Beaverslayer Hat Tutorial

[Beaverslayer]

Just after joining this forum, a few of you had sent me PM's asking for a hat pattern, I appologize to all of you for not sending them. But, as they say patience is virtue and here we have what you were looking for.

Well as promised, now that Wolvie ahs gotten his PIF from me (although he hasn't posted pics) here's the way I make my Canadian "Kempi" style hat. Everything is the same to make a typical baseball style hat, you just use a diferent pattern for the pieces.

If you are wanting to make a baseball cap using this tutorial and do not have a pattern, well, see that old ball cap up there on the shelf in the front hall closet???? take it, and cut it apart at the seams. When you lay the pieces out, DO NOT include the extra they have for sewing machine stitching, this will just make a HUGE hat. Trace each piece out onto your poster board ( you only have to do 3 pieces from one side) and there you have it, a hat pattern.

I spent quite a bit of time making a hat, ball cap, then cutting it apart where I thought it would look just right, re-making patterns, and this is the way I got the Kempi style hat from.

Well here goes, hope you all like the tutorial and hope you can use it to make your own hat.

Once you have your pattern and all your pieces layed out, I kind of dry fir them just to make sure they all fit fairly good.

Now, just like we did with the back liner of the vest, we apply a bead of glue to the outer edge of each piece.

Then, laying it onto the nylon mesh, we press it in place being sure not to stretch it. hen using your roller, roll the edges real well to seal the bond.

What I do is to glue all the pieces, to the mesh, then cut them out from there.

Here's all the pieces ready for assembly.

[Beaverslayer]

As we did with the edge glueing on the vest, here we do the same thing. Apply a small bead og glue to the "Edge" of the 2 front pieces, using your fingertips, press the 2 pieces together starting at the top. As you join the 2 pieces, kind of curl them to help them conform to the shape they will end up as. Using your finger nails, press the seam together to make a good bond. Sorry I don't have a picture of this, as it takes at least one hand to run the camera nad two hands to show you what I mean. Pretend you are pinching a zit, would be about the best way I could describe this.

Now on the backside, apply a bead of glue a bit less than 1/2" wide down the middle of the seam. Also apply glue to a strip of pigskin suede that is precut 1/2" wide.

Once the glue has become tacky on the mesh (this takes a bit longer than the pigskin) press the strip onto the seam, and roll with your roller. If your glue hasn't had time to tack up, you will see the glue seeping out from the sides of the strip, and also from the front of the seam.

Continue on with the rest of the pieces until you are ready to attach the two backs together. Before we do this, we want to mark and punch the holes, as it it easier when it can lay out flat like this.

Here's the inside lined look.

Edited April 20, 2008 by Beaverslayer

[Beaverslayer]

To make the brim I use 7/8 oz veg tan leather. I will soak it in hot water until it is fairly saturated, then curl it and tie it with a piece of lace. Don't tie it tight, as we don't want to leave any marks, just enough to hold the shape. Once this is dried, naturally.....DO NOT MICROWAVE..... you will have a brim that will have a nice curve to it, and that will stay this way for many years.

You also want to cut the brim liner from pigskin suede. Cut the liner 1/2" wider as shown here in the picture.

Should you want the brim to be covered with another type of leather, once it is dried, just cut and glue a piece onto the top of the veg tan. This hat will have a dyed brim so no covering leather.

[Beaverslayer]

I mark the holes, starting at the bottom of each seam. Measure up 1/8" and then 3/8" from then on. A closer distance will give you a tighter lace look, and a wider distance is not recommended.

Now punch all the holes 1/4" on eather side of the seam, excluding the back seam. I punch holes 1 size smaller than the lace I am using.

Once you've punched all the holes, then you can glue the back seam together and punch those holes as well. Be carefull that the rest of the hat is not being punched as you do the back seam, I know this can happen, then it's the scrap bin.

[Beaverslayer]

This next step is not necesary if making a typical ball cap. This is only done on this style, or if you are wanting to do something like this.

Cut a strip of pigskin suede that is 3/8" wider than th etop piece, and cut the centre of it out 3/8" as well.

Apply a bead of glue to the edge of your top piece, and all around the inner edge of the hole in the top of the hat. Turn the hat inside out, and with the front facing you. Align the centre of the top piece with the centre of the front seam and press into place.

