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Jun 3, 2014

Hats Entertainment or "Kicked the Bucket"



I've been told I have a pretty good hat head -- or is it hat face?



As a few readers have pointed out recently, however, my head is more oval than round, which I suspect means that I should stick to more oval hats.  A bucket hat is so-named because it's shaped like a bucket.  A bucket is round.





I'm beginning to think maybe I should avoid bucket hats altogether, or save them for the beach.  Maybe I've outgrown them.

Today I completed my hat.  It was not a walk in the park.  You really have to pay attention to your layers.  A machine with excellent piercing power is a must.



Grading your seam allowances can be hazardous -- Ouch! 



(Fortunately I was able to fix that.)

There's a lot of trimming and clipping involved.  You must keep trying the hat on at every stage to make sure it's going to fit.  I trimmed the inside of the brim more than once.



The pattern pieces are somewhat approximate.  The fit really depends on how much give your fabric has, and what type of interfacing you use.  I had to re-stitch the sides of the hat to make them narrower as there was too much fabric to ease into the brim (even though I had widened the brim quite a bit).

There are easier ways to finish a hat like this, imo, than what the pattern suggests. especially if you're willing to use bias tape.  This pattern has you attach the crown lining by hand -- who wants to bother with that? 

OK, so my finished hat looked like this.







All I could think of was this:



It was a nice-looking hat and well-made.



But the brim was 3/4" wider than my favorite madras hat up above.  So I took my shears to it and narrowed the brim by 3/4".









Next, I cut bias tape out of my fabric and enclosed the trimmed edge.





I like the narrower brim better.  It's much less floppy.





In closing, should I just stick to newsboy caps and fedoras?

Have a great day, everybody!

25 comments:

  1. I do like your improved narrower hat-rim.....the wider was too flouncy...reminded me of my grandma's beach hat. Now, yours is wearable. I've made some hats before, and you're right that they aren't a walk in the park. Harder than they look! Nice job...keep wearing it.

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  2. The fedoras and newsies are great on you, but some days just call for a bucket hat. Your alterations really make the hat more attractive and professional.

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  3. This looks like every cap my husband puts on his great big head. Too small. My gut feel is that the depth of the cap is insufficient. A bucket hat needs depth or it looks like a skull cap with a skirt.

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  4. I love that hat, the fabric really works for me. Love the last 30 seconds of your Vlogging, how hilarious it was with the doll. A question that was on my mind that I forgot to ask: did you use some kind of special effect when your head appeared behind the doll or was I being fooled by some "cheap" visual trick?

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  5. It definitely looks more proportional with the narrower brim. I think you rock newsboy caps, but it's no bad thing to have a range of different hats in your wardrobe, to suit every mood and occasion.

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  6. I think I'm probably pretty strict on bucket hats: they should not be worn by those off age in my opinion. The fodoras on Newsboy caps look great on you though.
    I hear you re how much work such a bucket hat is. I made one for my baby niece the other day and had the exact same issues. Although she looks adorable I still think they are a lot of work for what they are...

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  7. I like it. The material is awesome. Your new hat makes me think of Hawaii. That should fit in with your summer wardrobe.
    Aloha from Josie

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  8. I agree with eb above: the hat looks too small. Otherwise, I do like the style and fabric on you. Newsies and fedoras are great, but sometimes life just calls for something more casual, particularly in the summer when we might want a bit more coverage from the sun.

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  9. i have never pictured a bucket hat as the hat you're showing and describing. bucket hats to me are shaped, well, like BUCKETS: tall, squared off top, and a short brim. have i been wrong my whole life? (wouldn't be the first time)

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  10. You're my go-to guy for hat advice! I used your newsboy hat posts to design and make my own academic regalia doctoral tam a few weeks ago. Those little velvet tammies cost $130, but with your expertise, $5 of upholstery velvet, and a $15 bullion tassel, I had the best-fitting faculty headwear at graduation. Thank you so much!
    As for your bucket hat, well, you seem to be able to wear anything with panache.

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  11. The fabric is great, the smaller brim is great, but the hat really does look too small for you.

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  12. I could see this re-done as a Gilligan hat or a sailor's cap. Now that I've seen some of the process of how to make a casual beach hat, I just might try one.

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  13. I think the pattern needs to be graded to be larger and reworked to be more of an oval shape rather than a circular shape to fit your oval shaped head.

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  14. I think it could be a bit deeper in the cap part on a future rendition but who am I to say since I really don't know. Since it is like one you like and wear, well that tells the whole story since it feels right to you. I love the hat though I did cringe when you said you took the scissors to the brim. Then I saw that it looks really good with that bias edge so should I ever do one, bias edge it is. Love the hat, must try one sometime for me. I have only done a few when the girls were children. Very nice work.

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  15. I think your hat looks awesome, but if you're looking for a fedora pattern, there are some out there - I really like fedoras, and I know this pattern is a bit expensive, but it is so cute and I thought you might be interested: https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/162571800/fedora-hat-pattern-adult-sizes-you-sew

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  16. Have you ever tried making an ivy cap? I am going to using this pattern.

    http://aboutgoodness.com/mens-flat-cap-gatsby-hat-pattern-diy-tutorial/

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  17. I think the gentle remark ‘the pattern pieces are somewhat approximate’ might translate to ‘another pattern where poor results are not the fault of the home sewer’. (For a lovely example though not a hat pattern see Laurel Suzanne’s recent review of B6085 on Pattern Review). Your fixes for possible pattern inadequacy and for the design not being quite what you liked have resulted in another terrific item. If you like your new round bucket, wear it happily on your oval head. I reckon any aesthetic disadvantage caused by mismatch in shape would be offset by the good effect on posture and expression that comes with wearing clothes one likes. That’s why I’m typing this at home with a head cold on a Melbourne winter day wearing the good wool trousers and vest that I usually reserve for the office- I’m sick of feeling soggy an miserable in my pjs and want to feel smart and alert.

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  18. Well you had me researching patterns to make my own, so that's always a sign you've made something good!

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  19. I like the bias tape around the brim edge. Cool detail.
    Making bucket hats for my great-nieces right now.
    They are 3 & 5 yrs old so I am using a free pattern from Oliver & S. I've already changed the sewing construction to make it easier to sew.
    There's no right way to make a bucket hat but they can look wrong very easily on people over 25.
    I agree with several commenters that your hat top needs to be more ovoid with taller sides.

    I leave you with this video I discovered produced by two self-taught guy sew-ers making a bucket hat.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B41hkMruO4

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  20. We must remember to keep the sun off our delicate skin, so a bucket hat (or something similarly brimmed) is sometimes in order. Your fix made it much better.

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  21. My husband has a large round oval head, and would have trouble with a round hat. He has a very hard time with motorcycle helmets because of it. It seems to me, if you take shirt patterns etc. and adjust them to fit your body, then hats should be the same. They should fit the shape of your uniquely shaped head. I like your hat, but it looks too small from front to back in my opinion. The circumference of the hat might be the same as yours, but the shape is not quite there. Not to say you can't wear the hat of course. The trimming of the brim was an excellent idea.

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  22. i like the your revised hat,Bucket hats are Sweet! Beautiful Talent you have ,Your blessed!Love Love your blog,and everything about ya! You Rock!

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