How To Make A Leather Top Hat

Introduction: How to Make a Leather Top Hat

I've wanted a leather tiptop hat ever since I saw them at the Georgia Renaissance Festival. The one I saw that inspired me to make ane myself wasn't quite a typical summit lid. Rather than getting larger at the top like a Mad Hatter top hat or simply going straight up like a stove pipe top chapeau it actually kind of angled in toward the top. It also had a very stylized brim. I think this one in item was designed for a woman, but I thought I could brand something similar in a more than masculine fashion, so that's what I did.

Step one: The Design

In my research into making a meridian hat I constitute several very useful instructional sites, which I will share here, but because of the mode I wanted I couldn't really follow any of them to the letter of the alphabet and had to create my own pattern.

Leather Learn: Peak Lid

I believe this site uses a pattern that you tin buy at Tandy Leather. The site does have a re-create you can download and resize.

Tom Banwell: Leather Lid Tutorial

This ane has two different patterns that you could potentially use.

I printed off and put together all 3 patterns besides as one I free handed. Then I tried to combine aspects that I wanted into one SUPER PATTERN! Okay, perhaps that's a little much only, regardless, this is what information technology looked similar.

Information technology was at this signal I realized it looked like I was making a design for underwear...

Now that y'all tin see what I came up with let me explain why the pattern looks the way it does. The three parts of the blueprint are the Crown, the Brim, and the Top. The wavy lesser line on the crown is because I want the brim to swoop down in the front and back, but curve upward on the sides. The sides of the crown are angled in towards the superlative because I didn't want it to flare out similar most top hats. Oddly enough the top of the crown has to be curved and then it volition be apartment when it's rolled into a cylinder. If the top goes straight across information technology actually ends up with an odd peak in the front once you put information technology together. This is caused by the angled sides. If they were directly upward and downwards you could cut the pinnacle straight across.

As you lot make your design yous'll want to cheque to make certain the fit is right. I have a felt top hat that my wife bought me for Christmas that is a perfect fit, so I took measurements from that to brand sure that this new tiptop hat would exist of similar height, skirt width, and fit. If you don't have that, it's okay, you can merely measure your caput and either stick to a design or just eyeball how large you want it to exist. It's actually not a bad idea to brand information technology slightly bigger than yous demand it because the leather tin shrink. If it turns out a niggling too big in the finish you can but add a sweat band to the inside, which isn't a bad idea anyway.

My measurements were:

Crown Circumference: 24 v/8"

Crown Height: 6"

Brim Width: 2 3/four"

Regardless of how y'all choose to do it recall to continually cheque the fit by actually trying it on your head, because that'southward the best way to know if information technology's going to fit. Another plus side? You can take goofy pictures of yourself wearing it!

Step two: The Supplies

Pictured is the "Ultimate Leatherworking Kit" from Tandy Leather. I didn't buy the kit, nor did I use everything in the motion-picture show. I'1000 simply using it equally an example of the some of the tools that are useful for this sort of project.

The tools I used were:

-Cut blade and scissors

-Stitch spacer

-Pigsty punch

-Rawhide hammer

-Leather needles

-Waxed thread

-Edge trimmer

-Edge slicker

-Daubers (for dye)

-Glue

-Dye

Stride 3: The Pieces

Now that your design is set it'south time to trace it onto the leather. I hate it when I'm tracing something and I get half style around before I realize I've moved it slightly and now it's completely off, and so I used some tape to aid keep myself authentic. The mode I did it was I put down tape in a couple of places, traced effectually it and then, one at a time, moved the tape to different spots and traced under where the tape had been.

The leather I'm using is called "Veg-tan". Information technology's called that because it'due south tanned using "tannin" (hence the term tanning) which is found in constitute matter. It comes in various thicknesses. I don't remember what mine is, only you should exist able to pick past feel, or if you're ordering off the cyberspace try contacting someone at 1 of the Tandy Leather branches and inquire them for advice.

::Edit:: I asked my local Tandy shop and they said when they do a lid making class they recommend well-nigh iv or 5 oz leather, which I remember is what I used.

