How to Make a Chef's Hat

Co-authored by Katarzyna Kapuścińska

Last Updated: September 23, 2024

The tradition of wearing a chef’s hat while cooking emerges out of 19th century France, with many modern kitchens carrying on the practice worldwide. Though chef’s hats look distinguished and fancy, they are actually quite easy to make and require only a few inexpensive materials. Whether you are making a chef's hat to wear while cooking or creating one for an arts and crafts project, making a chef's hat is a quick and inexpensive project that will leave you with a product that looks store-bought!

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Making the Band of a Tissue Paper Chef’s Hat

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1
Measure your head with a tape measure. Before you start working on the pleated, fluffy upper part of the chef’s hat, you first have to make the band that serves as the base of the hat. Use a tape measure to measure the circumference of your head so you can customize the hat especially for you and don’t end up making one that is too big or small.^{[1]
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- Measure your head by wrapping the tape measure around your head directly above your ears, where the brim of the hat will lie.
After you measure your head, add one inch (2.54 cm) on to the measurement number. It’s a good idea to make the brim a little bit larger than the size of your head so that it isn’t too snug.

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3
Outline the shape of the band on thick white paper. Take a piece of Bristol board, cardstock or stiff, white paper and draw a long rectangle using pencil, with the measurement that you calculated as its length. Decide how tall you want the brim of your hat, then use that number as the width.^{[2]
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- You can alter the band’s height to make the band taller or shorter, depending on your preference. Anywhere between 2 and 8 inches (5 and 20.3 cm) is generally a good height for the brim.
Use a pair of sharp scissors to cut the rectangular band out of the paper. Try to cut in straight, even lines to make the hat look crisp and professional.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Finishing the Tissue Paper Chef’s Hat

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1
Start to create pleats in a sheet of white tissue paper. After you create the band of your hat, it’s time to start making the puffy top of the hat. To begin, take a rectangular sheet of white tissue paper and make ¼ inch (.63 cm) pleats along one of the shorter edges of the tissue paper. Make around five pleats.
- Make the pleats by pinching the tissue paper between your fingers, then creasing the paper into a pleat. Make the pleats about 5 inches (12.7 cm) tall.
After you’ve created around five pleats, lay the pleated edge of the tissue paper over the paper band you created, overlapping by about ½ inch (1.2 cm). Then tape the tissue paper onto the band by placing a strip of tape so that it covers the pleated section and some of the long paper band.
Continue pleating the tissue doing five pleats at a time, taping each section to the band of paper. Continue until the pleats reach the halfway point of the band.
You also need to make pleats on the opposite end of the tissue paper. Create ¼ inch (.63 cm) pleats like you did for the other end of the tissue paper, this time taping over the pleats without attaching them to anything. Make sure that the strip of tape is folded lengthwise over the edge of the tissue paper, so that it covers both sides of the pleats.
Place the chef’s hat upright so that it stands on its horizontal band. The pleated tissue paper should be standing straight up in the air. Take the tissue paper and fold it downward halfway along its height, making the hat half as tall as before.
6
Pull the unattached edge of tissue paper inside the band. Take the edge of tissue paper that you just folded over and tuck it inside the band of the hat, overlapping by about ½ inch (1.27 cm). Then tape the tissue paper to the inside of the band.
- Tape the unattached tissue paper by placing the hat on its side, reaching in through the open band of the hat and taping the pleats to the band on the inside.
- It’s ok there are gaps on either side of the tissue paper. You will correct this later.
7
Tuck the open end inside the hat. You should see that there are still two open sections of tissue paper that haven’t been tucked inside the hat that form an upside down U shape. Pinch the pleats of this tissue paper together, then pull the tissue paper and tuck it inside the brim of the hat.
- Tape the unattached tissue paper to the inside of the hat to secure it.
By now, your chef’s hat is complete! You may want to stick your hand up inside the hat and spread out the tissue paper to make it fluff up. You should be left with a tall, fluffed chef’s hat that is ready to wear!

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Cutting Your Cloth for a Cloth Chef’s Hat

