Hats can really top off your character—no pun intended! A hat is sometimes just the finishing touch that is needed to define a character. If you’ve just made a wizard, but he’s not quite “wizardly” enough, a hat with some stars is just the thing. Can you imagine a magician without a hat? Where would his rabbit live?
If I’m making a character that doesn’t usually have a hat, I let the doll tell me if it needs one. It may sound strange, but you can just feel when you’re not done costuming. Occasionally I get an idea for a hat that needs a doll!
Hats are usually made of stiffer fabric such as felt or Ultrasuede. These fabrics are heavy enough to retain their shape, but not so thick as to be out of scale with other accessories. Thin leather and silk are great fabrics for hats, but may need starch or stiffeners to hold the hat’s shape.
The elf hat is based on a hunter’s hat—not enough brim at the back to interfere with a bow, but enough in front to shade the eyes. It’s the original baseball cap! Any fae who’s off on adventure could wear a hat like this.
The witch’s hat has become a cultural icon. It’s instantly recognizable and is based on a real hat worn in the 1700s. Your witch’s hat can be a great part of her expression: a straight hat can indicate an evil, domineering witch; a crooked hat, a grandmotherly character; or a droopy hat may convey a sad witch. Construct it with a circle for the brim and a triangle rolled and trimmed into a cone. (See hat patterns in the appendix.)
Top hats can convey elegance or a jaunty personality. It all depends on the angle it’s worn. Making a top hat is easy: it’s two circles on bottom, one on top and a tube in between. The construction is exactly like the witch’s hat; just make a square instead of a triangle, roll it into a tube and put a flat top on it.