Giraffe Hat
by Ralph Dewey
The BHQ Challenge this month is an animal hat.
To the public, the size of the balloon matters. It is a well-known fact that the larger the balloons, the more perceived value it has. Putting it another way, more air equals bigger tips. So this month I have a really tall giraffe hat to share with you. It is a design that is not too difficult and yet not too advanced.
This hat uses three yellow #350 balloons, one yellow 6" LOL and three #260 balloons (one blush, one blue (or green) and one yellow) .
Headband
Fully inflate the blue #260 except for 3 inches and tie off the nozzle. Twist off a 6" bubble, an 8" bubble, a 6" bubble and an 8" bubble. Tie the ends of the bubbles together, thus forming a rectangle, and discard the excess balloon.
Legs
Make the front legs by fully inflating one of the yellow #350 balloons except for 5" and tying off the nozzle. Twist off a 2-1/2" bubble and ear twist it. Twist off two 10" bubbles. Twist off a 2-1/2" bubble and ear twist it. Cut off and discard the excess balloon. Attached each of the ear twists to both ends of the first 6" headband bubble.
Make the rear legs by fully inflating one of the yellow #350 balloons except for 5" and tying off the nozzle. Twist off a 2-1/2" bubble and ear twist it. Twist off two 6" bubble. Twist off a 2-1/2" bubble and ear twist it. Cut off and discard the excess balloon. Attached each of the ear twists to both ends of the second 6" headband bubble.
Neck
Fully a yellow #350 except for 5" and tie off the nozzle. Twist off two 2-1/2" bubbles and ear twist them.
Inflate a yellow #260 fully except for 6" and tie off the nozzle. Twist off two soft 5" bubbles and tie their ends together. Fold-twist both of them to make a figure "8". Cut off and discard the excess balloon. Twist-connect the center of it to the two ear twists on the #350 neck as shown.
Head
Inflate a yellow 6" Link-O-Loon to about 70% and tie it off very close to the nozzle. Squeeze the balloon to fill out the neck area and while it is still being squeezed also twist off a 1-1/2" bubble at the spike. Twist-connect the spike bubble to the center of the figure "8" balloon. Tuck the spike tail out of sight. Bend the neck of the 6" Link-O-Loon so that it curves down slightly.
Knobs
Take an inflated blush #260 and twist off two 1-1/2" bubbles and then ear-twist them. Twist off a 3" bubble. Tie a knot at the end of the 3" bubble then trim off all but 1" of uninflated balloon. Make another one identical to the first one. To attach to the figure "8", insert the 1" tail into one loop and pull it so that it is securely in place. Attach the second one in the same way.
Body
On the neck of the giraffe, twist of a 16" bubble and twist-connect it to the center of the front legs. Twist off a 6" bubble for the body and twist-connect it to the center of the rear legs. Twist off a 1" bubble, tie a knot and deflate the remainder of the balloon for the giraffe's tail. Decorate the face and spots to complete the giraffe hat.
Enhancements
If you don't like the fact that the head is a bit wobbly, you can make a neck brace loop. Inflate a yellow #160 and encircle the base of the neck. Tie it into a loop so that fits snuggly around the base of the neck. Cut off any excess balloon and discard. Another improvement is to substitute a black #350 when you make the hooves (feet) of the giraffe.
