To appreciate the design of a hat, it is helpful to look at its structure and basic components. The crown of the hat sits on top of your head above the brim. The bucket hat has an additional top piece. The brim of the hat is the horizontal part that extends from the crown and offers variable amounts of shade to the face, ears, and neck. It can be turned up or down, in the front and/or the back. Many hats have a decorative headband that wraps around the crown of the hat Grosgrain, leather, or a braided material make attractive headbands. The image illustrates a bias cut, self-fabric headband.

A visor is a brim projecting from the front of a cap. Stiffness is governed by the weight of interfacing sandwiched between the fabric of the visor and its underside. Some interfacing materials are Buckram, horse hair, and plastic canvas.

Hats may have a lining, often a satin material, that protects the hat from stains and sweat. The inner band or sweatband also protects the hat from sweat and allows for a comfortable fit. Some headbands are adjustable, like the one on the left. It is common to see headbands made from Petersham ribbon, a millinery grosgrain ribbon, as in the hat on the right.

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A few interesting hat projects have emerged from upcycled materials.

A pair of vintage camouflage pants became a bush hat. The brush stroke pattern of Rhodesian camouflage was trimmed with crown loops made from twill tape of the waist tie. The hat was lined with 100% cotton and the same twill tape was used on the inside hat band which hugs the head.

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At a neighbourhood yarn shop, a ball of yarn was found with strands of upcycled denim and cotton intertwined. It was crocheted into a brimmed cloche with a brickwork design. Meanwhile, a tired leather sofa allowed experimentation with two hat variations, one a bucket hat and the other a newsboy cap.

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The bucket hat is back. Take note of it topping heads on the street, in the garden, out fishing, and even on the runway,  Bucket hats are symmetrical with a flat crown shape and down-facing brim. Soft, simple, solid-coloured  fabrics like cotton, twill, and canvas have commonly been used for this style of hat, but today’s versions run the gamut from straw to faux fur, from floral prints to gingham plaids.

Most can attractively wear a bucket hat by paying attention to details that flatter the face shape. For instance, the style for a person with a long face is one with a fitted crown and wide brim. This is in contrast to someone with a round face who will more likely choose a hat with a shallow crown and wear it farther back on the head. 

Sometimes function governs the design of a bucket hat. Also known as the boonie hat or bush hat, the bucket had its place in the rainforests and jungles during the Vietnam war. Its features included a wider brim, sewn-in loops in the crown to store small pieces of gear, a chinstrap, and foldability to stuff in a pocket or sac.

Custom-making a hat with a water-resistant breathable fabric allowed this disc golf player to play in all weather. He requested a short brim so that he could hear and see well on the course.

September brings to my mind the start of school, cooler days, and Vancouver rain. Yesterday, I saw huddles of umbrellas shielding students at the 99 UBC B-line bus stop. Soon there will be rain jackets and boots, but will there be hats?

The original hats that I sewed were of water-resistant, breathable fabrics. It was not easy sourcing out such fabric for the home sewer. A trip to the Yukon yielded better results. This kind of fabric is routinely used for outerwear of dogsled mushers who want to stay dry.

Back home and armed with a few metres of fabric, I set about sewing a woman’s hat. My wish was to create something both functional and stylish. Before I attached the hat lining, I taped all the seams so rain water would not penetrate the holes created by stitching. The only spot not protected by the tape was the centre top where I had hand sewn a button. I covered the button with the same weather-resistant fabric and it was large enough to act as an umbrella over that spot.

Rain, rain…come again another day.

The inspiration? A friend’s well-worn garden hat? The ripple of a child’s hat brim? The patina of a leather sofa?

Sewing hats began for me with a Vogue pattern and Italian menswear wool. I have always loved working with fine materials. My reasoning went along the lines of, “Why put in the effort unless you have high quality luxurious fabric in your hands?”

Imagine my surprise in the gift of leather from a discarded sofa. Some of the leather was ripped or dull and worn, but most was supple and a rich cognac colour. I felt that the simple lines and easy seams of a bucket hat would be a do-able first leather project. Experimentation on my Bernina sewing machine with a needle designed for denim jeans resulted in the basic hat. Finishing touches came after much contemplation, a trip to a leather workshop, and internet research. I used a chisel and waxed linen thread in a contrasting colour to overcast the brim. An online video informed the braid that embellishes the crown.

I enjoyed the challenge of creating my first leather hat and transforming something old to new. I have named this hat Woodstock.

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Left: Toddler’s Bucket Hat with rippled brim (40% Wool, 24% Cotton, 18% Silk, 18% Viscose)

Right: Baby’s Charmed Cloche with flower (100% Cotton)

A selection of hats is now available at a fashion boutique in Point Grey Village:

Tenth & Proper, 4483 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C., 604-222-1115

A selection of children’s hats from beanie to bucket in assorted yarns and colours

Water-resistant, mesh-lined bucket hat

Vintage camouflage bucket hat lined with 100% cotton

47% Wool, 47% Cotton, 6% Nylon
Pattern by Maria Bittner, Pattern Paradise