Pause for a Hat

(then, back to patchwork--I've been cutting it out already)

This is another Timber Lane Press Kaleidoscope Cap, made up in two fabrics, both of which are leftover from the last project, which means they're also left over from other projects.

  

Every time I make this hat, it turns out a slightly different shape.  This time, it's a bit flatter on the front than previous versions. Is it due to different fabrics? Cutting the pieces slightly different each time? Seam allowance variations?  This is, I believe, the first time I've made this since getting the magnetic seam guide, which did make sewing all those curves pretty hassle-free, so the seam allowance variations will be mostly eliminated now.  Mostly.

(lint. so much lint.)

I used three layers of heavy embroidery interfacing inside the bill, because I hadn't checked the old blog posts and had forgotten that I'd used six layers before.  I'm not sure if it makes a lot of difference.

I will say, the bill got noticeably crumpled when I turned the hat right-side-out.  I tried ironing it with a lot of steam over the tailor's ham, and leaving it there until it cooled.  That seems to have helped.

And I did press every seam of this!  Again, since I hadn't looked at the old blog posts, I had forgotten that I had tried to get away with making this hat without pressing the crown seams.  I put a wash cloth on the tailor's ham and pressed everything face-down, to preserve the corduroy pile.  Compared to how much pressing was done for the recent patchwork projects, this took barely any effort.

I do still appreciate that the pattern directs you to sew the two halves of the hat, then baste those halves together just in the center, so you can easily pick out the basting and try again as needed to get everything lined up...or, at least, as lined up as you want to bother with.  This was my second basting, then I said Enh, Good Enough and sewed the whole seam for real.

I still have a decent amount of the warm purple corduroy left, but the cool purple herringbone really is down to scraps now.  I was able to use a big scraps of the purple lining fabric for the top of the lining, and cut the side from the yardage (after trying to eke it out of scraps.)

I'm not sure if I want to try to modify this pattern so it's more voluminous, or if I should see if I can find a real newsboy hat pattern, which this very much is not. But, d'you know what it is?  Finished!