I have been eyeing these African Juju hats as they seem to have hit the trend in home design the last few years.
During royal court affairs, tribal chiefs and dignitaries in the Cameroonian Kingdoms wear a spectacular headdress known as the tyn, or juju hat. The feathers are symbolic of prosperity, and represent the wealth of positive qualities associated with birds. The pieces, which are woven onto a raffia base, splay out into huge circles and make impactful wall art.
With this rich history, you can see why it has become so popular. This traditional hat can bring amazing texture and color to your home, but can be a bit pricy if you go out and buy one. I found some at Horchow and Trouva, even fellow esty crafters are selling at a steep price. I couldn't bring myself to purchase one, just thinking about it made me feel guilty! So instead of splurging, I went the DIY route and mine turned out to be just as beautiful as the ones I found.
Here's how to make your own juju hat:
SUPPLIES
-A minimum of 3 rooster coque strung feather strands 6-8" strands (I bought mine at The Feather Place)
-Large circular item, such as a charger or a placemat approximately 12-15" in diameter
-Marking pen
-Scissors
-Rug Pad
-Backing material, such as a drop cloth or any extra material in your sewing stash
-Hot glue gun with A LOT of glue sticks
Step 1
Take your feathers and lay them out to make sure the strands are nice and straight and untwisted from the packaging, then set aside.
Step 2
Take your large circular item and place on top of your rug pad to trace a circle. I used a Christmas charger that was 13" in diameter. If you go larger that 15" you will need to purchase more feather strands. Cut out a square from your backing material, larger than your rug pad. Place your rug pad on top of the square cut out. As you glue the feathers to the rug mat, the backing material will prevent the hot glue from seeping through and will hold the rug mat and feathers in place. Although your material doesn't seem thick enough, it actually is! You will be surprised when you are finished of the thickness of your juju hat.
Step 3
Plug in your glue gun and get your glue sticks ready! You will be using a lot of glue for this DIY. Take your feather strand and lay it out so that the feathers are curling down. Glue your feathers along the outer rim of the rug mat. Once you've come full circle, cut the strand. Now, take your feather strand and flip them the other way so that the feathers are curling up and glue your next circle right below the first. This is how you add more volume to your juju hat. Cut your string after each circle you glue around the rug mat and alternate the angle of the feathers.
During this portion of the project, I stopped taking pictures because I didn't want to get my juju hat stringy with the dried hot glue.
Step 5
When you reach the center of your juju hat, take three to four feathers at a time and glue in various angles to conceal the center and cover the remainder of the rug mat.
Step 6
Once you've got your juju hat glued together, flip it over and take out your scissors to cut your backing material. Leave a small border around the rug mat and be sure to leave a large area to hang with.
To hang, I simply used a pin needle and placed above the master bed. I could not be more happier with the outcome of my juju hat and love that I was able to save money by doing this project myself.
Our next project in the master is painting the walls. What color do YOU think I should go with? I am feeling a little daring and want to use a dark grey or blue. Do you have any suggestions? I'd love to hear your opinion and please tell me what you think of the juju hat too!
