I have gotten to make a couple personalized Birthday Hats recently and they are so much fun. I have another one to make this weekend. I like being able to make the hats to coorinate with the birthday colors or theme, and a shirt for the birthday boy or girl to wear.
I took a cardboard birthday hat that I purchased in a package and used it as a guide to make my pattern. I added heigth to it, to allow more space for the monogrammed large chunky number. I used a thick stabilizer for the inside of the hat. The cut my material for the outside of the hat about 1/2 inch larger than the stabilizer to allow material to fold to the back side, so the edges would be finished. On the girls version, it is not necessary to add material to the bottom edge, if you are going to use the feather boa ( it would hide the raw edge). I folded the material around and stitched around all edges of the stabilizer to secure the material. Then I folded the hat and figured out where I wanted my number design to go, and marked it. I used a fast hoop, and sticky stabilizer, so I stuck my hat on, and stitched the design onto the hat. Now, fold the hat around and pin it where it should be secured. I use my sewing machine and start at the bottom of the back, with the two edges overlapped slightly and sewed up as far as my machine will go into the cone. I used a hot glue gun to glue the rest of the edge together. Fold the hat flat and figure out where you want your elastic or ribbon to be placed, then stitch it in place. For the girls version, apply got glue around the bottom edge and press the feather boa into place, starting at the center back and finish at the center back. Apply hot glue to the top edge, and wrap a small piece of the feather boa around it and press into the hot glue to secure it, like a pompom. Remember to place the hat in your keepsake box after the special occasion.
