How to Make a Cloche Hat

Bring back the roaring twenties with a homemade Cloche hat! This roaring twenties fashion fad was fun and even carried a few secrets about the wearer.Cloche hats were worn before the 20's of course but during the flapper craze cloche hats came to define the independent new woman!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• (Note: Items needed are options based on what kind of materials or method you use to make your hat)
• Colored Yarn
• Extra yarn in other colors for trims
• Crochet needles
• Knitting Needles
• scissors
• Pattern
• Material
• Extra material for trim
• ribbon
• buttons
• Any other items you might want to use to decorate your hat.

Modernizing the Roaring Twenties Cloche Hat

1. Imagine a craze where every young woman wouldn't be caught outside without a bell shaped hat on her head. Those were the days of the cloche hat. These hats were like a bell fitting closely around the head,. In fact "cloche" is a French word meaning bell.They had a small to large floppy brim depending on the wearers preference. They were also used to convey at a glance the wearers relationship status.The "Flappers" or progressive young ladies that wore them would adorn the hat with certain items that would signal young men if they were taken or single.Now these unique hats are making a comeback in various forms but you don't have to wait until they hit the stores in your area. You can ,sew ,crochet or knit your own!

2. Decide what material you want to make your cloche hat out of. Popular choices are wool or felt if you are sewing one. If you know how to knit or crochet you can choose from a variety of yarn styles based on where you will be wearing the hat and the season.

3. Choose what color you want your hat to be. Decide if you want a small brim ,or one slightly bigger and a little floppy. You can also choose no brim at all. Brims can be a matter of personal choice ,but the actual hat needs to be snug and pulled down snugly over the head.

4. Find a pattern to use based on your choices of materials . There are many free crocheting or knitting patterns on the Internet that are free. Any sewing store will also have some beautiful patterns for a cloche hat.

5. Read over the pattern instructions and purchase any necessary tools and materials. Include any extra needed for the decoration of your hat

6. Create your cloche hat by following the patterns instructions.

7. Add any personal touches to decorate your hat. Some examples are flowers, ribbons, buttons, and rhinestones. Let your imagination go wild and make your hat uniquely yours.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep in mind the "hidden meaning" in cloche hats. Original cloche hats that flappers in the roaring twenties wore used codes.
• A firm knot trim indicated the wearer was married and unavailable. A arrow shaped ribbon indicated a single girl that was already in love with someone and a flashy bow meant single and looking for love!
• Since cloche hats are so form fitting, be sure to know your hat size taking into account your hair!

Resources

• Cloche Hat Timeline

[Cherst1031]

on 7/10/2008 Very intriguing. This is a comfortable, flattering style, now I will look for a crochet pattern online. Thanks!