How to Make a Mad Hatter Costume

 How do you know a movie is going to be huge. People start dressing up as the characters before it even comes out. So this week we're taking the cue from one of our most requested Halloween tutorials of the season...The Mad Hatter !

Female Speaker: Where is that Alice? Always late, never early. Late, late, late. Male Speaker: I specifically told him to be on time. Female Speaker: Him? Male Speaker: Yeah. Female Speaker: Alice, Alice Cooper? Alice Cooper: Am I late? Male Speaker: That's not the Alice you meant. Female Speaker: There goes Wonderland. Male Speaker: Alice, you are terribly late you know naughty. Female Speaker: The Mad Hatter is one of my favorite literary characters of all time. Combined him with Colin Attwood's amazing design aesthetics, and the most requested Halloween costume this year is born. Collin's hatter has a ton of little details that make it great, but the hat is probably the most important part. Start out by using a piece of posterboard that's ten inches tall and when rolled into a cylinder fits around your head with room to wear with. Tape the seams of the cylinder down, then take out a thicker piece of cardboard, and make a circle on it that has a six inch radius. Cut out the circle and place the cylinder on top of it directly in the center, tape it together in a couple of spots, and use a glue gun to glue the two pieces together all around the seam. Now, take out a piece of thick material and hot glue it all the way around the top of the hat. When you reach the beginning of where you started gluing, overlap the fabric of it and glue it together. Next, stretch the fabric down into the inside of the cylinder and glue, stretch and glue, stretch and glue, pulling it as tight as you can. Cut a circle out of the fabric that's the same size as the top and glue it on, cut off any excess. I also added a layer of old based curtain in the same manner, but that's optional. Now use another piece of material and trace around the bottom of the cylinder with tailor's chalk. Cut the middle out of that circle and cut slits up to the circle outline. Then, take out a piece of thick wire, and make a circle that has a radius that is about three inches bigger than the circle outline. Tape the ends of the wire together. Cut a rough circle shape around your circle outline big enough to extend over the wire circle, place the piece on top of the bottom of the cylinder, and hot glue the slits to the inside. Now, lay that part over the wire circle, and pin the fabric over the wire stretching it super tight. Sew completely around the brim and cut off any excess material from the bottom. Next, I spray painted the entire hat with different colors, dark green, black, and metallic gold. Male Speaker: While Colin sprayed the hat, I made a band to go around it out of an old salmon colored button down. After I made the ever so important signature sized card with burned edges, then I spray painted a white wig, bright orange for the hatter's crazy hair. Female Speaker: After the hat was all dry, I added the salmon band, some ostrich feathers, the size card, and some mock vintage hatpins, and you have the Mad Hatter top hat. When we return, we will show you how to make the rest of the outfit. [Commercial] Welcome back. To complete the Mad Hatter and assemble, you need an overcoat, pinstripe pants, fingerless gloves, the signature bow scarf, an arsenal of thread, a vest, and a colored button down. For the overcoat, I died an old time coat or a blazer, then sewed some lace to the lapel for added texture. Next, I use different colors of tulip fabric spray to create a multi colored effect. Then, I sewed lace to the cuffs, and add a trim around the edges. For the pants, we use old khakis also died green, and tape thin masking tape in vertical lines on both sides of the pants. Male Speaker: Then I took over and spray painted them with purple paint, let them dry, and remove the tape. Just like that, pinstripe pants. Next up, I created the fingerless gloves simply by tracing around my hand, and pinning both of the two layers of fabric together. Then, cut them out, sew them together, and you've got some fingerless gloves. Female Speaker: For the Hatter's Signature scarf, I used a wide stripe of an old sheet, and Tulip One Step black dye to create a blotching effect. Then, I use pink and yellow fabric spray to fill in most of the white spots. To create the arsenal of thread, gather about 15 spools of thread, remove the labels from each side, and use a long piece of yarn to weave them together like so. Tie a knot at the end, and add another piece of yarn at the other end. Then, take out an old leather belt, cut it in half, and drill holes in both sides of the cut ends. Use a big needle to sew the ends of the yarn through the holes, and your arsenal is complete. Now you just have to put some white make up on, cut a couple of locks of hair from your wave for eyebrows. I attached them with eyelash glue, and rock your craziest expression.