Newsboy Cap Tutorial

It’s been a while since I’ve posted on my blog.  Many of you know I was diagnosed with the big “C” for the second time back in May.  I am done with my treatments and back in the clear, but with the weather getting cool here in the south, my head has been a bit chilly.  I made myself one cute hat for Halloween, but it’s only acceptable to wear for the month of October.  I’m tired of wearing my other hat every day, so it was past time to make myself some new hats.  Only one problem….all my patterns are packed away while we remodel the house.  
 I scoured the web for an acceptable pattern with no luck.  What did I do?  Why make myself a new pattern, of course!  It’s not perfect, but it is exactly what I was looking for.  You can get your pattern pieces here, and follow along with me while I walk you through each step.  
This pattern has 3 basic sizes, and is sized for teens to adults.  The smaller size with fit up to a 21″ head, the medium size up to a 23″ head.  and the larger size up to a 25″ head.  I will show you how to adjust to fit sizes in between.  
First, measure your head where your hat will sit and add 1″.  This is how long your band needs to be.  You will cut 2 strips of fabric 2″ wide and the length you just figured.  This measurement will also tell you which size hat piece you will need to cut out. 
Next, print your pattern, available here.  Make sure your 2″ test squares are accurate so your hat is the correct size. Cut out all pieces.  This hat was made without a lining, so I only cut 6 pieces of my cap fabric.  I just used cotton for the body.  If you use knit, I would reinforce it with a lightweight fusible interfacing. My bill and band were cut from denim with a slight stretch, but any mid to heavy weight fabric will do as long as you have a good mid to heavy weight fusible interfacing.  Once you have all pieces cut, iron your interfacing to the wrong side of your pieces.  My denim was reversible and I chose the lighter side for my “right side”, so the interfacing was ironed onto the darker side.
 
Now you sew the main cap pieces together.  Pin 2 pieces right sides together sewing from base to point using a 3/8″ seam allowance.  Encase the raw edges using a serger or zig zag stitch to cover the raw edges.   Sew another piece onto this section so that you have 3 hat sections together.  Make 2 of these as shown below.
                              Pin the two halves of the hat body together making sure to match the points so that all points come together at the center top.  I place one pin at this point and sew, but if you’re a beginner, you may want to pin around the two sections so you feel more secure.  Sew as shown below.  My hat isn’t lined, but if you want yours lined, you would follow the same steps to complete another had body.  Instructions for a reversible hat will be in a future blog post.  This one will not be reversible.
photo-nov-18-3-15-14-pm-2
Sew your hat band into a circle by folding in half and sewing the raw edges using a serger or zig zag stitch to cover the raw edges. Come back with a 2nd line of stitching using a 1/2″ seam allowance.  Check to be sure the band still fits your head.  If it doesn’t, pick out the 2nd line of stitching, you may have gotten your seam allowance off a bit.  Continue using a 3/8″ seam allowance on all other pieces. Fold your hat band in half and place a pin to mark the center front, back and both sides.  Now you can sew your band to your hat body.  Turn your hat inside out and pin the band, right sides together, to the right side of your hat.  Pin the center front of your band to the center front of your hat body right sides together. If your head is between sizes, you can either gather around the hat so it fits the band, or you can do what I do and just fold a little pleat at each seam as you pin.
photo-nov-13-3-48-08-pmphoto-nov-13-7-33-03-pm This pic is to show the pleat at the seams so that my hat would fit my band.  I prefer this method to gathering, but you can gather yours to fit.
Iron your fusible interfacing onto the wrong sides of your hat bill following manufacturer instructions.  Place the two bill pieces right sides together and sew using a 3/8″ seam allowance.  Serger is not recommended for this step. Use the tip of your scissors to snip the curve up to but not through the stitching as shown above.
Turn hat bill inside out and finger press seam smooth.  Top stitch using a 3/8″ seam allowance, or whatever your preference is.  This is a cosmetic stitch as much as it is a construction stitch.  You can continue making circular stitching following the first line of stitching with your presser foot like the 2nd photo below if you choose.  It will give a stiffer bill.  This works great with lighter weight fabrics. Now, fold the bill in half and lightly press the center just enough so you can see it.  Place this point at the center front of the hat band sewn into the hat as shown below.  Pin in place and baste in place using a 1/4″ seam allowance.  You just want to catch the bill and band so the next step is easier. Next, turn hat inside out with bill tucked inside the hat as shown below.  Pin the second band piece to the first, sandwiching the bill between the two bands.  Make sure to match the seams in the back pinning right sides together. Sew a second line of stitching just past your first line to give the bill a stronger seam and to insure that you have caught all raw edges. Flip the hat right side out and fold the band to the inside, exposing the bill.  Press the seam so that the seam is centered around the hat edge.  Top stitch in place.   Flip the bill down so that the two band pieces are together and the hat is pushed away from the band edges. Sew the inner band to the outer band at the raw edge.  Use a serger or zig zag stitch to cover all seams.  You can also use an overlock stitch as show below on the gray hat.  This is my favorite stitch to sew with when using a serger isn’t an option.  I sew knits and wovens with it and have never had any issues with it.    Congratulations!  Your hat is complete!  You can embellish it or wear it as is.  Go rock your DIY Newsboy Cap!