projects in the background of this picture. My “BOO” sign pattern is hanging out on the right & the organizer tray I made with a mini-bundt pan is on the left.
That gray ring on the tray is where the mushroom pincushion used to be. I knocked the tray off the table one day & it broke off! Anyway, this is what my work table looks like most of the time – filled with various in progress projects. : )
Assembly
I didn’t have a piece of cardboard big enough to make the hat brim, so I duct taped two pieces together. Yes, I just used duct tape as a verb in that sentence! ; p
I traced around the top of the tomato cage then added about 3″ to the diameter. Once I cut it out, I wrapped the edges with duct tape to keep it from catching on the burlap.
Then I traced the cardboard circle onto two pieces of burlap & cut them about 1/2″ or so larger than the original. I used spray adhesive to glue the burlap to the cardboard. The link is to something similar, since this spray adhesive is old & no longer on the market!
I added a couple fabric scraps cut out with pinking shears using the spray adhesive. Then I used Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint in Frayed Burlap & Adirondack Alcohol Ink in Copper to add some crusty charm to the burlap. I also stitched some black & white twine around the edges to help hold the layers together. I went back over things with some black acrylic to darken things a bit.
To attach the cage, I had to cut a cross in the top layer of burlap. Then I used duct tape to hold it in place.
I wrapped a larger piece of burlap around the cage & used some balled up newspaper to help fill it out a little.
After some twisting & turning & tucking I finally got it looking how I envisioned!
More spray adhesive was used to hold things in place. Now I just needed to add more paint, patches, & twine!
All Finished
Here’s the finished hat…
I stitched up the side seam with more twine…
And let one of my dust bunnies hang off the end…
Here it is hanging out on my mom’s front stoop…
It’s really better suited to being indoors – no wizard really wants their hat wet! ; D
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