I've made a hat.
I used Vogue 8844, and the fabric is a soft ivory corduroy, harvested from a pair of Cassie’s old worn-out jeans that has been living in my good sammies pile for the past four or five years. As evidenced by that half gone leg there, these jeans were also the source of the White parliament, pictured here…The hat is lined with blue and ivory striped stuff leftover from Sam’s stripe-y shirt, and the inner seam finished with white grosgrain ribbon.
I felt pretty good about getting all of the hat pieces cut out from the jeans. Most of the pattern pieces were too big to cut out in one piece, on the grain and with the nap of the corduroy (they all are, btw… self pat on the back) So I had to do a bit of piecing. You can see some of the seams in this picture, but I’m OK with those seams. I feel too smugly virtuous about re-using old textiles to feel bad about a few extra seams in a thing! Eco-smugness; don’t you just hate that biz ;)
I wondered about the sizes, which is partiallywhy I decided to use a re-cycled textile for my first time making this pattern… not the main reason, I am firmly committed to mindfully re-using old textiles when I can. But anyway, about the sizing;
My head measurement almost exactly corresponded to the S, so I made this size. And I couldn’t be more thrilled with the fit, it cups my scone snugly and is neither tight nor loose. There was a brisk-ish breeze on the beach the day I wore my hat for the first time and photographed it here, and it stayed firmly and comfortably in place. I never felt it was in danger of flying away!
The sizing in this pattern works, y’all!!!
Some advice for those wishing to re-purpose those long skinny jeans leg pieces into a new sewing project requiring wider pieces? I recommend doing all the piecing for each component, using your pattern piece as a rough guide as to where and how much to add on, and leaving at leasta few centimetres leeway around all the edges. Stick religiously to cutting the joining edges and sewing seams along the grainline of the fabric AND ensure fabric nap is consistent. After sewing pieces together, lay the patchworked piece down flat and only then accurately cut out the pattern piece. This way is much easier than accurately cutting out little part-pieces and then trying to join them together to fit the pattern piece. J
Details:
Hat; Vogue 8844, ivory corduroy
Top; the bamboo shoot top, Pattern Magic by Tomoko Nakamichi, white linen, details here
Shorts; Burda 7723 slightly modified, embroidered yellow cotton, details here
Pattern Description:
Four lined hats, each offered in XS, S, M and L. A; contrast lining, D; contrast band and bow.
Pattern Sizing:
XS 52cm (20.5 in), S 55cm (21.5 in); M 57cm (22.5 in); L 60cm (23.5 in) I made the S.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
Yes. I made view C, leaving off the chin straps.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
It is a nice stylish hat, easy to make. The slightly shaped top and crown lend a chic, vaguely Indiana Jones-ish air to the hat.
Really, there is absolutely nothing to dislike about this pattern; it’s a hat, and it works!
Fabric Used:
Cotton corduroy
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
None. But if a wider brimmed hat was desired; it would be a cinch to just add a few centimeters on to the outer edge of the brim curve to achieve this.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I expect so, and yes :)
Conclusion:
This is a great basic pattern which I think will be very useful. I made mine in ivory corduroy for a summery-looking, wide-brimmed sunhat, but as illustrated on the pattern envelope it would work equally well made up in tweed or a richly coloured velvet or some other winter appropriate fabric to make a smart version for winter.
let's play spot the dog again
