Who doesn’t like the look of a well formed Fedora. When I saw this pattern, I had to try it. Black was my go-to for the body of the hat but I wanted something special for the hatband, a red-toned purple. So dyeing was required and the resulting color was better than I had hoped. One of the interesting things in this pattern is the hatband is sewn into the crown with a fill piece to add a slighted raised look.
The sewn in aspect means the band doesn’t slide, which is kinda nice, but makes it difficult to judge where the slide accent piece should be placed (it is also sewn it). The pattern didn’t designate a specific spot, so yes I had to redo it since I didn’t get it right the first time. It was not a hard fix. The crown design is nice and holds the peak in the front with little manipulation. Note the hole positioning at the peak is really close, use extra caution when punching and cutting.
The end product was nice, but I found since the crown is not very high, the fit was a little loose even though the size was correct. I added a sweat band and it made it so that fit was more secure. I think the next time I make this design I will try a thin leather lining so that the turn up at the back of the hat doesn’t show the dyed raw leather. Not that the dyed raw leather looked bad, I just think it would look more finished.
Overall a fun build with a good result, and if you're interested in making one yourself, please visit the designers store: PATTERN
