Accessories
Book & Gift Store
Classes
Corsets & Underwear
Computers
Costumes 4 Sale
Costume e-Lists
Dance Costumes
Designs & Designers
Dolls
"Ethnic" Dress
Fashion Theory
Free eGroup
Free Stuff
Halloween
(Costume) History
How-To
Kinky Clothing
Major Sites
Military Uniforms
Movie Costumes
Museums
New Pages
Occupational & Occasion- Specific
Patterns
Questions?
Religious Dress
Theatre History
Travel for Costumers
Unite!
Vintage Clothing
Weddings
Weird Clothing

Costume Design & Construction

Amazing Uses for a Baseball Hat Project (Variable Credits)

Mass produced and rather unattractive, the standard baseball cap can be found at any thrift store, and is easily found at Transfer Stations for free in Alaska in Summer.  We have found here at UAF that they make excellent bases for all sorts of big  headdresses, since they are pretty stable and size- adjustable, and easy to sew or glue to.  In most cases where one would ordinarily use a buckram skullcap base for a headpiece, we use these caps, since they are easily available and free, and adjust for multi sizes.

Here we make a couple of quickie showgirl headdresses for 12th Night out of Piņatas, tinsel and caps:  
   

The Costume Book: The Non-Professional's Guide to Professional Results

The Costume Designer's Handbook : A Complete Guide for Amateur and Professional Costume Designers

The Costume Technician's Handbook : A Complete Guide for Amateur and Professional Costume Technicians

 

Stage Costume Step-By-Step : The Complete Guide to Designing and Making Stage Costumes for All Major Drama Periods and Genres

The Magic Garment : Principles of Costume Design

Costume Construction

Elegantly Frugal Costumes : The Poor Man's Do-It-Yourself Costume Maker's Guide

Cutting and Draping Special Occasion Clothes: Designs for Eveningwear and Partywear

The Foam Book : An Easy Guide to Building Polyfoam Puppets Men's Garments 1830-1900 : A Guide to Pattern Cutting and Tailoring The Sewing Machine Guide: Tips on Choosing, Buying, and Refurbishing

The Prop Builder's Molding & Casting Handbook

 

The Prop Builder's Mask-Making Handbook

 

The Business of Theatrical Design

This "lamp" hat was also rigged onto a cap base.

A headpiece for Tamino in the Magic Flute is sewn to one:     This long elaborate piece from Yahoo Nation is also built on a cap:    

This head piece for "Miss Holly Berry Balls" in KDQ's We Three Queens is made with a cut away cap that lets the performer's wig through. 

And the Guards with flaming cups on their heads from Magic Flute are also sewn on a cap.  

 Here is a wig with turban style that is built on a baseball cap base. The various straps let it hold on through violent action sequences (tumbling, writhing on floor, etc.) while using no hair pins.  

A baseball hat is also used as an internal cap for this Wire Frame Mask

One can also use a cap plus an extra bill to make bird heads like this one designed by Molly Childs for Charlotte's Web  

The Project:

As you can see from the wild variety of hats produced this way, finished projects can be simple or complex, so credits are assigned on a variable basis depending on the design effort and technical complexity of the finished project.  Instructions would also vary wildly depending on the desired hat to be made.  This is therefore a "free form" assignment, where any student can try out any design or technique that he/she wants to test, including parts of techniques seen in other projects listed.  

When you have designed and made your headdress, photograph the rendering and the headdress as jpeg files and post them to your File folder at the class eGroup.  Post a message to the group telling folks how you did your project, and letting everyone know you have posted these pictures so you can get feedback.

• Return to Class Index
• Return to Projects List