Making a Hat from a 1930s Pattern

This project started with a homemade wrap skirt of plaid material for a person bigger and taller than me. It was the perfect opportunity to make a floor length plaid skirt I had been dreaming of. I ended up unmaking the wrap skirt (unpicking the darts and separating the seams and the lining) to give myself three large panels. I didn’t have an exact pattern for what I was going for so I ended up looking at lots of different patterns and trying a few things while holding the fabric to myself in front of the mirror. I settled on making a skirt with a back zipper closure, with pleats for fullness. I used the extra fabric to make a waistband with a button closure and to add pockets (because this is necessary). I used McCalls 5301 for the pocket and waistband (it has become my standby pattern for such things).

There was still extra fabric so I took inspiration from the plaid to make this cute 1930s style hat (view 2 from Simplicity 3500). This was the first pattern I have used which is unprinted. That means instead of having printed lines and instructions to indicate which pattern piece it is, the size, where the seam lines are, markings, etc., the piece number and any special marks are perforated. If that sounds scary, it is. You have to pay much closer attention to what is going on. I’m glad this was only a 3-piece pattern for a hat! I didn’t have enough fabric to really match the plaid on the main skirt, but I did try to match it on the hat since it was smaller and would be more noticeable.

When I was all done, I had just a few scraps left. I was happy to have been able to rescue and repurpose this skirt. It was great to wear for Christmas time with the weskit I made from a vintage pattern last year. And Robbie Burns day is coming!

You might be able to tell that the hat was a bit small. It was hard to know how to measure to get the right fit. Additionally, the way the hat was worn in the pattern image would not have worked for my hair style with bangs. Maybe I’ll try hats again another time.