Man in the Yellow Hat Costume Tutorial and Free Pattern

When my boys were really little they were not fond of dressing up for Halloween in costumes that felt a lot different from regular clothing.  Anything that was too tight, too puffy or had a mask was out.  I had fun finding ways to transform regular clothing and hooded sweatshirts into costumes.  They felt comfortable in this costume which consisted of a regular button down shirt and pants with a soft comfy hat and of course their favorite monkey character!

Materials for hat and tie:

• 1/3 of a yard Yellow Felt (72” wide off the bolt)
• a square of Black Felt 
• 1 1/3  yards of Fusible Midweight Interfacing (at least 12” wide)  (this will give the hat some body to help keep it’s shape so look for something not too flimsy but not too thick)
• I” wide black gross grain ribbon (23 ½ inches long) or 1” strip of black felt
• yellow thread
• black thread
• ¼” wide elastic (14 inches long)
• Glue gun

To Make Hat:

Download Pattern Here

1. Attach fusible interfacing to one side of the yellow felt according to manufacturer’s directions.
2. From the felt with attached interfacing, cut three panels of yellow felt for the dome of the hat. (pictured to the right)
3. Cut 2 circles of yellow felt with a diameter of 12”.  Place circles together with interfacing together and sew the outer edge of the circle to create the brim of the hat. 
4. Put two of the three panels  together with right sides together and sew the seam from the point at the top to the bottom corner.  
5. Match up the point on the third panel to the point on the other two panels (again right sides together and sew the seams on either side then turn right side out to create the dome of the hat. 
6. To attach the dome of the hat to the brim of the hat, cut 6 ½” slits through the center of the circle leaving a 2 ½” brim.  
7. Trim to leave 1” tabs in the inside of the hat brim.
8. Set up the dome of the hat and gently slide the brim down from the top of the dome.  The tabs should all be sticking up against the dome.  Hand stitch or glue the tabs to the dome of the hat.
9. Cover the tabs with black ribbon or a strip of black felt.  

Download Pattern Here

To Make the Necktie:

1. Cut two yellow pieces from the necktie template.  
2. Place ¼” elastic in the top of the tie and pin in place.  Be sure there is an ample amount of elastic inside the yellow tie (about an inch on each side).  
3. Cut black accent circles.  Place the black circles on the yellow tie and sew in place.