A Sewing Project: The Fox Hat

Dominic needed a pool hat.  I happily decided to sew him one.  I have been very happy with the hat that I made for Catherine a while ago.  I had some adorable fox fabric in my stash.  While technically the hat is reversible, the other side is just plain boring grey.

I used the same free pattern from Oliver + S that I used before as well as the same method of construction by Jessica.  (Her method eliminates hand sewing.  I appreciate hand sewing as a skill  . . . but it takes so much time!)  This hat needed to be practical, not perfect.  

My handsome little model wouldn't stay still for more than .0009 seconds, so these are the best shots that I got.  Of course, he (and his sister) were eager to get to the pool, so I guess that I can't really blame him, can I?

Just curious, did any of you notice my "big" mistake with this hat?  

I was kicking myself for not paying closer attention to what I was doing.  The foxes on the back of the crown are standing on their heads.  (Yes, I realize that now EVERYONE will notice my mistake.)  When I was first laying out the pattern to be cut I remember thinking, "OK, Rachel, just be careful that you get the foxes straight."  Whoops. 

I love sharing my projects around the blogosphere.  

The Reversible Bucket Hat

Do you ever have something that you've been meaning to share with someone, but for some reason just keep forgetting?  That's what happened with me and this cute Bucket Hat!

I made this hat at the beginning of summer (in early June, so I suppose it was spring technically).  Catherine needed a pool hat -- something that could get wet and still keep her head shaded.  She has *ahem* a large head and had outgrown the hat she wore last year.  These pictures were taken just this week (in early December), so this is how the hat looks after a summer of sun and chlorine.

The pattern is The Reversible Bucket Hat by Oliver + S.  (It's a free download!) I cut all of the pieces then constructed it per Jessica's instructions over at A Little Gray. Her method is pretty easy and eliminates the need for hand-sewing.  I will be the first to admit, I didn't do a perfect job: the seams don't line up perfectly and my top stitching is a bit wonky.  I still really like the finished product though!

This is a great project for those super cute fat quarters that you have laying around.  (Because we all have some of those, right?)  I also love that this hat will be something that I can make "boyish" for when My Little Man arrives.

This hat is fully reversible, and personally I like both the fabrics that I chose for Catherine's hat, however, she is quite adamant that the pink side is the "right" side and thought I was super silly for taking pictures of her with her hat "inside out"!

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Super Easy and Cute Fabric Headbands

I've been itching to make fabric headbands for a while.  I scoured the internet (O.K., mostly Pinterest) and found this pattern by Jessica.  I loved it at first sight! 

The pattern is super easy, even if you only have minimal sewing skills you should be able to do this project!  It also is a great use of all of those super cute "fat quarters" or other random scraps of pretty fabric lying around.  I used a variety of patterned fabrics and made each one reversible and unique.

As always, I did tweak the pattern a teeny bit.  The first headband (pictured below) that I made I thought was too wide for my head, so I played around with mild width adjustments for all of the subsequent headbands.  

I also followed the link Jessica provided to Mrs. Pea's blog for the child sized headbands.  (I hope I got the name right, my Google Translator only seemed to do a so-so job translating the German.)  I had a bit of trouble with the sizing of this pattern.  My daughter, Catherine, has always had a rather large head.  I added over an inch to the top part and had to add almost three inches of elastic to get this pattern to work for her.  I do like the width of the re-sized headband, but will be playing around to get the pattern just right.   

  

In closing, a Mother & Daughter shot, sporting matching headbands.  

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I love to share my projects around the blogosphere, but especially at these and these:

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How to Make a Lined (or Reversible) Skirt

I recently purchased a new sewing pattern.  I really liked the shorts, and ultimately that's why I bought the pattern, but also was attracted to the skirts.  After making a couple of pairs of shorts I decided to once again raid my stash and make a skirt!

I wanted to add a lining to my skirt.  The cotton fabric prints, while super cute, are often rather see-through--especially in the sun!  Certainly not a very modest look.  I decided that I wanted to make the lining nice enough that it could even be considered the "right side" which would make it reversible!

The pattern that I used, view F of New Look #6354, is very simple with only four pieces: skirt front, skirt back, yoke front, and yoke back.

To add the lining simply cut another set of skirt front and skirt back.

Sew the bottom edges of skirt fronts together--with right sides facing.

Long tube of fabric before pressing seams.

Do the same thing with the skirt backs.

Press seams.  (I hate ironing.  Really hate it.  However, when sewing an iron is your best friend. Use it.  Even if you hate it like me.)

Matching hem seams sew the sides.  Start at the top of fabric one and sew all the way down the side and finish at the top of fabric two.  Repeat on the other side.  At this point you should have a long tube of fabric.

Skirt Hem -- Notice how nice and finished
both the "right" and the "wrong" sides are.

Press seams open.

Pull the bottom half of the tube over the top half with the seams neatly hidden inside.

Carefully press the hem.  Top-stitch--I kept the edge of the skirt along the very edge of the foot.

Press the entire skirt make sure that there aren't any strange bunches or wrinkles and that the two fabrics are lying together nicely.

Proceed per instructions for adding the yoke.  (I used 1.5 inch elastic and did not add a drawstring or ribbon.)

Not only am I very pleased with the resulting skirt it was a fairly frugal project--everything was either on sale, clearance, or I had a coupon.  This project cost less than five bucks.  Not bad!

First Note:
I did not make the yoke with one fabric on one side and the other on the reverse--but it would have been easy enough to do and this would make it completely reversable.  The next skirt I make I will do it this way.  I will cut the yoke in half width-wise and add a seam allowance.  Then I will continue pretty much the same way that I did when making the skirt part.

"Wrong" side of waistband.  I do think
that it is nice enough, and co-ordinates
enough that it could be worn "wrong"side out.

"Right" side of waistband.  

Second Note:
I am not an expert seamstress by any stretch of the imagination.  This is just what worked for me. There is probably a much more "proper" way to do this!


I enjoyed looking through PatternReview.com before actually purchasing this pattern.  You can check out the reviews to this pattern here.

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