These birthday crowns are the cutest birthday gift ever for friends and family (or even for yourself!), they are also fairly simple to make and are extremely customizable and personable! The crown on the cover photo was for my friend, Emma, and was customized to include details I knew she would like (i.e. the apple beads!) The crown I’m walking you through today is for my friend, Summer, and is designed a little differently, since I wanted it to feature all of her favourite colours (pink, purple, and blue) and also to look like a sunrise. These gifts are also perfect for children, however the pattern will have to be altered to fit smaller heads. If you are planning on making a crown for a child, I recommend measuring their head before starting so that you know how big to make the pattern.
Supplies:
For the pattern:
- Printer paper
- Scissors
- Tape
For the crown:
- Two pieces of scrap fabric, about 30in long by 3-4in tall (one for outside, one for in)
- Piece of quilt batting around 30in long by 3-4in tall
- Sewing machine
- Thread that matches outside fabric
- Fabric scissors
- Pins
Step 1
Creating your pattern:
Create your pattern by taping pieces of paper together until you have reached the desired length off the crown + seam allowance. The average adult head circumference is about 22 inches. Keep in mind that because this project is quilted, it will be quite thick, so it will need to be a little bit bigger. Figure out what shape you want your crown to take and how tall you wanted it to be. Once you have something that looks like the above, cut it out!
Step 2
Cutting your fabric:
once your pattern is complete, use it as a template to cut your fabric by pinning them. You’ll need to cut the pattern out three times in total, once from the outside fabric, once from the inside fabric, and once from your batting.
A note on fabric detailing
If you wish to add fabric details or appliqués, sew these to your fabric immediately after cutting the pattern, as it will be more difficult to add after the crown is quilted. I also suggest to add embroidery at this stage, excluding beaded embroidery. Adding these details before also helps your project to look more clean!
Step 3
Pinning your crown together:
Place your outside and inside fabric right sides together, then place the batting on top and pin. I suggest pinning from the underside since we will be sewing batting side down!
Step 4
Sewing your crown:
Use a straight stitch to sew along the top and bottom of your crown, leaving the sides open. If sewing with a smaller seam allowance, take care to ensure that each stitch is catching both pieces of fabric and batting or your crown may have holes. If working with a larger seam allowance, you should now cut or pink excess fabric around the seams to avoid excess bulk in your crown.
Step 5
Flip your crown right-side-out through its side. Make sure to pull out each point. You’ll notice it looks a little odd and unstructured, but don’t worry! Our next step is to fix it!
Step 6
Adding structure:
Add structure and smooth out your crown by adding a straight stitch from every high and low point to the bottom of your crown.
Step 7
Finish your crown:
Finish your crown by zig-zag stitching the open ends of your crown, right sides together. Then cut off extra fabric at the sides.
Step 8
Adding extra embellishments:
I love bead embroidery for this project, as well as adding things like bows and yarn trims, all things you add after the crown is completed. My biggest tip is to remember who you’re making the crown for! I switch the details of my crowns every time I make them to make the personalized to the recipient. Don’t be afraid to experiment either! This is an incredibly open ended project so you can add literally anything you wish!
Finally, if you do make this project, please send me a picture of it! I’d love to see what you’ve done with it!
Thanks for reading friends!