I have bought a couple of patterns from the lovely Nikki Mallalieu of You Sew, Girl and I’m taking part in her Review Round-Up Competition. This review is for her adult hat pattern. If there is interest in this as a potential product, please let me know and I will see whether it is a viable option. Hat making requires precision and accuracy and is not something that can be rushed, but I am hoping that with a few more practice runs I can perfect the process to make them at an acceptable price. So here goes!
1. Name of the pattern
Adult Hat pattern
2. Difficulty rating
Advanced sewing skills
3. Were the instructions easy to follow? (And did you learn anything new from them?)
I have used this pattern three times so far. The first hat (orange polka dot one) came together quite well, with a couple flaws that are not immediately obvious to anyone but me. It has a narrow brim, using 3 layers of medium-weight interfacing.
The second hat (narrow wale raspberry corduroy with fancy purple satin lining) also uses medium weight fusible interfacing and turned out well, though the plain fabric highlights an error in my construction, which I think was a problem with attaching the brim pieces together. I should have sewn more rows of stitching around the brim – as instructed! It does not pay to be impatient when making a hat! Other than that issue, I really like this hat.
My latest attempt is my absolute favourite of all. I LOVE this hat! I decided to try the large size this time, having made the previous two in medium. They fit ok, but left a slight mark on my forehead, so I decided to move up a size, which was a good call. (Please note – the instructions indicate to go up a size if you are borderline, but I didn’t listen!) The hat is constructed with quilting weight cottons, medium weight fusible interfacing and bias tape trim for the brim.
On the whole, the instructions were very clear. The only part I struggled with was understanding how to join the ends of the bias tape together on the third hat. Colour pictures would have helped make this clearer, but I figured it out in the end and was really pleased with the result.
The instructions were easy to follow and I learned how to make a variety of hats. The pattern allows for multiple brim widths and orientations and has small, medium and large sizes.
4. Did the finished project look like the one on the pattern cover or did you ‘tweak’ it? (If tweaked, what did you do change?)
My hats looked like the ones on the cover, though obviously not perfect like Nikki’s hats, but not bad for a novice hat maker!
For my second hat I reduced the height of the sideband slightly, but reverted to the original pattern for my last hat.
5. Were you happy with the finished project?
As you may have gathered, I love my hats!
6. What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I particularly like that I can now make hats for myself! I love the versatility of the pattern, in that I can make a wide variety of hats, each with a different look, depending not only on fabric choices, but also brim widths and orientation. The next one will probably be a wider-brimmed sunhat, then a winter weight one.
7. Would you make this pattern again? Would you recommend it to others?
I will absolutely be using the pattern again and would recommend it to others – if they have more than a little sewing experience. Definitely not for beginners, as indicated by the rating. My young daughter likes my latest hat so much that she wants one of her own and is encouraging me to buy the children’s hat pattern too!
8. Review must include photo/s of your project.
Hats
Linings
1st hat
2nd hat
3rd hat
