How to Make a Unique, Easy Hat Stand

Here is how I have made several hat stands that we have used many times at our Red Hat Society Functions and Parties. They are so pretty sitting on the tables and when I bring them home, I can use them to hold my personal collection of Red Hats that I wear to our Society Functions. I will be writing another article explaining how I made the Miniature Red Hat shown in the picture and provide a link here to it. If the photo of the stand doesn't show, you can view it here.

General Supplies:

1 - 12" dowel rod, at least 1/2" diameter

2 scrap blocks of wood

Sandpaper

White or Wood Glue

Glue gun and glue sticks

Ruler or Tape Measure

Pencil

Electric drill with 1/2" bit

Level

Saw

Acrylic Paint color(s) of choice

Small Paint Brush

Optional :

Waterbase Varnish, Tulle, silk flowers, ribbon or any other notions to decorate stand

Basic Intsructions are as Follows:

Cut your scrap wood (I used 1" x 2" scraps) into approximately 2" wide by 4" long using a saw. Measure them so they are the same size before you cut them. After cutting the wood, sand all of the edges very smooth. Next, find the center of the blocks of wood and using your drill and the 1/2" drill bit, drill half-way thru the two blocks of wood, sanding those openings smooth, also. I had to buy a dowel rod that was 36 inches long, so I cut it into 3 equal lengths. (When I made these, I made three all at once.) Sand the ends of the dowel rods to make them smooth, too. Wipe all of the wood pieces down with a tack rag or a damp cloth to remove all traces of dust.

The next step is to connect the dowel to the two pieces of wood. I started with the bottom base, added some glue and inserted the dowel rod into it. Next, I put glue in the hole on the other block of wood and inverted it over the top of the dowel rod. Make sure that your dowel rod and the blocks of wood are level, adjusting as needed. It is best to let the piece dry for 24 hours to ensure stability before the next step.

Using the paint color or colors of choice, paint the whole hat stand the way you want it. It is best to let everything dry between coats, as it will probably take at least two coats of paint to get maximum coverage. After the paint is all dry, you can further protect and add a sheen to your hat stand by giving it a coat of waterbase varnish.

Once your Hat Stand is all dry, the most fun part begins...the DECORATING! For the ones I made, I cut my Tulle into approximately 6" by 36" strips, and wrapped over the bottom base wood, tying and gluing it into place. After that, I twisted the Tulle all around and up the dowel rod to the top piece of wood, covering and tying it at the top. I added a Tulle bow that I tied on and also glued silk flowers and ribbon here and there to further enhance the hat stand. For a Men's hat stand, you could use pieces of felt cut into a camo pattern, wrap Tulle or Ribbon in Favorite Sport's Team Colors, glue on a Golf Ball, etc....Let your imagination run wild and you, too, can make an easy, one-of-a-kind Hat Stand that you can have for years to come.