18 DIY Hats That Require Almost No Sewing

By
Lauren Thomann
Lauren Thomann
Lauren Thomann
Lauren Thomann is a jewelry and antiques expert, sharing over 15 years of hands-on experience with DIY jewelry, gemstones, heirlooms, as well as home renovation projects. Her businesses, Ageless Heirlooms and Heirlooms at Home, focus on antiques. Lauren has also studied at the Gemological Institute of America.
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Updated on 07/04/20
embellish a hat

Fashandrolla

A DIY hat doesn't always require precise cuts and advanced sewing skills. In fact, some of the most memorable hat tutorials involve upgrading existing hats with personalized details or making a hat out of something unexpected. 

We've gathered several creative hats to make in your spare time. Some involve a little bit of sewing, but most require no sewing at all. Sort through whichever tutorials speak to you and then think about ways you can customize the idea even further. 

  • 01 of 18

    Embroider Floral Detailing on a Felt Hat

    diy felt hat
    The Spruce / Mollie Johanson

    One way to make a felt hat look more expensive is to add some whimsical stitching to the side, and embroidery is a common technique used to accomplish this. Learning how to embroider is easy when you have the right tools, a free pattern, and an easy to follow tutorial. This step-by-step guide offers some must-know tips to help you recreate this hat in a few hours or less. 

    Embroider a Felt Hat With a Spray of Foliage from The Spruce

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  • 02 of 18

    Iron on a Flannel Heart

    diy no-sew baseball hat
    Child at Heart

    Adding some southern charm to a plain baseball cap is simple. In fact, Deonna from Child at Heart makes the process as seamless as possible, literally. If a flannel heart isn't your taste, consider other appliqués that might work for you. This tutorial can be used to apply various fabrics in any shape to any hat that has a blank spot. 

    DIY Flannel Heart No-Sew Baseball Hat from Child at Heart

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  • 03 of 18

    Paint a Donut on a Floppy Hat

    diy floppy hat
    Studio DIY

    Summer is a time to let loose and relax, so express that sentiment with a customized floppy hat that doesn't take itself too seriously. There are dozens of designs you can paint to make a floppy hat look more cutesy, and we love this donut idea from Kelly at Studio DIY. Check out this step-by-step to make something similar. 

    DIY Donut Floppy Hat from Studio DIY

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  • 04 of 18

    Bedazzle a Hat With Gems

    how to bejewel a hat
    I Spy DIY

    Jenni from I Spy DIY believes that a sour mood induced by cold weather can be uplifted with a little bit of sparkle, and we don't disagree. This step-by-step shows you how to add jewels to a basic winter cap and provides a couple of different patterns to follow. Don't limit this DIY to just winter hats. Experiment adding jewels to baseball caps and other basic hats. 

    Bedazzled Gem Hat from I Spy DIY

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  • 05 of 18

    Customize a Fedora With Embroidery Floss

    diy hat idea with embroidery floss
    Hi Sugar Plum

    Do you have a hat you used to love but have outgrown? Customize it. Cassie from Hi Sugar Plum wasn't a fan of the band of fabric on her straw fedora. To make the hat her own, she removed the band and decided to embroider a chevron design in its place. Her DIY hat tutorial only requires two supplies and is easy to follow. 

    Pinterest Project Custom Fedora from Hi Sugar Plum

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  • 06 of 18

    Decorate a Beach Hat With Tassels

    DIY straw hat with tassels
    Creative Fashion Blog

    One quick way to update a hat is to add a tassel or pom pom trim. Lisa at Creative Fashion Blog offers not one but two cute ways to update beach hats using this method. What's more, by picking out a festive trim, you'll be able to match a beach hat to an existing beach towel or bathing suit in no time.

    No-Sew Summer DIY Beach Hat Tutorials from Creative Fashion Blog

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  • 07 of 18

    Wrap a Hat With a Band of Pearls

    DIY hat with pearl band
    Honestly WTF

    Erica from Honestly WTF loves hats and loves pearls, so it only made sense to combine the two in this clever, easy-to-follow hat tutorial. The best part about this project is that the band is removable, so even if you eventually get sick of the pearls, no damage was done to the hat. This type of temporary upgrade is important when you're dealing with vintage hats and fedoras that are valuable. 

    DIY Pearl Hat Band from Honestly WTF

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  • 08 of 18

    Cut out Shapes to Create a Kaleidoscope

    Triangle cut outs on a felt hat
    Fall for DIY

    Fran from Fall for DIY comes up with the most ingenious yet simple tutorials in her "Make it Easy" series, and they are perfect for beginners. This hat upgrade from the series is inspired by a hat from Anthropologie and requires only one tool to complete. Check out her break down to learn how to recreate this hat without fail. 

