mala_14 | Cute Hat (Reply)

A lot of the early Regency hats I was looking at are labelled Chapeau de Velours (Velvet Hat), and I conveniently had some leftover red velveteen, so that's what I'm making my hat out of. I drafted a pattern based on measurements from a baseball cap and some trial-and-error for the brim. This is the pattern I came up with:

The long strip/band is 23 inches long and 2 inches wide. The crown (circle) is 14 inches in diameter. You can tell from my try-on that this is too small. All pieces have a 1/2 inch seam allowance.

I interfaced the brim using fusible interfacing. (Totally cheating and historically inaccurate, but as this is my first hat and sort of a trial run, I didn't care enough to do anything about it. It works.) Gathered up the crown. And sewed the long strip into a band.

I sewed the brim to the band.

And then I pinned and sewed the gathered crown to the band.

Next I'm going to hand sew a cotton twill tape to the inside of the band to cover up all the raw edges and finish the band. Then trim it if I have time. I'd like some tassels and pompoms, because they are classic silly Regency trims.

Aside from the too small crown, which should be poufier, I'm really pleased with how it's turning out. I think it's pretty cute. :)