My parents live in Egypt, and I have long loved all things ancient Egypt. So when my niece decided that she wanted an Egypt-themed party for her 5th birthday, I was so excited. My sister lives in Arizona which, sadly, is very far from Indiana. But I told her I would help out by making a banner with my niece's name and anything else she needed. My sister told me that the girl guests would be getting belly dancing scarves that my mom brought back on her last trip to the States. (Yes, my mom takes belly dancing classes in Egypt. How cool is that?!) But my sis needed an idea for what to give the boys... something they could wear.... hmmm.... **LIGHTBULB** How about a King Tut headdress? I thought it would be simple to find an online tutorial for the iconic striped headpiece of royalty. I set out to Pinterest, but could not find ANY good tutorials. I thought for days about how I could construct this headpiece so that it would stand up on both the top of the head and the sides. I nearly abandoned the project completely.... until I finally came across a paper pattern for a Tut headdress. From there, I just got crafty with it, and in the end, was thrilled with how these turned out. And I think the little guy party-goers were pretty happy with them too! So, without further ado, here is how I made the King Tut headdresses. Please note, I've worked hard in my life to adopt the mentality that "it doesn't have to be perfect" so of course, these are not perfect by any means. But they work, and they're fun!
First, I printed off the Nemes Crown pattern from this website and cut out the pieces. (I used the small size, since the mini-King Tuts to be were all under the age of 5 or 6.)
Next, I started going around each piece with hot glue and foldling the extra fabric over. (Note that for the King Tut headdress, the stripes on the side of the headdress should be horizontal. I messed this up the first time.)
You will also notice that I used pinking shears to cut around the curves. This helps it fold over more smoothly. If you don't have pinking shears, you can just cut tiny triangles out along the curve of your fabric. Trust me, this makes a big difference. Here's a look at the front of one side piece and the back of the other side piece.
I did the same thing to the top piece.
Simly cut along these two lines ...
Finally, I just added the other pieces. Glued each side on, then added a little avant garde "snake" crest in the middle. You could definitely get more creative with this part of the crown, but I was crunched on time and had to get these in the mail ASAP so they'd make it for my niece's party!
I had my hubby model it for us. What do you think? A pretty good looking King Tut, if you ask me! I have seen a picture from the party, and the little guys looked so cute in their Tut headdresses! But, I don't have permission from all of their parents to post the pic, so I'm not going to put it up. (Internet decency rules, right?)
I tried it out on Gia, though and she loved it! Ok, I loved it on her. She wouldn't leave it on. But still pretty cute, I think.
First, I printed off the Nemes Crown pattern from this website and cut out the pieces. (I used the small size, since the mini-King Tuts to be were all under the age of 5 or 6.)
Next, I traced this pattern onto white foam. You know, the stuff that comes in sheets and in every color under the sun? Yeah, that stuff. Then I traced it onto my fabric, but added about 1/2 inch all the way around. (Sorry I cant get Blogger to let me rotate the picture. Annoying, I know.)
Next, I started going around each piece with hot glue and foldling the extra fabric over. (Note that for the King Tut headdress, the stripes on the side of the headdress should be horizontal. I messed this up the first time.)
You will also notice that I used pinking shears to cut around the curves. This helps it fold over more smoothly. If you don't have pinking shears, you can just cut tiny triangles out along the curve of your fabric. Trust me, this makes a big difference. Here's a look at the front of one side piece and the back of the other side piece.
I did the same thing to the top piece.
To make it look a little more finished, I covered the back with fabric too. Nothing fancy... I just put some hot glue around where the fabric overlapped, then stuck it on another piece of fabric. Like this:
Then I just trimmed the excess off and the back looked a little something like this (Front on the left, back on the right):
Now, here's the trick for making the top of the head piece stand up. The top has a little piece that is cut higher than the rest. (You can see this more clearly on the pattern in the first picture.)
Simly cut along these two lines ...
Then tuck a little bit back and hot glue. Voila! Instant dimension! (For the finished product, I added a bit of gold paint to the part of the white foam board that was now exposed because of this cut.)
Next, I added a gold band along the bottom of the top piece.
Then I added ribbon to the white foam tabs. I tried several method of this- elastic, velcro, etc- and using a ribbon was by far the best option for me. Especially because I had no idea how big around the head of a 5 year-old is.
Finally, I just added the other pieces. Glued each side on, then added a little avant garde "snake" crest in the middle. You could definitely get more creative with this part of the crown, but I was crunched on time and had to get these in the mail ASAP so they'd make it for my niece's party!
I had my hubby model it for us. What do you think? A pretty good looking King Tut, if you ask me! I have seen a picture from the party, and the little guys looked so cute in their Tut headdresses! But, I don't have permission from all of their parents to post the pic, so I'm not going to put it up. (Internet decency rules, right?)
I tried it out on Gia, though and she loved it! Ok, I loved it on her. She wouldn't leave it on. But still pretty cute, I think.
So there you go interwebs! How to make a King Tut Headdress!! Have you thrown an Egyptian party? Or maybe you have a little one who is going as the Royal Ruler himself for Halloween? I'd love to see you link up your projects here if you make this!