Then on the back, do the same by aligning the centre of the back of the top piece with the centre of the back seam and press into place.

Now carefully place and press the rest of the top piece into place, being careful not to pull or stretch it and distort the shape of the hat. Again using the zit squeeze technique, seal this seam.

Then like when you glued the strip to each side seam, apply glue to the inner hat around the top piece, and also on the oval ahaped pigskin strip. Carefully set this strip in place, and press down. You want to roll this one REAL good with your roller in as many directions as you can think of.

Here's the top piece in place.

[Beaverslayer]

Okay, before I forget, cause I just realized I did, if your doing a hat like this, mark and punch the holes in your top piece at 1/4" spacings BEFORE you glue it into the hat.

Now that the top piece is glued in, we can use the holes that are already in it as our guide to punch the other holes. You will also have to re-punch the top piece holes as they were covered up when we put the pigskin strip on to seal the seam.

Lace the seam up doing just a simple crossover style lacing. Again only use about an arms length of lace, as you don't want it to get all tangled and worn before you finish the seam. Splicing the new lace in is a simple thing to do, it's shown in the vest tutorial so I won't repost those pics.

[Beaverslayer]

If you are going to cover the brim with another leather rather than dye it like I am, nows the time to do this.

On the inner edge of the brim, mark 1/2' from the edge all the way around the inner edge.

Using a sharp knife, skive this marked area out so that it is 1/2 the thickness of the rest of the brim. We do this so that when we lace the brim to the hat. it's not all big and bulky at the point where your forehead is going to be all day long.

Now apply a bead of glue to this inner edge of the brim, and also along the front of the hat from the centre to the first seam on the sides. Starting in the middle of the brim (yes I forgot to tell you to mark the middle and the holes. The holes are 1/4" spacing, starting in the MIDDLE and working your way out to the edge...SORRY)

Starting in the middle of the brim, press the brim together at the centre of the front of the hat. Work your way from one side to the other, try to make it so that the brim and the hat leather are even on the outside not the inside.

Now apply a bead of glue to the inner seam on the brim and the hat, also apply glue to a strip of pigskin long enough to go from one side to the other. Extra is good, just trim later.

Press the strip onto the seam, and roll this one REAL good.

Now, you can punch those holes I forgot to tell you to mark before. Punch both the hat side and the brim side, with about 1/8" space from the centre of the seam or as close as you can to the edge of the hat and brim.

[Beaverslayer]

Start to lace the seams of the hat on the front seam at the bottom closest to the brim. Cut your lace 6 times the length of these seams, this will give you enough fro the seam and to hide the tail in the top piece lacing.

Making note of which hole you start your lace in (I usually start on the backside of the seam, second hole up) as we want to do the same on all the seams to keep them all looking the same.

Carry on with each seam, again starting in the same hole as you did the last one. The front and back seams do not matter if they match, but the sides do.

This bottom seam is only going to be on this style of hat, it will not be on a typical ball cap. But if you do do something like this, again make note of the starting hole so both sides will look the same.

You can see that the seams and lace direction are the same on both sides. They tend to slant towards the back of the hat.

[Beaverslayer]

I make straps out of 1 to 2 oz veg tan. Cut the belt one 5" long, and the buckle one 3" long. Using a 1/2" buckle (Tandy item number 1537-00 I've found these to be the best) Make a small hole in the centre of the buckle strap for the pin. Fold the strap in half and rivet it together just behind the buckle. Also make 2 holes to attach the strap to the hat.

The belt part of the strap, punch 2 holes to attach to the hat, and also 5 or six holes 3/8" apart for adjusting. I've never really made these holes in any particular spot. I've searched high and low for any info on what 7 7/8 hat size actually means and what this would do to the hole spacing and have not found anything that tells me. I did find that 3/8" spacing works best though.

Now make 4 small grommets from the same leather you've made the straps, just like the ones shown here.

Using rivets, getting fancy ones if you so desire, attach the straps to the back of the hat, placing the grommets on the inside as shown. Agin, I have not used any real measurement for this, just what looks right to my eye. I do leave enough room for the edge lace that we will be doing a bit later on though.

Here's the strap attached.

[Beaverslayer]

Cut a strip of pigskin suede 2 1/4" wide by about 24" long. Apply glue to the entire underside (not the suede side) Fold in half and press together. Then roll this folded strip with your roller.

Here's the sweat band ready to go.