    Kaleidoscope Floppy Hat from Fall for DIY

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  • 09 of 18

    Upgrade a Hat With Chains and Buttons

    diy hat idea
    Trinkets in Bloom

    Hats can lend a lot of personality to an outfit. They can add a hint of sophistication, elegance, or rock and roll to an otherwise lifeless ensemble. To make a formal hat more rock-inspired, Cathy from Trinkets in Bloom added some embellishments. Check out her tutorial to learn how she used a chain and buttons to transform this hat into something new. 

    How to Make Your Hat Rock from Trinkets in Bloom

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  • 10 of 18

    Upcycle an Old Sweater Into a Beanie

    DIY beanie hat made from an old sweater
    The Wonder Forest

    Joëlle from Wonder Forest loves exploring personal style on her blog and isn't afraid of experimenting with clothing she has outgrown. In this tutorial, she teaches readers how to convert an old sweater into a stylish and functional beanie. The best part? No sewing required.

    DIY No-Sew Beanie from a Sweater from The Wonder Forest

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  • 11 of 18

    Create a Vintage-Inspired Hat Using a Wet Felt Technique

    An orange wet felted hat on a woman's head
    Felt Magnet

    When attempting a new DIY technique, it's essential to find a tutorial that is thorough and easy to follow. This wet felted hat tutorial from Felt Magnet provides all the resources necessary to teach someone how to shape a hat using a wet felt technique. Although this project requires some patience, the end result is a gorgeous and elegant cap that's perfect for a fancy night on the town. 

    How to Use a Resist Shape to Make a Wet Felted Hat from Felt Magnet

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  • 12 of 18

    Pull out the Sewing Machine for This Reversible Sun Hat

    A woman wearing a DIY reversible sun hat
    The Spruce / Mollie Johanson

    While the majority of these DIY hat ideas require little sewing, we wanted to include a tutorial or two for ambitious seamstresses to try. This handmade hat tutorial goes through all the steps required to make a reversible sun hat. Once complete, you'll end up with two wearable hats instead of one. 

    How to Sew a Reversible Sun Hat from The Spruce

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  • 13 of 18

    Add Extra Fabric to a Trucker Hat

    A black trucker hat with floral fabric in front
    See Kate Sew

    Basic trucker hats can be customized easily. One way to make these hats one-of-a-kind is to add your favorite fabric to the front section. Kate from See Kate Sew wanted to add a floral touch to make this masculine hat a bit more feminine. Check out her tutorial to see how she adhered the fabric to the hat in a few simple steps. 

    Floral Trucker Hat DIY from See Kate Sew

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  • 14 of 18

    Use Stamps That Look Like Patches

    DIY bottle cap stamps hat
    I Love to Create

    This DIY hat idea takes the patch craze to the next level by creating patch-like stamps using bottle caps. Vanessa from I Love to Create will teach you how to make personalized stamps that you can use on a blank baseball hat or any other fabric or craft project you desire. 

    DIY Bottle Cap Stamps from I Love to Create 

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  • 15 of 18

    Redesign a Felt Hat With a Leather Butterfly

    A felt hat with a leather butterfly embellishment
    Fashandrolla

    Most felt hats are expensive, but there are a few more affordable options on the market. The problem is that these less expensive versions tend to be very basic. Xenia from Fashandrolla was determined to make her purple felted hat more custom by tooling some leather into a butterfly hat embellishment. Follow along and learn how to make your own customizable leather accents.

    DIY Leather Eyelet Butterfly Hat Embellishment from Fashandrolla

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  • 16 of 18

    Use Your Fingers to Knit a Beanie Hat

    DIY finger knit hat
    Red Ted Art

    According to Maggy from Red Ted Art, finger knitting is a great way to get kids interested in knitting. To us, this means that finger knitting is also an ideal technique for beginners or people with no knitting experience. To get started, all you'll need is some yarn and fingers. Once you get the basic stitch down, this tutorial will show you a straightforward way to recreate this beanie.

    How to Finger Knit a Beanie Hat from Red Ted Art

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  • 17 of 18

    Use Fabric to Dress up a Vintage Hat

    Hat with tie dye band and feather embellishment
    Poppytalk

    Jan from Poppytalk shares some simple yet effective tutorials, and this hat transformation is one of our favorites. To complete this DIY, the first step is to go to a thrift shop and hunt down a vintage felt hat. Next, head on over to the tutorial for more details on this hipster-inspired embellishment hat project. 

    Dress Up a Vintage Hat from Poppytalk

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  • 18 of 18

    Make a No-Sew Fleece Hat for a Child

    DIY no-sew orange fleece hat with an aqua bow
    Creative Jewish Mom

    Looking for a really quick hat tutorial? Sara from Creative Jewish Mom made this no-sew fleece hat in less than ten minutes. It might take you a bit longer to make at first, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to recreate this hat in a similar amount of time. These fleece hats make fun gifts for children of all ages. Keep an eye out for when fleece fabric goes on sale and stock up. 

    No-Sew Simple Pom Pom Hat from Creative Jewish Mom