STEP # 4 BEGIN SEWING

1.) Machine baste (~8 s.p.i. stitch per inch) 5 pairs of pieces as follows:

VISOR = right sides together baste 1 interfaced piece to 1 plain piece along the long edge

FLAPS = (2 sets) right sides together baste 1 interfaced piece to 1 plain piece along the long edge for both FLAPS

CROWN OUTER PIECES = right sides together, baste BOTH INTERFACED pieces together at the short ends forming a wide cone shape. This will become the outside of the crown.

CROWN INNER PIECES = right sides together, baste BOTH PLAIN FABRIC pieces together at the short ends forming a wide cone shape. This will become the lining of the crown.

@ this point, slide the two CROWN pieces inside each other, seams together and try it on your head. If it is way too loose, baste again, this time a little further in. If it is already very snug, rip out the basting and baste again a little further out.

2.) If you have a serger, serge these basted seams. If you don't have a serger, sew in a line of denser stitching (12 s.p.i.) and trim the seam allowances to ~3/8" on these seams.

3.) Turn all 5 of these pairs inside out and press seams. Press both sets of CROWN seams to lie opposite to each other to reduce bulk in the hat.

4.) Top stitch the 2 FLAPS top seams about 1/4" from the pressed edge.

5.) Place the VISOR-shaped piece of sew-in heavy weight stabilizer inside the VISOR construction. The INTERFACED piece of the VISOR will be the top of the VISOR. Trim the stabilizer if necessary to fit neatly and perfectly inside the piece. Fit the seam allowance UNDER the stabilizer. Top stitch the VISOR's top seam about 1/4" from the pressed edge catching the stabilizer in the seam allowance.

6.) Top stitch concentric arcs in the visor approximately 1/4" apart. Use your presser foot as a measuring guide or lightly draw arcs using the out edge of the visor as a guide. Stitch from the outside (interfaced piece) to the inside piece. This will give you the cleanest look. Stitch arcs until you get to about 1" from the open edge.

7.) Press these 3 pieces (1 VISOR & 2 FLAPS) and then either serge or machine baste the open edges. Set aside.

8.) If you have a serger, serge all 4 open edges of the inner (lining) & outer CROWN pieces. OR machine baste with stay stitching if you don't have a serger. Make sure you have the seams lying flat and opposite each other when you do this. Remember-This is going to reduce the bulk at the seams.

STEP #5 BEGIN PINNING

This is the most difficult part. Take your time and be as precise as possible. This is what will make or break the complete look of your hat.

1.) PIN the narrower opening of the interfaced CROWN piece to the interfaced TOP piece placing right sides together. Place the interfaced piece of the hat TOP, interfacing side down on your work surface. Then take your interfaced CROWN assembly interfacing side out directly over the interfaced hat TOP. This is the position the pieces must be in when you are pinning the hat together.
2.) Use the front seam of the crown piece as your center point. Mark the center of the hat TOP piece by folding it in half and drawing a line down the center on the inside interfaced piece. The top of the “egg” piece is the front of the hat. Line up the center of the CROWN and the TOP and start pinning using straight pins spaced at ½” intervals. Alternate from side to side as you pin along each side until you get to the back. Keep the shape of the hat as symmetrical as possible. Allow the back of the hat to follow the wider end of the “egg-shape” of the TOP piece. Use the back seam of the CROWN assembly as the center point of the back of the hat. The hat TOP will be “egg-shaped” not oval. If you have some excess material at the back of the hat TOP, do not worry about it. This excess will be trimmed off in a later step. It is imperative that the TOP of the hat remain as flat as possible. If the hat TOP is not flat, you will end up with “muffin-head.” Take you time with this pinning. If the pieces are not coming together in a satisfactory manner, just take out the pins and readjust. It is a lot easier removing the straight pins and adjusting the shape at this stage now rather than having to rip out stitching and having to do it all over later. TAKE YOUR TIME!
3.) Repeat this exact same marking and pinning process on the UN-interfaced pieces of the hat TOP and CROWN assembly. This will become the complete lining of the hat. All of the seams on both of these assemblies will be facing each other because the pieces will be fitting inside one another.
4.) When you are satisfied with the shape the pinned pieces have created, CAREFULLY baste each assembly together with the straight pins still in the piece. Use your hand wheel to negotiate through the pins. Go very, very SLOWLY to avoid hitting any of the pins with your machines needle and wrecking your sewing machine.
5.) After you have basted around both pieces, remove the pins and turn both pieces right side out to see how they look. Turn the UN-interfaced lining assembly back and fit this inside the interfaced CROWN assembly. If any these pieces do not fit together correctly or look strange, puffy, muffin-y or otherwise not right---now is the time to take it apart and re-do PINNING STEP #2. Use your exacto knife to CAREFULLY cut the nice and wide and easy to see basting stitches and separate the pieces and do it over. If you proceed with the hat construction with poorly fitting pieces, you will not end up with a good-looking hat. If your pieces do look right and fit together well, first stitch an other line of closer (12 s.p.i.) stitching directly over the basting stitches. Then trim off the excess material from the seam. Trim to about a 3/8” seam allowance. Repeat this on the lining assembly pieces.
6.) Turn both assemblies outside in. Top-stitch (¼” from the seam) the seam allowance to the hat CROWN pieces from the inside of both the outer and lining assemblies. You will see this line of stitching on the outside of the completed hat, so be neat and precise. This topstitching creates a nice sharp seam line on your hat and adds structure to the sides. Failure to add this top-stitching will result in a weak-looking hat. Topstitching the seam to the CROWN of the lining assembly will make it much easier to line the pieces up later in the construction. TOPSTITCHING, do it!
Imperial Officer's hat tutorial
Steps 4 & 5
back to steps 1, 2 & 3
to next page of hat tutorial steps 6-9