Veg-Tan has a smooth side and a rough side. Unless you desire the crude side to exist visible y'all need to cut out two brims that volition later exist glued together.

Side notation: Never only put your pattern in the middle and start cutting it out. Figure out the best placement so that the remainder is a dainty whole department rather than just a bunch of little scraps. I was really conscientious with how I placed my pattern and was really surprised at how much was left. I was worried I wouldn't take enough for the lid and I concluded upwardly with plenty for another project.

I had already figured I would but make the top out of the slice that I cut out of the heart of the brim but as I was cutting the blueprint out I decided I wanted the superlative to be round instead of ovular. I made a quick make-shift compass to describe it out. I also realized it needed to exist smaller than I originally thought. I still cutting it out of that center piece so as not to waste more than leather.

Here's my Handy Dandy Homemade Compass:

So the final pieces are 1 Crown, 1 Top, and two Brims.

Stride 4: The Punching

At present that you've got the pieces cut out there'due south something y'all should know. You have to stitch these pieces together, and to have everything fit together correctly you need to take the holes match upwards perfectly. To make sure that everything worked out I started with a tool designed to lay out sew marks. If you don't take 1 you can fake it with something else like a fork; anything that will give y'all an even set of marks on the leather. Wet the leather a little bit and the marks will set in the leather better. After I marked each piece I counted the corresponding marks to make sure at that place was the same amount. Whenever they didn't match I would try to add in a pigsty or two.

Now the really of import betoken that I'm getting at hither is that because I counted the marks in each department I know that if yous do a hat the same size equally mine y'all're looking at punching about 600 holes. It takes a while. It'south repetitive. Take it piece of cake. The way I did it was I punched unlike sections at a time and did other piece of work in between. It helped information technology non be so daunting. When I first started I tried using an awl. I would not recommend this style. The hammer and hole punch wasn't as much of a strain on my hands and wrists, and the finished product looks improve.

Pace five: The Stitching

This office is washed inside out to hide the seam on the summit.

The kickoff thing I stitched together was the crown. You don't need to spend likewise much time getting this part looking perfect considering you'll demand to take this apart subsequently. The thread I'one thousand using is a heavy duty waxed thread from Tandy Leather.

I paused here to take another opportunity to attempt information technology on and run across if everything fit together correctly.

The brim is not actually attached still. Information technology's merely sitting there.

Once the crown is together you can adhere the peak. I stitched around it twice and and so tied it off to the loose cease at the start.

Step half-dozen: The Flipping

At present that the top is on we need to flip it correct side out. To do this we outset need to undo the dorsum seam. I untied the knot I had tied it off with so I could reuse the aforementioned thread.

Subsequently you've undone the back submerge the entire thing in h2o for almost five or ten minutes. The water turns a prissy tea colour so don't do this in a overnice bowl or something. Information technology may stain it.

Once it'due south all nice and floppy carefully turn it inside out. If you put also much strain on the leather information technology can go out contraction marks that don't come out and then it'southward best to become dull.

After you lot've flipped it correct side out try to form it to how y'all desire it to expect because once information technology dries information technology will retain the shape y'all left it in.  I made certain to give it a nice inverse dome on the top and so I tried to straighten it out as much every bit possible so it didn't dry kleptomaniacal.

Step 7: More of the Stitching

Afterward it'due south done drying it's time to stitch up the back once more. I still went with the cantankerous stitch because I think it looks the best for this type of seam.

Now comes perhaps one of the hardest parts of the whole process; stitching on the brim. The hard thing nigh this is that y'all have to stitch through 3 holes at a time (the commencement brim, the crown, and the 2d brim), without missing whatever holes.

Just like with the elevation, I stitched around information technology twice. It took a while. To give you an idea of what it looked like here'due south a shut up of the within sew together.

Equally you lot can run into, the first time around looks like a dotted line merely on the 2nd time around the stitch becomes a solid line.

Step eight: The Shaping

The next step is to get the brim in the correct shape.

