How to Weave a Hat

Woven straw hats are excellent beach accessories.

Woven hats are a traditional form of head wear whose popularity has spanned many countries and cultures. Most woven hats are constructed with accessible natural material: straw, rye, reed or raffia, and therefore different varieties and styles continue to be created throughout the world. Owing to their lightweight material, woven hats provide a decorative aspect while acting as a protective shield against the sun and other outdoor elements. While purchasing a hand-woven hat can be pricey, it is inexpensive and relatively easy to create your own.

Things You'll Need

• 9 strands of rye straw, 24 feet long each
• Tub or basin
• Bandage tape
• Darning needle, size 17
• 12 yards doubled twine string
• Iron
• 4-inch upholstery needle
• 1 yard of grosgrain ribbon, 1-inch width
• Hot glue gun and glue

Instructions

1. Submerge nine rye straws in a cool, water-filled tub or basin. Soak the straws overnight so they are malleable.

2. Flatten soaked straws. Lay five horizontally and set aside. Place four in a vertical row and set aside. Connect the horizontal and vertical straws together at their edges to form what will appear as a wide isosceles triangle at the top edge. Secure the nine edges on top with bandage tape to hold.

3. Bend the first horizontal straw on the left and cross it over the next two and under the last two horizontal straws. Grip the vertical straw and cross it over the next two vertical straws and under the following two vertical straws. Repeat the process of alternate weaving on nine straws until all 24 feet are woven.

4. Thread the darning needle with 12 yards of double twine string. Pull the needle through one end of the woven braid about eight inches. Wrap the twine around the woven material so that it forms the circle that will make up the crown of the hat. Continue to wrap the twine around the first circle until five rows have been created.

5. Set an iron to medium and press down on the crown to dry. Thread twine string on the upholstery needle and stitch roughly once an inch between the circular rows to secure.

6. Thread the darning needle with twine and wrap it around the woven material about 12 inches to form a wide loop. Attach the loop around the edges of the underside of the pressed circle with the upholstery needle to form the first row of the hat body. Create 10 additional loops and attach to one another with the twine and upholstery needle.

7. Run the darning needle through the remaining woven material to create a loop large enough to wrap around the loops that make up the hat body. Continue wrapping the woven braid around the new loop in an outward pattern to form the brim. Stitch the first loop to the outside of the hat body and continue roughly every inch to secure the brim.

8. Wrap the final looped braid beneath the brim and stitch with upholstery needle to secure. Cut any additional slack and sew the edge to the underside of the brim with twine to secure.

9. Decorate brim with grosgrain ribbon. Wrap one yard of ribbon around the hat brim. Cut excess ribbon. Fold over the edges of both ribbon ends and glue band together with a hot glue gun.

Tips & Warnings

• Rye straw can be purchased directly from a farmer or through an online straw supplier.

• If the straw begins to dry while weaving, soak a towel in boiling water and hold over the straw for 10 minutes.

• Soak the rye straw for only one night; otherwise, the straw will turn yellow and start to disintegrate.

References

• "How to Make Raffia Hats, Bags & Baskets"; Elizabeth Doyle Carey; 1995