yes.
Craft foam.
(and saran wrap)

Im tired though, ask Saku for the steps

nope, but I found one on the side of the highway one. Nice one too.

Yes, but it's way easier (and about the same cost) to order one online if all you need is a standard black. If you need to make one out of a custom fabric, I recommend buying the buckram frame and patterning it off that. If you don't want to buy a frame, order buckram online, buy a top hat pattern, and good luck. It's not easy.

Though once under great time constraint and with no buckram, I helped a friend make a top hat frame out of a cereal box with each piece wrapped in duct tape, then taped together with duct tape since it couldn't be sewn or glued. Worked pretty brilliantly if I do say so myself.

thx everyone!

I just started on mine for Trucy.

If you don't care it being supa-supa-durable, the easiest way to go is felt;
Create a base out of stiff cardboard to help keep its shape while it's setting.
Set felt over it accordingly, and brush it evenly with a 50/50 pvc glue/water mix.
Do the brim, top and then cylinder, letting them each dry and harden before moving on to the next.

If you can only use thin felt, it's probably best to do a few layers.
You can bend and shape the felt as it's hardening, too.

Depending on the texture you want the finished piece to have, you can cover it over with material.

I'm about to finish mine with thin brocade and a silk lining.

styrene sheeting FTW.
Took me 2hrs.
My girlfriend fell asleep when I was thinking about how to do it and when she woke up, she could try on her tophat.

>>2217744

When I cosplayed Trucy, I just bought one online and covered with fabric

I made my top hat using posterboard and quilt batting for the base. The top and the brim were both two layers of posterboard with batting in between and the tall part was just posterboard. Then I sewed the fabric for the outside and the inside lining and handsewed everything on to the hat.

I pretty much made up the process as I went along, so there are a number of things that went wrong, but overall, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out and has held up over the past year.