Victorian Steampunk Hat

Have you joined in on the Steampunk craze yet? It's really quite interesting, and here's how you can make a hat for a Steampunk costume. This is a small fascinator type hat but if you want to make a regular size hat just measure your head and adjust to fit.

Step 1: Supplies

You will need 2 sheets of plastic canvas, approximately 1/2 yard fabric, sewing machine, scissors, measuring tape, thread, hand sewing needle, about 1 yard of 1" wide grosgrain ribbon and a hot glue gun.You will need  a few purchased steampunk themed notions to sew on the front of hat. Gears, a compass and a skeleton key. I ordered mine from Hobbylobby.com Also you will want to add either a feather and/or silk flower.

Step 2: Cut Plastic Canvas

Cut out a 5" circle for the top of hat, an 8" circle for the brim with an inside measurement of 5-1/8" and a 17-3/4" x 4" rectangle for the crown of the hat.

Step 3: Cover Top of Hat

Cut 2 circles out of the fabric, 7" round. Pin one on each side of the plastic canvas and hand stitch all around, turning under raw edges.

Step 4: Crown

Hand stitch the short ends of the plastic canvas rectangle together, do not overlap. Cut 2 rectangles 19-1/2 x 6" out of fabric, I then sewed them together at one of the long edges. Press seam open. Fold the fabric over the plastic canvas crown. Pin. Hand stitch fabric on the outside and inside of this. I used a solid gray fabric for the inside of the hat but if you are using the same color inside and out, you can just use 1 piece of fabric 19-1/2" x 10", fold it where I have the seam pressed open. The place where I sewed the plastic canvas together makes a bit of a bump, so if you want to avoid this you can cover the plastic canvas with a layer of felt before covering it with fabric. The fold is at the top of the hat and there will be 1" of fabric below the plastic canvas. Fold the side seam under 1" and hand sew in place.

Step 5: Brim

Cut 2 circles out of the fabric 10". Pin the fabric circles right sides together. Center and Pin plastic canvas brim to these circles. Using a zipper foot on the sewing machine, or sew by hand, all around right next to the plastic canvas. Do NOT sew into the plastic canvas. Cut a smaller circle in the center leaving 1" of fabric on the inside of the plastic canvas brim. Turn it right side out and tuck plastic canvas inside. Pin in place and sew a running stitch around inside edge.Clip curves up to but not through stitching. 

Step 6: Attach Top to Crown

Place fabric covered circle on top of the fabric covered crown. Pin in place. Hand stitch all around. Remove pins.

Step 7: Attach Crown to Brim

Pin crown to brim of hat. Hand stitch in place.

Step 8: Ribbon

Hand sew ribbon onto the inside bottom edge of hat. This will conceal all of the clipped curves. Wrap the remaining ribbon around for a hatband. Stitch into place.

Step 9: Comb

Hand sew a comb to the bottom edge to help keep it in place.

Step 10: Trimming the Hat

Pin the decorations in place. Rearrange until you like what you see. Hand stitch into place. Using the hot glue gun, glue on the feathers and/or flower.