Thursday, March 29, 2012

Little Things to Sew - Bucket Hat

Well, this took longer than I thought it would. Have you ever heard that from me before??? ;) The story of my life. I think when I die, at age 110 or so, that should be inscribed on my headstone. Got that Jess 'n Nate? But then, you'll be in your 80's, so you might not remember. Ha!

This is my last project for the Little Things to Sew sew-along. The project for the month was an Explorer Vest with lots of pockets for collecting things. Courtney didn't want one, though, so I opted to do the Bucket Hat, since I missed out on that one before I joined the sew-along. The hat was easy to make. I took me longer only because I embellished it some. Here's the hat, and please pardon my "milk jar" model. Courtney wasn't available for photos when I finished the hat today.

(Click any photo to enlarge.)

Yes, it's reversible. The band on each side was one of the things I added. I'd seen a cute one here with a band, so I wanted one, too. It wasn't hard to add, but it just made it take a little longer.

I'd actually thought about making this hat already last summer. But I knew that it would need a strap to hold it on in the horrendous winds we get out here on the prairie (like up to nearly 50 mph last Mon. and Tues.!). Yet I wanted the hat to still be reversible. I couldn't figure out a good way to do it, so I never did get the hat made last summer. Then this month I decided to make the hat for the sew-along, so I started wondering again how it could be done. One night at supper the solution suddenly popped into my head! It was so simple!

Here's what I did:


I put a buttonhole just above the brim on each side. Then I made a strap and put a button at each end of it to fasten to the hat. It can be fastened from either side, so the hat can still be reversed! See?


I used a 2-inch strip of velcro to fasten it under the chin, making it somewhat adjustable. So the strap is actually two pieces.


The cool thing is that if you've already made the hat and want to add a strap, you can! I did the buttonholes and strap after the rest of the hat was completed. In fact, here IS Courtney modeling the hat before I finished it! (There always has to be a little goofiness nowadays. Must be the age. I love it!)


The project was not without its struggles. Since the hat is made of canvas (Jess's fabric), that made dealing with the four layers where I put the buttonholes pretty difficult. My buttonholer had no trouble going through it, but I couldn't get them as close to the seams as I wanted, not to mention that I'd intended to make them vertical, not horizontal, but couldn't. Plus it made them terribly hard to cut open! I had to use an exacto knife to cut them, and I did end up cutting some of the stitches, so I used fabric glue to hold them down. It looks a little messy, but it still works, and it doesn't really show under the buttons.


I also had a little pucker problem attaching the brim to the top. It looked better than this BEFORE I ripped out the stitches and resewed it! I should've left it alone. And I wasn't about to do it again!


But all in all, I'm very pleased with the hat, and I love that it has a strap and is still reversible! :)

Linking up to Amylouwho's Sew & Tell:




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30 comments:

Jessica Jones said...

Oh my goodness. This is the cutest thing EVER; you're so smart! I love love love those pix of Courtney wearing it! I'm gonna have to print them out!

The Luedtke Family said...

Reversible is nice, like you get two projects when completed! I like the hat.

LiEr said...

I knew it! It was one of those brilliant, SIMPLE, why-didn't-I-think-of-that solutions, indeed! Buttons! With buttonholes which go through to both sides! Why didn't I think of that? Grandma G, you are so smart!

And the hat is gorgeous. With Jess's fabric, it just pops! And don't think I didn't notice how the band edges lined up perfectly (in that buttonhole photo). And are you using your new light tent? It's very nice. I want camera lights. I've been lucky this mild winter, being able to take outdoor photos so much, but I think I must get some lights for night photos, too. Off to add them to my wish list!

Mel said...

great idea with the buttons! I'm going to have to borrow it when I make one for my littlest

Anonymous said...

Very cool! In more ways than one!

Audrey

Rae said...

Oh super cute!!

And yes, it turned out perfectly (I remember talking about this with you last year!!)!

:)

So fun, and of course I love Jess' fabrics!!!

Live a Colorful Life said...

This is SUCH a cute hat! And those pictures of Courtney as just too adorable!

Grandma G said...

Thanks, everyone! And yes, LiEr, I used the light tent! Lovin' it for sure!!

Grace said...

Adorable hat. Adorable little model. Love the choice of fabric and color. Can't wait to see her wearing it. If only we all looked so darn cute in a hat!

Grandma G said...

Thanks, Grace! Yeah, I don't look nearly that good in my garden hat. ;(

Anonymous said...

Hi, I'm visiting via A Little Gray! I love your hat. The fabric is so striking and the strap is such a brilliant idea. That looks like one happy little girl!

SarahB said...

The hat is so CUTE! Love how you fussy cut the fun fabric for the top, and the strap is a great addition.

Sharon said...

This is my favorite bucket hat ever made! I'll have to try this.

Katie said...

Great hat, my daughter needs something like that. Except I need to be able to glue it to her head, because she'd rip that velcro strap off in two seconds! :-)

Grandma G said...

Thank you so much, everyone, for all the kind words!

Jenny said...

This was one of my favorite projects from the sew along-- your bucket hat looks fantastic! And what a wonderful way to attach the straps! Very cool!

Grandma G said...

Thanks, Jenny! And thanks to everyone for stopping by!

Heather said...

What an adorable little hat! And it looks so cute on her, too. You did a great job! :o)

Grandma G said...

Thanks, Heather!

Rebekah B. said...

SO cute. What a great idea to add a strap AND to make it attachable to either side. Brilliant!

Jessica said...

the reversible strap is genius!

Grandma G said...

Thank you!

annie dee said...

An update - I loved this hat so much I found an adult size pattern and made one for a girlfriend! This weekend, I'm making one for myself! THANKS

Grandma G said...

Way to go! Was it a free pattern/tutorial? If so, can you post a link?

Are you putting chin straps on them? ;)

annie dee said...

I was so inspired by this hat, I went and found a pattern for adults [Simplicity http://www.simplicitynewlook.com/files/File/BucketHatPattern.pdf] and made one! The first one went to my BFF. The second one is going to be mine. THANKS for the inspiration!!

Grandma G said...

You're welcome! Thanks for the link. Unfortunately, it didn't work... possibly because it's for the PDF file of the pattern you paid for? At least I can look up the hat at Simplicity now.

Grandma G said...

Ooohh, I found it! And it's free! Let's try this link:
http://www.simplicitynewlook.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=126

That must be the one, right?

Thanks, Annie Dee!

annie dee said...

yup that's the one. sorry about the link mix up. fyi my head measures 22 in around [because of my very thick hair, of course ;.) ]. and the largest choice of size is a little tight. size the pattern up if yours measures more (or you have thick curls).

Claire (aka Seemane) said...

Hi there Grandma G, I've been searching for the free Simplicity Bucket Hat pattern - but they seem to have removed it from their website. Would you have a copy at all - and if yes, would you be kind enough to email it to me please?

My email address is on my blog profile (www.sew-incidentally.com) top-right corner of the page.

Many thanks,
Claire :)

Grandma G said...

Sorry, Claire... I didn't save that pattern, only the link to it. Maybe Annie Dee might still have it? I emailed you something else, though.