Design Your Own Hat Patterns

I have made several hats since I posted that last tutorial  - mostly prototypes using unbleached cotton (muslin).

All that practise has led to this very satisfactory model:

You can't tell but this hat has a lot of professional features, including a headband inside that can be used to make the crown adjustable. Or simply to hide the seam joining the brim to the crown.

The crown itself is made up of six triangles: three of one fabric and three of another. I did this for fun but it would be a nice way of using up fabric scraps.

Altogether I have used three different fabrics: two for the crown, one of which is the top of the brim and the other the underside, and a third fabric for the lining, the inner band and the ties.

I need to sew ties on all my hats because I live in a windy area. I will add a toggle stopper later.

Here is the inside view: 

These are the tutorials I'm using for learning how to design my own hat patterns.

(1) This one is in English:

(2) And this one is in Spanish:

And in case you're wondering, this is the hat that inspired me to make this kind of crown.

Copyright Lorenna Buck

Here it the link to download the pdf:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByMIjXDMS7wCdWpCWXp4REtDM28/view

There are lots of hat tutorials online, but very few with such professional lessons.

Thanks to these tutorials I have progressed in leaps and bounds in my hatmaking project.

The Best Hatmaking Tutorial Ever

There is no talking and you don't need it because it's all so clear.

There are two hat styles, both fully reversible.

Note the difference: the one on the left is a true bucket, while the one on the right has a wider brim which is shorter on one side.

Printing the pattern didn't work for me - too small in spite of selection "actual size"; the reason I'm posting this is because of the excellent explanation - as free lessons go, it's the best, and I will use it for future hats.

From Bag to Hats, An Easy Transition

My Afternoon Bucket Hat For Windy Walks

May 2020: I am posting this as a destination for those looking for the pattern that I used for this hat.

The hat is called The Afternpon Bucket Hat, and I got the FREE pattern from a generous lady. Jennifer Jacobs, who lives in Scotland. She publishes it on her blog - well worth visiting by the way.

This is the link for the pattern AND her very excellent photo tutorial.

Mine is made of 100% cotton, and I used woven, fusible interfacing on all but the inner cap (the lining). I wanted a hat that was not so casual as hers. The interfacing gave it just the body I wanted.

The interfacing is Pellon SF 101 Shape-Flex. I love that stuff and buy it in quantity because I never want to run out.

Here is a link to the product, with a video.

The ties are my own addition. It's very windy where I live! I happened to have some narrow bias binding in my ribbon drawer, so I used that.

In my Facebook post to the Craft Passion Mask group, I posted a link to another FREE bucket hat pattern, the Sorrento Bucket Hat. This is it:

Not me! The model from Elbe Textiles
 (c) Elbe Textiles.

The "bucket" shape is more pronounced. It's easy to make and the result is a very nice hat.

This is the link for the free download. It looks like you have to pay but it really is free.

The blog belongs to Lauren, a designer who lives in Perth, Australia.

I encourage you to try making hats. They take very little skill, you can really be creative with them, and the result is great for the ego because everyone will compliment you on your hat!

February Bag of the Month

My February FrouFrou Bag

When I saw the name of the February bag (Windowshopper, by Mrs. H.), I knew exactly which of the fabrics in my stash I would use! What a perfect excuse.

No pocket on the front, just a large one on the back and the two interior ones.

I made the interior zipped pocket extra wide and deep so I could drop my (overstuffed) wallet in there, eliminating the need for a separate handbag. To keep it from pulling on the pocket, I stitched it all around to the lining.  

For the strap, I use cotton twill whenever I can, so I did this time. It's so sturdy that with the four layers obtained normally it doesn't need interfacing, but just to be safe I usually top stitch it up to five times - depending on the width. I also like the effect you get with that.

I used both Fray Chek and glue for the grommets - fingers crossed!

