Floral Makeover: Update a Plain Hat With Peel-and-Stick Wallpaper

Plain straw hats are easy to find and affordable, but ones with eye-catching patterns often come with a higher price tag. This DIY shows you how to give your wide-brimmed hat a fresh, floral makeover using peel-and-stick wallpaper. It's an easy and affordable way to something eye catching: perfect for vacations or summer parties.

1. The hat you want to update. It needs at least a small flat brim.
2. Peel-and-stick wallpaper (at least twice the length of your desired brim size)
3. Scissors
4. Paper
5. Pencil or pen
6. Ruler
7. A wider brim hat to trace (optional)

If your hat has a ribbon or band, gently remove it.

Save it, as later we'll reattach it at the end to hide the wallpaper seam.

Place a sheet of paper on a flat surface.

Trace a hat with your desired brim size (you can use a larger hat if you have one) or use a ruler to sketch the brim size you want.

For this project, I decided I wanted to make the floral brim wider than the brim on the original hat.

Cut out the large brim circle you’ve drawn, then fold and cut it in half to create two symmetrical halves.

Measure and trace the opening of your hat (where your head fits) onto the paper template.

Cut out this inner circle—now you’ll have two “C”-shaped templates.

Place each C-shaped template on your peel-and-stick wallpaper.

Trace and cut out two copies of each: one pair for the top of the brim, one pair for the underside.

Take the two top brim wallpaper pieces and make 1–2 inch snips along the inner curve.

See the orange cut marks in the image.

These cuts will help the wallpaper fold neatly where the brim meets the crown of the hat.

Start with the underside of the hat.

Before peeling the backing, position each wallpaper piece to check the look and fit.

Once you're happy, peel and stick each half in place.

Flip the hat over and repeat the same process with the top pieces.

Use the small cuts to fold and press the wallpaper neatly where the brim meets the hat.

Glue or tie the ribbon back around the base of the crown to hide the seam where the wallpaper meets.

This adds a polished finish to your new custom hat!

Enjoy your new hat! Once you’ve mastered this DIY, the design possibilities are endless—try different prints, colors, or even seasonal themes.