STEP #6 PINNING (part II)

Set the CROWN LINING assembly aside.

1.) Take your 2 FLAPS and VISOR assemblies and fold each in half and mark the centers of each of these 3 pieces on the inside (un-interfaced side) unfinished edge.
2.) Begin with the FRONT FLAP and line up the center mark on the inside of the FLAP with the center seam on the outside front of the hat CROWN assembly. Adjust the top of the FLAP to line up with the top front edge of the CROWN assembly. It should line up perfectly at the top. The top-stitched seam of the FLAP should line up with the top-stitched seam in the CROWN assembly. If the FLAP piece is wider than the CROWN, don’t worry, you can trim of the excess in a later step. First, use straight pins to pin the front FLAP to the crown from the outside, alternating from one side to the other to achieve symmetry. Then do the same with the back FLAP lining up the center seam and making the FLAP piece level with the top of the back of the CROWN assembly. Overlap the back FLAP piece over the front FLAP piece at the sides of the CROWN. IF there is excess material at the unfinished edges of the FLAPS, mark it to be even with the CROWN assembly. Note which FLAP piece is now the front and which is the back. Draw a line where the CROWN assemblies shape meets the FLAPS. Un-pin. TRIM off the excess material of the FLAPS so it will line up perfectly with the CROWN. Re-Serge or re-machine baste the open edges of the FLAPS. Line up the center of the FRONT FLAP again with the center front seam of the CROWN assembly. Start pinning from the outside. Make sure these pieces are lined up. Then keeping the outside pins in place, pin the CROWN to the FRONT FLAP from the inside, starting at the center, alternating from side to side placing pins about every ½”. REPEAT with the BACK FLAP lining up centers, first pinning from the outside and then pinning from the inside. REMOVE ALL STRAIGHT PINS from the OUTSIDE of the hat assembly. KEEP ALL STRAIGHT PINS in place on the inside of the hat. ALL unfinished edges should be lined up. The BACK FLAP should be over the FRONT FLAP at both sides. The overlapped portions should be EXACTLY the same on both sides, All straight pins should be on the inside of this assembly and you should see all outside pieces facing the outside and the inside of this assembly should be the interfacing. If this is NOT what you are looking at right now, make your changes and be certain that what I just described is what you are going to sew. It should be looking a whole lot like an Imperial hat at this point.

STEP #7 SEWING (part II)


When you are satisfied with the shape the pinned pieces have created, CAREFULLY baste the hat assembly together about 3/8” from the raw edge with the straight pins still in the piece sewing from the INSIDE over the straight pins. Use your hand wheel to negotiate through the pins. Go very, very SLOWLY to avoid hitting any of the pins with your machine’s needle and wrecking your sewing machine.
Remove pins. Look at the hat. It should look like a visor-less unlined Imperial hat. If something is not looking right, take it apart now and re-align it all now.
If it looks great and fits together well, stitch another line of closer (12 s.p.i.) stitching directly over the basting stitches.
Imperial Officer's Hat tutorial steps 6 - 9
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STEP #8 MORE PINNING

Find the center of the VISOR assembly.
Line it up with the center of the FRONT FLAP and CROWN assembly.
Place the outside side of the VISOR (right side-to right side; face-to-face) against the outside of the FRONT FLAP. Line up the unfinished edges of both the VISOR and FRONT FLAP/CROWN assembly.
Start pinning from the outside center through all layers.
Alternate sides. The points of the VISOR should meet the point of the BACK FLAP at the sides of the hat. A slight overlap is fine. Don’t worry about it. If it does over lap, pin the points of the VISOR over the points of the BACK FLAP.
Once again, make sure this is all symmetrical. Both sides have the same amount of overlap or space. If not, un-pin and readjust.
When everything is in place, pin the VISOR to the hat CROWN assembly from the inside, starting at the center, alternating from side to side placing pins about every ½”. REMOVE ALL STRAIGHT PINS from the OUTSIDE of the hat assembly. KEEP ALL STRAIGHT PINS in place on the inside of the hat. ALL unfinished edges should be lined up.
When you are satisfied with the shape the pinned pieces have created, CAREFULLY baste the VISOR on to the hat assembly about 3/8” from the raw edge with the straight pins still in the piece sewing from the INSIDE over the straight pins. Use your hand wheel to negotiate through the pins. Go very, very SLOWLY to avoid hitting any of the pins with your machine’s needle and wrecking your sewing machine. You know the drill by now.
Remove pins. Fold the VISOR down. Look at the hat. Is it all symmetrical? Try it on. It should now look and feel like an unlined Imperial hat. If something is not looking right, take it apart now and re-align it again.
If it looks great and fits together well, flip the VISOR back up and stitch another line of closer (12 s.p.i.) stitching directly over the basting stitches on the VISOR.

Now flip out the VISOR and FLAPS away from the CROWN assembly and sew the seam allowance down around the inside of the hat with a row of top-stitching. You will be folding the seam allowance toward the CROWN pieces and stitching from the outside toward the inside. This will give you a very nice smooth, crisp fold-over edge around the hat and give you a great edge to sew the lining into. This topstitching will NOT be seen, because it is sewn in the CROWN pieces that are now under the FLAPS and VISOR pieces when the hat is folded back out.
This line of top-stitching also adds structure to the hat.

STEP #9 EVEN MORE PINNING

Take the HAT LINING ASSEMBLY and fit it into the top of the hat as precisely as possible. All seams will be facing each other. Line up the front and back CROWN seams in both the hat assembly and the lining assembly. All unfinished inside edges will be together. Pin the TOP of the lining in place to TOP of the using about 6 large safety pins. Carefully and slowly fold over the raw edge of the lining CROWN pieces into the CROWN pieces. Use pins to help keep the lining in place and to line it all up with out puckering or pulling. Take your time and keep re-adjusting it when ever necessary. As you are getting the shapes to line up perfectly, start pinning the edges of the lining under and into the hat assembly with straight pins spaced ½” apart or less. Pin the entire perimeter of the lining into the hat. All raw edges will now be inside the hat, unseen at any angle.