The fabric is part of the “Frou Frou” series, by Kathleen Francour for SPX Fabrics. This one consists of a large panel in the center, surrounded by several smaller panels. It's sold by the panel, and it's my understanding that this sort of design is normally used for quilts.

I have two others fabric from the same series, both with allover designs on the same theme; I used one of them for the back of the bag. I think I’ll make a large shopping bag out of one of the matching fabrics, then I’ll be all set when I go to town. 

The Four-Hour Gift

A while back I posted about this sewing organizer that I made for myself. (Here is the link.)

This was the caddy-cum-sewing-room-organizer that I made, but since I had had to improvise so much I was unable to give good directions.

Well, next week is my club's Christmas dinner and the highlight of it is the gift exhange. (No, it's not the dry turkey with awful dressing, lumpy mashed potatoes and boiled carrots that is the highlight!)

I'm in the middle of producing several bag samples for a potential client, so I needed to make something nice, multipurpose, and fast.

So I thought I might as well write down the procedure, for myself and for anyone out there who might need a quick-to-make gift at any time of the year.

This project took me exactly four hours.

MATERIALS

You need two or three different fabrics: one for the exterior, another for the interior, and possibly a third one for the binding. I will call them Fabric A, Fabric B, and Fabric C.

You also need a stabilizer like fleece or foam, fusible or not, and a fusible interfacing. This latter could be light weight or medium weight, depending on the type of fabric. It gets fused to half of the exterior pocket fabric, and it gives body to the pockets.

You need a "#10" can - that is, a can that measures 6.25 inches in diameter and 7 inches in height. I used a 3-lb coffee can from Costco.
FABRIC A: Cut 2 pieces measuring 7.5 inches by 20.5 inches - one for the exterior and one for the interior. Caution! Depending on the thickness of the fabric and of the stabilizer used, you might need an extra half-inch on the width, so I would recommend starting with 21 inches, and adjusting later if necessary. Also take into account that your fabric may shrink when you fuse the stabilizer.

Cut 1 piece measuring 10 by 20.5 inches for the interior pockets (optional).

Cut 2 circles measuring 6.5 inches across for the bottom.

FABRIC B: Cut 1 piece measuring 10 inches by 34.5 inches for the exterior pockets.

FABRIC C: Cut 2 strips measuring 3 inches by 20.5 inches. This is for the binding, and it doesn't have to be cut on the bias.


STABILIZER (Fleece or Foam): Cut 1 piece measuring 7.5 by 20.5 inches for the exterior. This does not have to be one piece. I often assemble several pieces with a zigzag stitch as this material is quite expensive. See photo further on.

(Optional: another similar piece for the interior. I didn't use one.)

Cut two circles of 6 inches in diameter, for the bottom.

INTERFACING: Cut 1 piece measuring 5 inches by 34.5 inches, for the exterior pockets. This does not have to be all in one piece - see photo. I used Pellon SF101.

***********

PROCEDURE

Iron all Fabric A, B, and C pieces.

Fold the exterior pocket piece in two along the length; do the same with the interior pocket piece. (Fabric B)

Fuse interfacing to one half of the exterior pocket piece, on the wrong side.

This piece measures 34.5 inches, but interfacings come in a 20-inch width, so you will have to join several pieces. A slight overlap like this works very well.

Fuse stabilizer (fleece or foam) to the exterior piece (Fabric A), on the wrong side. (If using non-fusible stabilizer, baste it all around with a long stitch.)

Here you can see how I joined two remnants with a zigzag stitch.

Fuse stabilizer (fleece of foam) to both circles (Fabric A), on the wrong side.

Note the extra quarter-inch of fabric all around.

If you use non-fusible stabilizer, don't baste it, just pin it in place for the moment.

On the exterior piece mark a line half an inch from each end at the very bottom, then divide the rest of the space evenly. This will give you seven lines approximately 2 and 3/4 inches apart.

With a disappearing marker, extend those lines to the top.

