Make This Easy DIY Juju Hat In An Afternoon

Inside: This DIY Juju hat is an easy and quick project to spruce up your home. Once you have the supplies you can get it done in a few hours!

The first time I saw a Juju hat I was scrolling on Pinterest.

It was so unique and beautiful I instantly fell in love!

Once I finished our master bedroom decor, I knew the space above our bed was missing something.

When I saw the gorgeous JuJu hats I knew that’s what I wanted to complete the space.

However, buying one of these hats from a retailer is pricey. They cost anywhere from $80-$300! And even more, if you want a set!

Luckily, I found this really easy tutorial over on A Beautiful Mess. I loved following their tutorial, but I tweaked the process along the way and wanted to share my own DIY Juju hat process.

What is an African Juju Hat?

The Juju Hat is originally from Cameroon, where it’s called the Bamileke or Tyn hat.

For hundreds of years, the Bamileke tribes have been creating these hats for their tribal chiefs, royal families and dignitaries to wear during tribal ceremonies.

The hats are significant when an elder dies as it is passed down to the next in line who may inherit the wealth and standing of the person that has died.

Juju hats are also worn during festivities and ceremonial dances.

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Juju Hat Materials

Cost: $40

4.5 yards of feather trim

• I bought 4 yards of these white goose feathers
• And 1 yard of these white goose feathers

Placemat
Scissors
Thread
Straight pins
Sewing Machine
Glue gun

Juju Hat DIY Tutorial

Time: 1 hour

First, you’ll want to pin the feather trim around the outer edge of the place mat. I put them about every 1.5″ or so. It doesn’t have to be exact. Once you’ve pinned the first section, you want to overlap the beginning of the circle about an 1″ of trim and cut the rest of the trim off.

Next, put the place mat in your sewing machine and stitch the trim to the place mat.

Repeat this process with another layer of feather trim.

For the third and fourth layers, flip the trim so the feathers are facing the wrong way. This will add some dimension to the Juju hat.

For the fifth layer, face the trim to the right way and pin and stitch it to the place mat.

From here on out I used the hot glue. I pinned two more circles of feather trim to the center so the entire placemat was covered.

But finishing the Juju hat was a little tricky.

I had enough feather trim left, but I didn’t know how to place them to get the fluffy effect I was going for. So I made a circle of trim and glued it standing straight up instead of laying it flush against the placemat like I had previously.

I added a few random feathers as needed and ended up with the final result!

I had to do some additional gluing to get everything placed how I wanted and even trimmed down some of the middle feathers so they wouldn’t be sticking out so far.

I also added a very technical (ahem, not!) hanger on the back. I just used a seam ripper and tied some string in a knot. Then I hot glued it back together.

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The Finished Product

I am really happy with how the project turned out!

It’s very forgiving and there’s almost no mistake you can make that can’t be fixed with a few extra feathers.

I was kind of on the fence about it when I first put it up, but it’s definitely grown on me and looks great in our master.

Want More?

If you enjoyed this tutorial, you’ll love making this heart shaped wreath in 4 easy steps!

Your Turn

So tell me, do you like the Juju hat look? Do you think it looks good above our bed?

Try this easy DIY Juju hat tutorial, and let me know your feedback in the comments!

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