To give credit where credit is due, I learned this method of hat attachment from Brenda Sue Mattox’s wonderful paper dolls. Most of the dolls hats are either attached by cutting a slit in the hat or by gluing a separate piece to the back of the hat to form a pocket or with tabs. Since most people know how to cut a slit, and the tabs are fairly obvious, I’ll explain the pocket method in more detail.
To Make the Pocket
Begin by cutting out both the hat and the back piece.
Take the doll and place the hat on to her head, adjusting it until you like how it looks then turn over the doll and the hat and trace along the edge of the dolls hair with a thin pencil line on the back of the hat, shown in red here.
Carefully apply glue to the edges of the hat using the trace line as a guideline for gluing, the grey section.
Press together the blank back of the hat and the hat piece leaving a pocket into which you can slide the dolls head.
Let dry completely before trying it onto the doll. If it is too small, simply print out the paper doll and try again.
This method may also be used for wigs for some paper dolls like CyberGirl and Lady of the Manor.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me, more instructions can be found here or check out the FAQ.