How to make a No solder Light-up Santa Hat for Christmas in July!!!! -

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Ok, people round up your hot cocoa and marshmallows. It’s time to celebrate Christmas in July like a pro! We are going to make a No solder Light-up Santa Hat for this fun party!!!

Gather you materials

Santa hat
Muslin or cotton (about 1/4 yard)
USB powered individually addressable NeoPixel LED Strip
Small power bank
Snap
Sewing needle and Thread
Sewing Machine

Design of the No Solder Light-up Santa Hat

There are many different ways to add LEDs to a Santa Hat. Let’s go with only adding LEDs to the fur cuff around the base of the hat. Power banks are often used for recharging phones can be a great way to power these LEDs. We will add a pocket for the power bank on the inside of the hat so all the wires, battery, and lights are contained within the hat. Make sure you have the size of the power bank so that you can draft your pocket pattern the correct size.

Constructing the No Solder Light-up Santa Hat

Patterning and inserting the muslin facing

We will want to attach the LEDs to a piece of muslin that is sewn to the inside of the hat. Start off by measuring the circumference and width of the fur. Draft a rectangle that is this size and add half an inch seam allowance all around the pattern.

Next, I serged around all sides of the rectangle to keep the edges from fraying. Then I sewed the rectangle into a circle pressing open the seam and pressing one edge up.

Now topstitch the hem that was pressed up to provide a clean edge for the final look.

The way this Santa hat was originally made makes it easy to add the muslin on by stitching on top of the original seam. This will secure the muslin, that the LEDs will be applied on, to the Santa hat.

Attaching the LED’s

Now it is time to add the LEDs! I decided to attach them in a circular swirling pattern. I had 6.5 feet of LED tape to swirl onto the hat. The strip that I purchased has double stick tape on the back and even though I am not a fan of tape and wearing I am going to make an exception for this project. To help with the placement I also marked around the muslin at even intervals.

Next, we are going to cut another piece of muslin that is an inch bigger than your power bank. I then serger around all edges and pressed down a half-inch all the way around.

Now we are going to attach the pocket almost all the way around. You want to make sure that you will leave an opening that is large enough for the battery to slip in and out of. I decided to leave the top corner so that gravity helps keep the battery in place. Using a slip stitch work your way around firmly attaching your muslin to the hat and creating a pocket. I added a snap to the very top corner of the opening to fully encase the battery and securely keep the battery in the pocket.

Finishing details

Lastly, I am going to hand stitch down the bottom edge. I used a long whip stitch so that if I even needed to open the seam back up I could easily and quickly get to the LEDs.

Finished Light-up Santa Hat

Now it is time to plug in your battery and try on your new Light-up Santa Hat!

Want to learn how to create your own light-up projects? Grab my free mini-course to start learning the basics!!!

FREE Mini-Course

Make sure to check out some of my other light-up projects, such as my Light-up Snowflake Earrings or Temperature Sensing Light Up Scarf, and hopefully, they will inspire an amazing project of your own!!!

Check out some of these other AMAZING Christmas in July Projects!!!

Want to try some other fun Christmas in July Projects? Check out my friend Laurie at Craftroomtime.com. She makes some amazing things and this summer she put together this really fun Believe in Santa Sign!!! Make sure to check it out!!!