Bucket Hat Mania and Double Giveaway!

It is a great pleasure to showcase the quality products of Coats & Clark. Headquartered in the Carolinas with a distribution center 30 minutes from my home, I was delighted to say yes to this long-established company, and will be writing a series of posts for its redesigned blog beginning on June 29. Coats and Clark manufactures not only thread, but zippers and knitting accessories. It is also the parent company to Free Spirit Fabrics.

The company contacted me because I sew garments…… for myself…… but I have veered off course. Remember Birdie’s bucket hat?

It was like eating a potato chip.

I drove home from the beach and have been holed up in my sewing room playing with scraps and fat quarters.

Hello….. Side II Combo 1. … Combo 2….

Every baby I know now needs a bucket hat regardless of my predominantly girly fabric collection!

In all seriousness, these little hats from Olivier + S are such fun to sew and the pattern is available as a free download here. The pattern is sized from Infant to 7 Years.

Baby gifts, party favors, team spirit, church bazaars, family photos, silent auctions etc… it’s an easy sew that puts a smile on faces. No pressure and no fitting complications 🙂

I began the hat venture with a lovely boxed set of thread that includes many of my favorite colors.

The pattern consists of a crown, a side and a brim for each side of the hat.



The directions are simple but should be followed carefully. The crown of the hat is stay-stitched and clipped up to the stitching before being attached to the sides. Clipping prevents buckling and ensures a smooth, flat top.

Stitching around the top seam helps maintain its shape.

…and what a perfect opportunity to practice topstitching technique!

The Orange Blossom Special

Fabric: Verna Mosquera floral & paisley (courtesy of Free Spirit Fabrics)

The multi-color thread provided a subtle transition of color throughout the hat’s brim.

Double click and note the ever-changing hues in the brim’s topstitching.

Under the Sea

Fabric: Embroidered seersucker and shirting which are scraps from last year’s Fourth of July dress. For a little pop, I added piping between the sides and brim. On the brim I pressed the shirting slightly over the edge to create the illusion of trim (bottom right). I liked the floppy look of the brim on this hat and did not topstitch.

Unchained Melody

Fabric: Tunic Scraps! Cynthia Rowley broadcloth

This hat was so much fun to sew for many reasons. Since the hat is sewn from companion fabrics, I attached the contrasting fabrics together. When the brim is flipped the contrast disappears. I topstitched the brim with six rows of Coats and Clark Embroidery Thread in Kiwi. creating heavy rows along the brim. Due to the topstitching, the brim is very stiff.

Wild Thing

Fabric: Cotton Stretch Sateen and Cotton Shirting

The instructions call for interfacing only the brim, however, this hat is sewn from lightweight fashion fabric so I interfaced the hat below with Pellon EK130 Easy-Knit, a fusible knit interfacing and supple stabilizer resulting in a nicely shaped hat.

My Girl

OK, this one’s for Birdie. I couldn’t resist asking a friend to monogram her initials in pink. This hat is also interfaced with Pellon EK130 Easy Knit helping the linen maintain its shape. It is the only hat that is not reversible and is lined in white linen.

Kokomo

Fabric: Amy Butler Quilting Cottons

Believe it or not, I discovered Amy Butler in 2008 on a trip to London. When I bought her book Midwest Modern at Liberty the sales clerk was appalled that I would travel to London and buy a book about an American fabric designer. I came home and ordered fat quarter bundles of all of her fabrics even though I was not quilting or sewing at that time. These fabrics are from the 2008 order.

Five rows of topstitching in aqua embroidery thread keep the brim stiff and provide a great contrast against the stripes.

I cut the brim on the bias so the stripes would be vertical when folded. Though it is technically reversible, I prefer the three looks below since the stripes don’t match perfectly.

La Vie En Rose

Fabric: Verna Mosquera floral (courtesy of Free Spirit Fabrics)

This hat is very similar to the first hat I sewed for Birdie. Again the seersucker is pressed slightly over the brim to create the illusion of piping or trim.

Good Vibrations

Fabric: Verna Mosquera floral (courtesy of Free Spirit Fabrics)

I couldn’t resist sewing the dots to the paisley! For a little whimsy the brim is topstitched in four rows of green and two center rows of red embroidery threads 😉

Summertime Blues

Fabric: Amy Butler Quilting Cotton from the stash

What sweetness! 🙂

Goodness…… Anyone who has finished reading this post deserves a giveaway!

Coats and Clark is giving away a gift box of 50 spools of thread to one lucky winner and I am giving away the Under the Sea Bucket Hat for your favorite baby! The hat fits ages 1 – 2.

To enter the giveaway simply leave a comment…..’ I can’t believe I read the whole thing….’ or whatever strikes your fancy. The winner will be announced on July 1.

Many thanks to Coats and Clark for all, and good luck in the giveaway.

Go forth and sew bucket hats!

Until soon 🙂