Take the exterior pocket piece, mark a line half an inch from each end at the very bottom, then divide the rest of the space evenly. This will give you seven lines approximately 4 and ¾ inches apart.

With a disapearing marker, extend those lines to the top.

Place the pocket piece on top of the exterior piece, then join the lines at the bottom and at the top; pin in place.

Sew along the lines to attach the pockets, backstitching carefully at the top.

Fold and clip or pin half an inch at each end of each pocket.

Sew or baste along the bottom, ¼ inch from the edge. (You may want to baste this by hand if you're not sure.)

Now comes the most crucial step: fitting around the can to see if it fits! 

You should have from ¼ to ½ inch overlap for your seam, but don't be surprised if it's a tight fit, and if it's too tight, don't panic, just add a strip of binding. (Trust me, this can happen to anyone, and it has happened to me twice!)

Attach the folded inner pocket piece to the inner piece on the long side, at the bottom. 

To do this, place any side of the pocket to the wrong side of the inner piece, then flip it to the right side of the inner piece. The seam allowance will be on the inside.

Press the seam, then sew vertical lines at distances that will suit your purposes. (I did mine at 2.5 inches because I use them for skinny tools.)

Assemble the outside and the inside with a length of binding between the two.

A good way to do this is to fold in and press half an inch at each long edge, then to sew each side very close to the edge.

Alternatively, you may join the binding to each piece right side to right side, or one of each, as I did.

Now sew some binding to the bottom of the exterior piece, using your favourite method. I like Annie Unrein's technique of simply folding the binding (without ironing), sewing raw edges together on one side, then flipping the binding to the other side, and sewing that down.

Test around the can again for fit, then sew the two raw edges together with the proper seam allowance.

You now have a tube.

If the seam allowance is very small,  overstitch the seam with a zigzag or overcast stitch.

Turn the tube inside out.

Assemble the bottom disks, wrong side to wrong side, with a zigzag or overcast stitch

Then place it on the bottom of the can.













Finally, slip the tube over the can, arrange the inside part carefully all around...

Et voilà!

















Good Luck!

If you have any questions, ask them here in the Comments.

A Travel Blanket For My Next Trip

This post is really out of order! What I should be talking about right now is this Travel Set:

Instead, I want to show off this cute project I just finished this morning.

It's something I've wanted for a long time. I don't know about you, but air conditioning and drafts drive me nuts, and airplanes and trains and buses are places where you can't avoid them and can't control them.

It's a Travel Blanket. This travel blanket. It's 48 inches wide by 60 inches long. (122 x 158 cm), and as you can see, it comes with its own carrier.

I found it in a tutorial on Nancy's Notions website. Not surprisingly, she sells the book/DVD, so I ordered it.

Travel Gear Made Easy is the title -- Mary Mulari is the author.

It just so happened that fleece was on sale at Fabricville, yes, even the animal print, which is a particular favourite of mine.

I happened to have 10 metres of beige corduroy that I had bought there during the $1 a metre sale.

I also had enough black zipper by the yard left for two zippers, and a length of black bias tape leftover from when I practised making one continuous strip of tape that I had learned from this video. And several yards of black webbing.

No excuses, right?

The flap has two pockets: one exterior one (notice the cool fully exposed zipper!)

And one secret interior one, accessible by flipping the flap.

You deploy the blanket by lifting the flap, which is attached by a strip of hook and loop tape. (AKA Velcro.)

Lastly, the handle is just the right size to slip over the handle of a suitcase.

See photo above for proper folding!

This is one of those projects that can be started and finished in one day, and I must say it's the most fun I've had sewing in a long time!

ADAPTING BETZ WHITE'S WEEKEND DUFFEL

Disclosure: I love Craftsy classes. When I see the list of classes I've taken, I know where my budget overages have been going!

One of my favourites is this one:

As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to make this bag. I liked everything about it: the decorative corners, the pocket, the two types of carrying straps...