Wide brim fisherman's hat

Once upon a time, somebody asked how to make one of these hats. I can't find that post, Ah well.

THE HAT


1. Take your measurement. The hatband should be 2 inches longer around than your head measurement (Plus seam allowances! I used 5/8inch.) Decide how tall you want your hat to be on your head. My hatband is 4 inches tall, plus seam allowances. You also need an additional piece the same length that is 2 inches wide, to 'finish' the inside of the hat. An explanation is in the instructions to follow...
Edit: Seriously, you do need 2 extra inches, layers of fabric at the head hole will shrink the measurement to fit your head correctly.

2. Measure your sewn hatband's circumference. This is the circumference of the top of your hat, including your seam allowances. Here, I use 1/4 inch when sewing the top to the hatband. Note that my hat top is in an oval shape. The hatband may be slightly larger than the hat top. Just stretch the bias portions of the top, to fit. Alternatively, the hat top could also be round.

3. Decide how wide the hat brim should be. Mine is 6 inches, including seam allowances. Be sure to have your brim in an oval shape, because your head is... oval. The hole for your head should be 1 1/2 inches smaller in circumference than your finished hatband is.


to be continued...

The brim consists of two layers of your fabric, plus an additional piece for an 'interfacing'. I used a thin stiff canvas for my interfacing. Anything that has a similar stiffness to denim jeans when new will work, though it does not need to be that thick. The three layers are sewn together on the outside of the brim. The interfacing needs to be sandwiched between the colored fabric once the brim is turned, see above.

I use 1/4 inch seam allowances on most of my curves in any project I sow. I have found that this allowance usually does not require clipping to make it lay flat when the project is turned right side out.

Now the brim needs to be stitched to hold its shape. I used a spiral shape on this brim. I don't like how it looks when backstitching concentric circles. Trust me, it looks baaad.
Edit: Not shown are the multitude of straight pins used on the hat brim to prevent the 3 layers from sliding out of shape. I had to place them at least every 3 inches, all over the surface of the brim. Sliding layers result in a wonky-looking brim that will not stay flat.






To be continued...

The shape of the outside edge of the brim will not exactly echo the inside edge of the brim. Just follow your spiral to complete the topstitching of the brim.



Mark your hat brim, bands, and crown in quarters, keeping track of the front and back markings.


Sew crown to the wide band, keeping track of the center front and center back markings throughout the assembly. Some stretching, or bunching of the edges may be necessary to make it fit.
Sew to hatband, being sure to line up the center front and center back properly. Minor stretching of the brim may be necessary to make it fit.
Sew hat band lining to the hat, lining up the center front and center back.



Now the hat band lining needs to have a finished edge, I folded to the inside about 5/8 inch and topstitched it.

Now all layers of the hat must be sewn through, topstitching them in place at the hat band. This keeps the lining and layers in place. I find that I need to keep checking that all layers are where they belong. They like to move out of place, even with many pins.


Try on your hat. Decide how you want it to look, when the brim is snapped up in place. Mark the placements of the snaps. I used Dritz 14008 Heavy Duty Snaps.

If you wish to insert a string, I use Dritz Eyelets, shown below. In this application, I find that the eyelets stay in place without further need of reinforcing. Not shown is the string. I insert a shoestring, from under the hat, tieing it in place after knotting a slide under the chin where it looks right. I usually need to cut off an excess of shoestring after knotting it off to prevent the string from pulling out and getting lost.... Invariably the string disappears as the wearer is busy working. Expect to replace this repeatedly.


All done!