How to Make a Men's Elizabethan Hat
Creating the accessories for an Elizabethan costume can be intimidating, but the men's flat cap, also called an "Italian bonnet," is a simple hat to make and adds authenticity and flair to your garb. A hat is an excellent way to add color to an outfit. You can decorate it with feathers, leather cords, ribbons or brooches to coordinate with the rest of your outfit. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 1 yard medium to heavy weight fabric
- Measuring tape
- Chalk or Pencil
- Pins
- Scissors
- Thread
- Hand sewing needle
Instructions
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Drafting and Cutting the Hat
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1
Measure around your head, placing the measuring tape at the same line you want the hat to fit. The tape should sit firmly around your head, but not compress or pinch at all.
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2
Calculate the radius of your head measurement using the formula: radius = circumference / 2π. There are online circle calculators which can do this math for you.
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3
Lay out your fabric folded in half so the selvages are at the sides, the fold on top and the cut edges at the bottom. Use the measuring tape to measure off two equal sections of fabric and to find the center point of each section.
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4
Set a pin through the hole in the metal tab at the end of your measuring tape and pin straight down through the center point of the first section. Use your pencil or chalk at the tape's point for your radius measurement and rotate the tape around the pin, marking as you go to create a circle. For example, if your head measurement was 22 inches, your radius would be about 3 1/2 inches and you would hold the pencil or chalk at the 3 1/2-inch mark to draw your circle. The circle would end up being 7 inches across.
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5
Leave the pin in place and hold the pencil or chalk at a spot 2 1/2 inches further than your radius measurement. Mark another circle. This will create a "doughnut" shape with one circle centered inside the other. In the above example, you would draw this second circle at the 6-inch mark and end up with an outer circle 12 inches across.
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6
Set the pin into the center of the second section and set the pencil or chalk at double your radius measurement to mark a circle. In the above example, you would draw this circle at the 7-inch mark and end up with a circle 14 inches across. Cut out the shapes with the fabric still folded so you end up with two large disks and two rings.
Sewing the Hat
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7
Stack the fabric rings with the right sides together and pin. Sew around the outside of the rings. Clip the seam allowance outside the stitching, turn right-side out and press flat. This is the cap's brim.
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8
Layer the fabric discs with wrong sides together and pin. Use a hand needle threaded with a doubled length of thread to make a line of long running stitches around the outside of the disc. Draw the thread for the running stitches to create even gathers in a circle the same size as the inside circle of the hat's brim. This is the hat's crown. Adjust as needed and pin together.
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9
Stitch the brim to the crown, using short stitches. You may choose to run a second line of stitching. Try the hat on and clip the seam allowance on the inside of the brim as necessary for a good fit.
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Tips & Warnings
For a finished look, stitch bias tape or ribbon folded over the inside curve of the brim.
If you want to make a hat out of lighter weight fabrics, sandwich sew-in interfacing between the layers of fabric.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
