How to Make Newspaper Boy Caps

Make your own newsboy caps.

Newspaper boy caps are not just for newsboys anymore. Adults and children of both genders sport this style. Popular during the early 20th Century, newsboy caps have now gone beyond the tweedy look. You can make newsboy hats out of any fabric you like, including printed cottons, shiny satins and even faux suede. If you have basic sewing machine skills, you can make newspaper boy caps for yourself, for gifts or for costumes.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Scissors
• 1/2 yard cap fabric
• 1/2 yard lining fabric
• 1/4 yard stiff interfacing
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Iron

Instructions

1. Draw an isosceles triangle (horizontal bottom with 2 equal sides) on a piece of paper that measures 4 inches wide at the base and has a height of 7 1/2 inches. Cut the triangle out of the paper. This is the pattern piece for the hat's body. Use this pattern to cut eight pieces from the cap fabric and eight pieces from the lining fabric.

2. Draw the hat's band on paper. The band should be a moon shape: 7 1/2 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide in the middle. Taper the ends so they come to a point. Cut out your pattern and cut two pieces from the cap fabric and two more pieces from the interfacing. Use your iron to fuse the interfacing pieces to the wrong side of the band pieces.

3. Take two cap pieces and hold them together with their right sides facing each other. Line the slanted triangle edges together by matching the edges and corners, then sew up one side using a 1/4-inch seam. Use 1/4 inch seams for all seams in the newsboy cap. Add another triangle piece and sew one edge to the remaining raw edge of one of the first sewn pieces. Continue adding cap triangle pieces until all of the triangle pieces are sewn together to make a complete pointy-topped circle. Iron all of the seams open.

4. Repeat Step 3 with all eight of the triangle lining pieces.

5. Lay the two brim pieces right sides together and match up the edges and points. Sew the brim along the outer edge. Turn the brim right sides out and press the seam. Top stitch the outer edge of the brim for greater durability. Baste the raw edges of the brim together.

6. Line up the raw edge of the brim with the raw edge of the cap and baste them together. Place the cap inside the lining with the right sides of the cap and the lining together. Start stitching the the lining to the cap at the back of the cap. Sew almost all the way around the perimeter of the cap, but leave a 3-inch gap when you come around to the back again.

7. Turn the cap inside out and roll the hat toward the lining. Use your iron to press the cap neatly. Topstitch around the perimeter of the cap to hold the lining in place and give the cap a polished look.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't want to draw your own pattern pieces, you can print patterns for newspaper boy caps off the Internet or buy patterns at fabric stores.

References

• Newsboy Hat: Instructions
• Clever Girl: Newsboy Cap Patter + Tutorial
• Smiles from Mel: How to Make a Newsboy Cap; Melanie Godecki; June 2010