Bucket, Sun Hat or Cap: 9 Best Hat Sewing Patterns

Hats are the one thing that rarely fits off the shelf: one-size hats rarely fit everyone, the brim is too floppy, and the bucket hat you liked comes only in beige. Many hats take less than a yard of fabric, and once the pattern fits your head you can make one for every outfit. A good hat sewing pattern tells you which head sizes it fits and how the crown and brim go together.

Nine patterns made the list, and they cover different age groups, uses and seasons: three brimmed hats for the sun, a flat cap sized from a young child to a large adult, a cloche bundle, two winter hats, a satin sleep bonnet and a baby hat. The listings differ a lot in what they state, so after the cards I go through head measuring, brim stiffness and lining, and say where a description is silent.

Nine Hat Sewing Pattern Options, Sun Brims to Faux Fur

Crochet and knitting patterns, embroidery files and hat graphics came up on Creative Fabrica and were dropped, so every card is a pattern for sewing fabric. A few listings are short on detail, the faux fur toque and the baby hat most of all, and their cards say which facts are missing.

TL;DR: From summer to winter: two bucket hats (one reversible, 55 to 60 cm), a wide brim UV hat, a flat cap in 44 to 64 cm, an 11-size cloche bundle, a fleece hat for 58 to 63.5 cm heads, a faux fur toque, a double-layer satin bonnet and a knotted baby hat.

• Stylish Bucket Hat – Best bucket hat
• Casual Sun Bucket Hat Diego – Best reversible bucket hat
• Wide Brim UV Hat Sewing Pattern PDF – Best sun hat
• Hunching Cap Sewing Pattern Flat Cap DIY – Best flat cap
• Women's Cloche Hat Sewing Pattern Bundle – Best vintage hat
• Fleece Hat Sewing Pattern, Adult Size – Best winter hat
• Faux Fur Hat Sewing DIY – Best cozy hat
• Reversible Satin Bonnet Sewing Pattern – Best sleep bonnet
• Knotted Baby Hat Sewing Pattern – Best baby hat

Quick Comparison

Measuring Head Circumference

Each hat pattern in sizes on this list is chosen by head circumference, so that one number matters most. The usual way to take it is across the middle of the forehead, just above the ears and around the fullest part of the back of the head. Keep the tape snug but not tight, and measure twice.

• Diego bucket hat: sizes 55 to 60 match head girth in centimeters. The listing shows a model with a 55 cm head in size 55 and one with a 57 cm head in size 57.
• Flat cap: 44 to 64 cm, from a young child’s head to a large adult’s.
• Fleece hat: S, L and XL for heads from 58 to 63.5 cm. The designer mentions a separate children’s pattern on her website.
• Plaid bucket hat: the e-book includes a measurement chart.
• Cloche bundle and wide brim hat: 11 sizes and “multiple sizes”, but neither description lists the measurements.
• Faux fur toque, satin bonnet and baby hat: no size chart in the description. The toque is adapted to your head with a few calculations, and the bonnet is gathered by a 54 cm (21 in) elastic.

Between two sizes, look for the finished circumference or the ease the pattern builds in before choosing. A woven bucket hat or flat cap has no stretch to make up for a size that is too small, while one that is too large can slip down toward the eyes. Fleece varies too: the fleece hat listing itself warns that fleece can be more or less stretchy.

Brim Stiffness: Fabric, Interfacing and Stitching

Three hats here have a full brim: the plaid bucket hat, Diego and the wide brim UV hat. The flat cap has a short peak at the front. How firm a brim ends up depends on the fabric, the interfacing and the rows of stitching.

The wide brim pattern suggests medium-weight fabrics such as canvas, twill, duck cloth or denim, which hold some shape on their own. Linen, the fabric Diego recommends, is softer, so a linen brim will droop more unless it is interfaced.

• Fusible interfacing has glue on one side and is pressed onto the wrong side of the outer pieces. On a bucket hat it usually goes on the brim pieces, and often on the crown and side band as well.
• Sew-in interfacing is not fused, so it avoids heat on fabrics such as faux leather from the wide brim fabric list. Needle holes in faux leather can stay visible, so test on a scrap first and keep any securing stitches within the seam allowance.
• Heavyweight interfacing gives a stiff brim but bulky seams, so it is often trimmed away from the seam allowances before fusing.

Rows of topstitching add firmness without another layer. Evenly spaced rows that follow the brim edge, sewn before the brim is joined to the hat, are the common approach for both bucket hats and cap peaks.

Lined, Reversible or a Single Layer

Diego is reversible, so both layers are outer fabrics and either side can face out. The satin bonnet is double layered in the same way, cut from two 62 x 62 cm (24.5 x 24.5 in) pieces in two colors. The faux fur toque has a lining, which the designer says gives a clean finish and extra warmth, and it need not be satin.

For a reversible hat, prewash both fabrics before cutting. If one layer shrinks in the first wash and the other does not, the hat can pucker or stop sitting flat. Cotton, linen and cotton knits often shrink in the first wash. In my view two fabrics of similar weight also behave better than a heavy outer with a flimsy inner.

Most polar fleece does not fray noticeably, which is one reason simple fleece hats are often left unlined. The knotted baby hat takes another route: its seams are hidden under the flap, which the designer says keeps the inside smooth.

Joining the Crown, Side and Brim

A bucket hat is built from a crown, a side band and a brim, joined along curved seams. The usual order is to match the notches to the side seams first, sew, then clip or notch the seam allowance on the curve so it lies flat when turned. Clip short of the stitching line, not through it.

The amount of construction guidance varies by listing. The plaid bucket hat comes with a step-by-step e-book with photos and a cutting guide, Diego and the satin bonnet have video tutorials, the flat cap lists step-by-step instructions and the cloche bundle lists sewing instructions. The wide brim, fleece, faux fur and baby hat descriptions do not say what instructions come in the file, so they suit someone who has sewn a hat before.

FAQ About Brims, Bonnets and Baby Hats

Which of these hats can I make for a man?

Diego is listed as unisex, and one of its models is a man with a 57 cm head wearing size 57. The flat cap is listed for men, women and children, so it covers a classic men’s cap.

What elastic does the satin bonnet need?

The listing asks for elastic 0.5 to 1 cm (0.2 to 0.4 in) wide and 54 cm (21 in) long, threaded with a safety pin. The pattern itself prints on five sheets of A4 or Letter paper.

Can a baby sleep in the knotted baby hat?

No. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against leaving a hat on a baby sleeping indoors, apart from the first hours after birth, because a baby can overheat and the head should stay uncovered. Keep this one for awake time and outings. The listing gives no sizes, so which ages it fits cannot be confirmed before opening the file; more ideas for a new baby are in the baby sewing patterns roundup.

Four Listings That Leave the Details to the File

The wide brim UV hat, the fleece hat, the faux fur toque and the knotted baby hat say little about what comes in the file: no measurement chart in two of them, no list of instructions in all four. They can still be good patterns, but the size range and the steps cannot be checked before buying.

If a clear chart and written or video steps matter to you, the plaid bucket hat, Diego, the flat cap, the cloche bundle and the satin bonnet state theirs. Either way, read the size chart inside the file before buying fabric for any hat sewing pattern here; lighter garments to wear under a sun hat are in the tops and blouses section.

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