Beginning I ready it in some h2o. This fourth dimension information technology doesn't have to be completely submerged, just as long as the entire brim is under water. Leave it under for v to ten minutes just like last time.

While it was soaking I made a box to concord it in the right shape while it dried. I fix the hat in upside downwards and curled the sides of the lid down towards the crown and the front and support. Then I let it dry out.

Footstep 9: The Gluing

I used Tandy Leather make glue and applied it with a craft foam brush. Once I had plenty glue in between the ii sides of the brim I simply squeezed them together really tightly. I basically just went all the mode around the skirt pressing firmly on either side and belongings for a little bit until I felt information technology was secure.

Footstep ten: The Trimming

As evidenced past this film (taken earlier I glued the brim) the lid still had a decidedly western feel to it at this bespeak. I was not okay with this. I likewise kind of knew this was going to be the case and was waiting until this point to trim it downwards. Considering of the fashion I made my pattern I chose to wait until I had formed and glued the brim to trim it to its final width.

This role was incredibly hard to do. It meant cutting through two very thick layers of leather. My pair of scissors are heavy duty so they had no problem but talk most a hand cramp!

To do this part I basically only measured effectually the edge, marking with a pencil every bit I went, until I had a circumvolve all the way around. So I cut the excess off.

Once I had trimmed it downwards I needed to finish the border. There's a lot that goes in to this if you want it to exist truly professional but I settled on "kind of" professional. Kickoff I took my edger (the wooden handled tool in the movie) and rounded the edge. Then I wet the edge and used my border slicker to finish information technology. The edge slicker is the white deejay in the pictures and information technology has a groove around the edge. The way you lot use it is you set the groove on the edge and rub it really fast. This smoothes downwardly any rough parts. You tin use saddle soap to make it even better.

Pace xi: The Dyeing

Rubber gloves are an absolute necessity, unless yous don't care about having stained hands for days and days. I used these little daubers but you tin utilize a sponge or a rag or whatsoever you have lying around that you don't intendance about completely ruining. I besides used this "Chocolate" dye. It's darker than what I originally wanted but it's what I had on manus so I just went with it.

In that location's a trick I learned the first time I stained leather. When I say that, I mean that someone told me to do it a certain style, I ignored their advice, and surprise surprise it turned out they were completely right and I felt stupid. Keep a rag or some paper towels on mitt when you're dyeing leather. As y'all spread it, employ the rag to wipe the excess off and kind of buff it as you go. This helps proceed a nice even stain and avoid streak marks. For my beginning project I thought it looked fine and I wouldn't need to exercise it, but streak marks that I hadn't even realized were there suddenly became apparent as information technology dried. I will never make that error again.

I did a couple coats and called it done. It doesn't await perfectly polish and even, only function of that is because I didn't care for the leather earlier staining it. When you buy leather it usually has chemicals or products left on it from the tanning procedure or put there to make it look better to the heir-apparent. If you lot desire a actually clean stain you have to strip this product off before staining. I don't mind the expect though so I left it like it was. I likewise didn't do the inside because it'southward unnecessary and I'd rather have the unstained leather against my head.

Afterward the dye has dried you tin can utilise a leather sealer to end it. Utilise it the same way yous apply the dye. This is an of import footstep if you really intend to article of clothing this anywhere. It helps protect the leather from rain and helps keep the dye from rubbing off on things.

Pace 12: The Showing Off

If yous want, you can decorate it by adding a band around the base of operations of the crown. You could requite it a Steampunk flair, go far really western, do a fancy ring around information technology with a feather, etc. In that location are endless possibilities for customization. You can use it for costuming, role playing, or only wearing around boondocks.

Have fun, and if you make one, share pictures!

Update- If you would similar to purchase ane of these delight message me or visit my Etsy page at:

https://www.etsy.com/store/LittleHouseBlue?ref=hdr_shop_menu

4 People Made This Project!

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Source: https://www.instructables.com/How-to-Make-a-Leather-Top-Hat/

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