Easy, DIY Holiday Hats for Dogs

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by Heather Buzby

 

I happened upon these adorable/hilarious turkey hats in my recent travels and naturally my first thought was: “My dogs need to wear these.” I knew they would need some minor alterations to be dog wearable, but it was going to be simple enough and they were cheap enough, so I grabbed them.

With a little sewing (or no sewing and a little glue gunning), any holiday hat can easily be turned into a festive hat for your dog.

*I chose to sew (since that’s what I do) but I think these could easily be done with glue as well.

Here’s what you need:

– Festive hats
– Felt
– Elastic
– Fiber-fill stuffing
– Sewing supplies (pins/needle/thread) or hot glue

 

Step One:

 

 

Cut a circle out of felt to be the bottom of each hat. My circles were about 7.5” in diameter (search your house for circle templates! Pot lids, bowls, plates, etc)

Step Two:

 

Measure your dog for the elastic chin strap, add 2” to that measurement and cut a length of elastic to that length. I chose to use a dressmaker’s pencil to mark 1” in on each end of the elastic – that way I knew exactly how far to insert the elastic when assembling the hats.

Step Three:

 

Pin your felt bottoms onto the hats. IMPORTANT: leave about 3” open where you will not sew or glue so you have a place to stuff the hats. Be sure to insert the ends of the elastic on either side of the hat so they will be attached when you sew (or glue) the bottom to the hat.

Step Four:

 

Sew around the edge of the hat, making sure to leave the stuffing area open! I chose to use matching thread in the upper part of the machine and black in the bobbin. You could definitely hand sew or glue too! I just followed the hem stitching already on the hats.

 

*SIDE STORY*
While I was sewing, I hear “WHAT IS THAT?!”
Me: “A turkey”
*Confused look in return*
Me: “It’s a hat!” (pulls out other turkey hat to show them together)
“For you?”
Me: “nope”
“So those poor dogs are going to have to run around with turkeys on their heads?”
Me: “Yup!!”

 

Step Five:

 

After the bottom is mostly sewn on, stuff your turkey hat… in much the same way you would stuff a real turkey. (Stuffing them ensures the hats won’t flop/squish while being worn by dogs) You don’t want to stuff it TOO tight – just enough that the hat keeps its shape on its own.

Step Six:

 

Sew (or glue) the stuffing opening shut.

Step Seven:

 

 

Put the finished hats on your dogs, laugh hysterically and take tons of pictures to post on social media!

 

Kol’s Note: I’m pretty sure y’all are thinking what I’m thinking, right? Where in the ever loving WOOF are the pictures of Ellie and Kayla in the hats! Blah blah blah “holiday surprise” blah blah blah “Thankgiving isn’t for weeks” Blah blah blah. Long story short: she’s hoarding them until Turkey Day. If you aren’t already a fan, hop on over to the Kol’s Notes Facebook page and keep your eyes peeled! We’ll be sharing all the hilarious, adorable fun of these hats on Heather’s dogs on Thanksgiving!