LTTSA: Bucket Hats Part 2

Has everyone got their fabrics picked out for the reversible bucket hat? You guys have some really good ideas. The comments section is a goldmine of information, so keep blowing those comments up. Cecile had the genius idea of using laminated cotton on one side to make it a rain hat, which would be so adorable. And Sarah told of the glories of using freezer paper for tracing, which I am definitely trying on our next project.

Alright, let's get to it.

But wait, let's not get to it just yet. I had a little convo with Amanda (who seems to be done already. Woot! Wait, I don't say that.) about how much we both hate hand stitching. Well, I mostly hate it because I tend to suck at it. Also I'm impatient and I want my project done yesterday. So as I was constructing my first hat, it occurred to me that it would be very easy to do this without any hand stitching AT ALL. Some of you may have already figured this out, I don't know. But I'm going to do my second hat that way and show you that as well. So I realize I'm asking impatient people who don't like hand stitching to wait a few more days... sorry.

Anyway, let's get to the book's way. The tricky curvy parts are the same either way, so pay attention if those curves are vexing you.

Here is the Fabric A side of my hat after I have already sewn the side panels together and begun to pin it to the top. Those notches are really helpful huh? 

(switched to lining fabric, but same idea.) Now once you have the notches pinned together, the spots in between won't be lining up right, which is why we make more notches all the way around now. The book seems to show just slits, but I think actually cutting the little triangles out helps it stretch a little better. 

Also helpful on curves: A ridiculous amount of pinning. Trust me it helps. You don't want to get puckers in your curvy seam.

Then when you sew this seam, do it with the side panels on top and the circle underneath. This way, you can continually straighten out the side panel fabric as you go and avoid those puckers. 

Now take a break and see what your kid might look like as a surgeon.

(Fast forward a few hours, dinner and bedtime, lighting on my pictures changes...) Here are both my little skullcaps finished. Don't skip the edge stitching there along the top, it looks and feels a lot better that way.

Now here are all my brim pieces sewn together and turned right side out. I mostly just wanted to take this picture because I feel like this part alone could be stuffed and turned into some kind of frisbee toy. Maybe?

I also didn't skip the extra top stitching. I think this makes it look much more professional and cute. I even used brown top thread and blue bobbin thread (which I'm usually too lazy to match, but I'm glad I did here.)

Attach it to the top using the same notching and crazy-pinning technique above. Ta-dah! Bucket hat.

Although, not a reversible one. I will get around to stitching the other side on, but I was definitely not feeling it last night.

If you are doing a blind stitch, I like this video. It's a little hard to see what he is doing, but the way he explained it seemed clear to me.


But fear not! I will have my other method, sans hand stitching, all photographed for you in the next few days. In the meantime, you can at least put together your two little skull caps, just don't go further than that if you want to avoid the blood and tears of hand stitching. Ok, it's not that bad, but you know what I mean.

By the way, the fusible interfacing worked out just fine for me.
How is it going for you guys? And other ideas? Is anyone adding a little pocket like the book suggests?