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Use a tape measure to measure around your forehead, above your ears where the hat will fit. Then add an inch to this measurement so that the hat won’t be too tight.^{[3]
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2
Figure out how high you want the brim of your hat. You may prefer the style of a shorter brimmed chef’s hat, or like how a stiffer, taller chef’s hat looks. Approximate how tall you would like the brim of the hat to be, picking a number between 2 and 8 inches (5 and 20.3 cm). Then multiply this number by two and add on one inch (2.54 cm).^{[4]
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- You will create the brim out of a piece of cloth that has been folded over, which is why you need to multiply the number by two. You need to add the inch on to the measurement to allow for seams.
3
Outline the brim of the hat onto white cloth and cut. Measure a rectangle onto a white pillowcase or another similar material, with the first measurement you calculated as the length, and the second measurement as the width. Then cut out the rectangle you created.^{[5]
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- You want to create your hat out of a white cloth that is light and crisp. Cotton is an ideal fabric, and using two white cotton pillowcases works well. Before using the pillowcases, cut them open, rip out any seams, and iron them so that they’re flat sheets of white cloth.
4
Cut out a piece of stiffener. Outline a rectangle onto a piece of stiffener or interfacing. The length of the rectangle will be the first measurement you calculated (the circumference of your head plus an inch) and the width will be the exact height you want your hat brim to be (do not multiply this number by two or add on an inch as you did for the fabric). Cut out the rectangle using a pair of sharp scissors.^{[6]
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- Use a piece of stiffener or interfacing that is white or light-colored.
5
Draw ¼ of a circle on a piece of folded fabric. Take the second pillowcase and cut it into a square that is about 2 ft x 2 ft (.6 m x .6m). Then fold the square into fourths by folding it in half twice. Using a pencil or pen, draw a curve that starts an inch (2.54 cm) from the top right corner and arcs down to a spot that is one inch (2.54 cm) to the right of the bottom left hand corner.^{[7]
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- This arc is one fourth of the circle with will serve as the top, floppy section of the chef’s hat.
- This size piece of cloth produces a floppy chef’s hat. If you want one that is less floppy, make the original square of fabric smaller.
6
Cut out the circle. Make sure that the edges of your folded fabric line up, then carefully cut along the arc with a pair of sharp scissors, through the multiple layers of fabric. Discard the leftover fabric, then unfold the cloth to see the circle you created.^{[8]
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- It’s ok if the circle isn’t perfectly round, since its edges will be hidden when you eventually sew it into the brim.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Assembling the Cloth Chef’s Hat

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1
Sew the interfacing and brim piece in loops. Take the stiffener or interfacing and fold it in half lengthwise, to make the strip half as long. Then use a sewing machine or sew by hand to create a seam about ¼ inch (.63 cm) in from the edge that connects the shorter, raw edges of the interfacing.
- Do the same for the brim piece, so that you are left with two loops.
Take the loop you made from your brim piece and cuff it in on itself to make it half its original width. This should leave you with a cuffed piece of cloth that has a folded edge on one side of its length and raw edges on the other side.^{[9]
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3
Fold the raw edges of the brim and iron. After cuffing your brim piece, fold the raw edges of the brim piece inward about ¼ inch (.63 cm). Make sure to fold them over to the inside rather to the outside to hide the raw edges.^{[10]
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- Iron the brim piece, paying special attention to press the area you just folded over.
Turn the brim piece inside out so that the seams are visible. Then tuck the stiffener or interfacing into the ¼ inch (.63 cm) “cuff” that you made by tucking in the raw edges. Sew by hand using straight stitches or use a sewing machine to sew the two fabrics together.^{[11]
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5
Make ruffles around the circle. Adjust your sewing machine’s stitch length and the machine’s tension to the highest setting. Then place the edge of the circular cloth under the needle of the machine and sew all the way around the circle, about ½ inch (1.25 cm) from the edge. This will create ruffled pleats in what will become the puffy top of the chef’s hat.^{[12]
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- Adjust the stitch length and tension of your machine back to the usual settings after you finish.
- If you don’t have a sewing machine, hand sew using long, straight stitches and pull tightly after each stitch to create pleats.
Slide the ruffled top part of the hat into the “cuff” of the brim piece you made, so that ½ inch (1.25 cm) of the ruffled hat top is inside the open part of the brim. Pin all the way around the top of the brim to keep the top part of the hat in place.^{[13]
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Hand sew or machine sew all around the brim where it overlaps with the ruffled top piece, about ¼ inch (.63 cm) from the top edge of the hat brim. When you remove the pins, you will be left with a handsome chef’s hat that can be used for a costume or worn while cooking!^{[14]
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Community Q&A

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Question

How can I decorate the chef's hat?

Community Answer

You could use black paint or sharpies to write or draw on the hat. You could also use things like glue and glitter to decorate the hat.

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Is there a no-sew option for the fabric hat? Could you use hot glue instead?

MichelleF2

Community Answer

Hot glue would not work well for fabric. Fabric glue would work to make the hat without sewing, though the pleats may be a little tricky, and the hat would not be as sturdy.

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Tips

If you are making the chef’s hat from cloth, buy two cheap pillowcases instead of buying cloth at a fabric store, which will be more expensive.

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A tissue paper hat is easier to make, but a cloth chef’s hat looks more authentic and may last longer.

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