Mourner's Decorated Top Hat Assembly Guide

More fun to create or to display this large scale

Halloween Mourner's decorated Top Hat?

Decide for yourself.

Hat measures approx. 8" tall x 9" front to back,

with stylized wider crown at top.

Cut file includes embellishments of 3d bow,

skull, carnation-style spiral 3d flower,

two feathers..

Double layer brim and rim make the hat sturdy.

Add your own flair with jewels, studs,

fabric flowers and more.

ASSEMBLY:

1. Identify and cut the shapes.

C crown wedge center sides 

A crown wedge angle side

T crown wedge top, bottom 

D crown top, crown wedge decor shape, and button circles

E brim and brim reinforcement shape

F brim rim

G spiral carnation flower

(not shown: carnation finishing circle)

H band, bow and bow knot
I feathers and skull embellishments

2. Identify the joining location is for the three crown wedge shapes. Widest shape marked with C in the top tab will be placed at the brim opening at the longest side edge. Top or bottom wedge shapes marked with T will be placed at lengthwise hat ends. Angle wedges will join to the angled edges marked with A.

It may be helpful to arrange your wedge shapes in the order you will be joining them, such as this (beginning at top/front): T, A, C, A, T, A, C, A

3. Prepare the wedge shapes by folding the top wider portion outward slightly. Fold the bottom tab upward. Fold all remaining tabs back.


4. Select the first two wedge shapes to be joined. Apply glue to the bottom tab. Line up the bottom portions to be joined first. Overlap the straight edge (on right shape as shown here) to the left shape's tab perforation line.  Adjust so the cross perf line and the bottom tab perf lines match up exactly, then join. Hold seam until secure.

5. Continue the same process to add the next wedge shape to the first pair assembly, lining up and joining the bottom portions only until all eight are joined.

Here you see the completely joined panel. Top portions are still NOT joined at this stage.

6. Return to the first pair joined. Bend the fop portions outward slightly until the straight edge of the one lines up at the tab perf line, as before. Add glue, and join.

7. Work across the entire crown panel until all the top portions are joined.

NOTE that as you work to join the top potions, it may be helpful to fold the non-tabbed edge top wedge out of the way to apply the adhesive to the tab underneath.

8. Form the crown panel into a tube shape, bringing the lower section edge to overlap the opposite tab perf line as in previous seams. Add glue, align, adjust and attach.

9. Line up and join the upper portion of this final crown panel seam in the same fashion.

10. Fold all tabs down into center opening at top of crown (top is the widest of the openings). The tabs will overlap at the ends.

11. Position the crown top modified hexagon shape over the opening and orient it so that the edge lengths correspond to the longer center side edge, top/back ends, etc.

Apply adhesive to the tabs, then position the crown top over the tabs so that the straight edges line up at the tab perf lines.

Hold the edge in position at the perf line until it is accurately positioned, then secure.

It will be helpful, once the seams are initially secured in place, to turn the assembly over, top-down, onto a flat surface, insert hand into the hat cavity, and apply pressure to the tabs and crown top from the backside.

12. Insert the brim-end tabs through the opening of the upper brim shape, (insert from the face side), taking care to orient the center sides, top/bottom, etc. to match the opening edge lengths.

Fold the tabs outward, apply glue, then adjust so that the crown perf lines fall exactly the the brim's straight edge opening.

It will be helpful to turn the assembly bottom-down on flat surface to apply pressure all around the bottom of the crown to fully and smoothly attach crown body tabs to brim.

13. Position the under-brim, face outward, exactly over the previously-attached brim shape, covering the assembly tabs. Apply adhesive evenly, then press and smooth for a complete join.

14. Slide the brim rim ring over the crown and down into place. Align edges of crown and rim exactly and glue in place.

(There may be small center front/back dash lines to assist with alignment.)

15. Position and attach the optional crown wedge decor shape to the right side panel, lining up the top, straight side and bottom edges.

(NOTE: the decor panel has been modified slightly in the final cut file download from the shape shown here.)

Add the contrast button circles over the cut circles, if desired.

16. Position and attach the two hat band sections, bending band inward at perforations that will line up with wedge seams. Overlap straight end over adjacent tab ends.

17. Prepare the bow shape by looping ends to overlap at the center straight portion. Avoid flattening the loops. Glue ends and center together, hold until secure. 

Overlap and fold the center knot to wrap around the bow's center. Glue ends at overlap.

If you DON'T plan to decorate your top hat further, you could simply attach the bow as shown.

If decoration is planned, reserve the bow until farther in the decorating process.

18. Prepare the 3d carnation-style spiral flower. Beginning at the outward end, curl and roll it around a rod or dowel of approx. 1/2" diameter. Glue the end where it touches the overlapped strip.

Continue rolling the spiral strip so that the base strip portions roughly stack, adding dots of glue at each new layer.

19. When the entire strip is rolled. glue the end in place. Remove from the rod tool.

20. Fold and curl the petals away from the center in an attractive way.

Position and glue the bottom end cover circle in place.

21. Prepare the feather embellishments by scoring down the center with a stylus, if desired, bending slides upward slightly. Separate and randomly tweak-fold the tines of the feather for "realism". (Cut file includes a center quill, but it was not used here.)

22. Position the feathers, carnation flower, skull emblem, bow and other embellishments as desired, and attach securely.

Here is the finished version of my hat.

Here is a view slightly from the bottom.