How To Make Toad Hat

Does every momma look at her child and think he's even cuter than the original? :) My entire family is dressing a characters from the Super Mario Brothers games this Halloween and this lucky three-year-old gets to be Toad.

Alrighty, here's how to make your own super cute Toad. First let's start with the easy stuff - vest and pants.

Supplies for Toad's Vest

Blue fabric.

Gold trim.

Vest pattern. I used Simplicity #9854.

thread, sewing machine, fray check (or similar)

(optional) paper, tape, ruler - in case you need to lengthen the pattern

I'm all for originality, but when you can buy a pattern for $0.99, why reinvent the wheel? I used Simplicity #9854. Don't be fooled by the girls pictured on the package - when it comes to children's sizes, a vest is a vest. All of the vests on the "boy" patterns looked like the type men wear with three-piece suits, which is not the cut that matches Toad's vest.

TIP: Children's sewing patterns tend to be cut short and wide. My son is tall and thin, so I used scrap paper to lengthen the pattern by 4". There's a line marked on the pattern just for this purpose - to lengthen or shorten as necessary.

I made the vest following instructions for View F, minus the side slits. Rather than lining the vest in a contrasting fabric, I used the same blue satin.

Time to prep the trim. I used Fray Block on the ends, then tucked them under before stitching.

Sew on the trim. I chose this trim because I really liked the pattern, but it had zero give going around curves. Rather than fight with it going around the back of the neckline, I stopped the trim at each shoulder seam.

Ta-da! What a royal looking vest!

If you're lucky enough to find white pants in October, bless you! I couldn't even find sweatpants, so I made my own pants for Toad.

Supplies for Toad's Pants

White fleece (or other white fabric).
Pant pattern. I used Simplicity #9854, the same pattern that I used for the vest.
thread, sewing machine, ruler to measure hem
(optional) paper, tape - in case you need to lengthen pattern

I bought Simplicity #9854 for the vest pattern, but after weeks of unsuccessfully searching for white pants and finding fleece on sale for $3/yd, I realized how lucky I was that the pattern also included instructions for pair of pull-on pants. Score! (Again, ignore the girls in the picture. The cut of the pants is gender-neutral.)

Again, I lengthened the pattern by 4", though I ended up cutting off so much of the hem that it probably wasn't necessary.

I followed the instructions on the pattern to make this warm, fuzzy beauties. Fleece in October in Oregon is a good thing. :)

Moving on to Toad's signature topper - the mushroom hat. I owe a big, huge thank you to Kris at Summer at Grandma's House for helping me understand the structure of the hat.

Supplies for Toad's Mushroom Hat

White hat.

White fabric.

Red fabric, preferable one that doesn't fray.

Circle template. I used a round take-out container.

Batting/stuffing.

Narrow elastic for chin strap.

thread, sewing machine, scissors, fabric marker/chalk

I found a white sailor's hat in the costume section at Target. Lincoln wanted sparkly red fabric for the hat. Disco Toad?

1. Cut white fabric into a circle.

A 30" circle fit my three-year-old perfectly. For an adult, I'd probably try 36"-40".

2. Fold circle into sections for darts.

Fold in half...

...and in half...

...half again...

...one last time.

If you can finger press creases, great. I used my iron to make creases while my fabric was still folded. When you unfold your circle, you should see sections like this.

3. Sew darts.

I intended to make a dart ever other section, but goofed along the way. It's okay - I was still able to make it work.

To make your darts, measure along a crease approximately 6" from the outer edge. Make a dot using fabric chalk. Draw a line from the dot to the next crease on the edge of your fabric. (see photos above and below)

If you're holding one crease up in the air, the creases to the immediate right and left are touching. Pin those together.

Sew a straight stitch from the dot to the edge of the fabric, following the line you drew.

Cut away the fabric on the side of the line where the fabric formed a fold.

Repeat making darts all the way around the circle.

When you turn your fabric right side out, it should have the same shape as the head of a jelly fish. That's what you see, too, right? ;-)

4. Attach white fabric to hat.

Gather the edge of your jelly fish - er, fabric.

Pin to hat. TIP: Be sure to leave a hole for stuffing.

In hindsight, had I been able to find a beanie or other hat without a brim, I would have been able to finish the edges more neatly. However, the sailor hat worked. Plus it's a Halloween costume - I don't really mind unfinished edges that the rest of the world will probably never see.

Sew fabric to hat.

Stuff with batting.

My first attempt at making the Toad hat was waaay too big for my little three-year-old. I let Lincoln stuff the too-big-hat while I worked on the smaller version along side him.

Sew the hole closed.

5. Embellish hat with red circles.

Cut five red circles.

Pin to hat and sew by hand one at a time.

6. Add chin strap, if necessary.

You won't see the chin strap in the photo below. The photo shoot proved that my wiggly, squiggly three-year-old likes to wobble his head way too much for the hat to stay on by itself. I added the elastic later, then my camera battery died. But trust me - the chin strap works great!

Give your Toad a hug and have a happy Halloween!

Thanks for visiting my tutorial! If you make a costume based off of these instructions, please leave a comment and let me know. I'd love to see your good work!

If you'd like to see my other Mario Bros costumes, please click here for my Goomba tutorial and here for Princess Peach. Happy Halloween!