How to Make the Pansy Hat

I’ve never been a fan of bucket hats, so last year, I teamed up with a pattern maker to create my ideal sun hat—a simple design with a floppy brim that sticks out rather than drooping down. I made one for myself, one for Dave, and one for Aurora, and we’ve been wearing them non-stop! Since we love them so much, I decided to turn it into a pattern so you can make one too (and to help cover the cost of working with a pattern maker!).

The Pansy Hat is a hat with a wide brim, perfect for sunny days! This beginner-friendly sewing pattern involves sewing curves, applying bias binding, and topstitching. With three available sizes and just three pattern pieces, you can complete your hat in around three hours.

This pattern is for personal use only and may not be used for commercial purposes or redistribution.

Fabric suggestions:

Mid to heavyweight woven fabrics like cotton duck cloth, canvas, twill and denim. Make sure your fabric is pre-washed. 

Fabric needed:

For this pattern, you'll need 1 meter of fabric (110-150cm wide). Since you'll be making your own binding from the same fabric, having a full meter ensures you have enough for all the pieces. 

Other bits you will need: 

• Buckram Interfacing: 0.5m (check this amount)

• Bias binding: 1 meter of 1cm double-folded bias binding to finish the inside seams. I recommend using a soft binding like Liberty Tana Lawn or cotton. 

• Matching thread

• Sewing machine

• Scissors

• Pins or Clips

• Ruler

• Optional: Basting glue stick, Heavy Duty Sewing Needles

Pansy Hat Sewing Instructions

Note: All pattern pieces include a 1cm seam allowance.

1. Cut your pattern pieces:

• Brim Binding: Cut this first! Cut a 5cm wide fabric strip on the bias measuring 110cm long. Ideally, this should be a single strip rather than joined pieces, as it will be used to bind the brim edge.

• Top: Cut 1

• Sides: Cut 2

• Brim: Cut 2

• Buckram Interfacing: Cut 1

2. Sew the Sides Together to Form the Crown

1. Mark the centre front and centre back along the top edge of the side panels. 

2. Place the side panels right sides together, aligning the edges. Pin or clip them in place.

3. Sew along the edges with a 1cm seam allowance, joining the panels to form the crown. Press the seams open.

4. Cut two pieces of 1cm double-fold bias binding to match the crown height. Press them open into a single-fold.

5. Wrap the binding around the pressed-open seams and use basting glue to secure it in place.

6. On the right side of the crown, topstitch 0.5cm from the seam on both sides to secure the binding.

3. Attach the Top Circle to the Crown

1. Mark quarter notches on the top circle with chalk or a washable marker.

2. With right sides together, match these marks with the side seams, centre front, and centre back of the crown. Pin or clip in place.

3. Remove one pin or clip at a time and sew 1-2cm of basting stitches to keep the fabric secure.

4. Sew the top circle to the crown using a 1cm seam allowance, easing the fabric to prevent puckers or lumps. I suggest sewing from the top down, meaning the wrong side of the top circle faces up under your needle.

5. Trim 1mm from the raw edge of the seam.

6. Finish the raw edges with bias binding, pressing the binding toward the crown. I suggest sewing from the top down, meaning the wrong side of the top circle faces up under your needle.

7. Press the binding towards the crown, then turn the right sides to face out.

8. On the right side, topstitch along the top edge of the crown, securing the binding inside.

4. Prepare the Brim

1. Trim 1 cm from the outer and inner circumference of the buckram interfacing to reduce bulk.

2. Apply buckram to the brim piece by fusing it to the wrong side of one brim piece, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

3. Place the two brim pieces together, wrong sides facing, and pin or clip them together.

4. Sewing slowly along the outer edge in a continuous spiral toward the inner circle. Use your presser foot as a guide to keep an even spacing of about 1cm. 

5. Prepare the self-binding by turning it into double-fold bias binding. First, fold the strip in half lengthwise and press to create a center crease. Open it up, then fold each long edge in toward the center line and press again. Finally, fold the binding in half along the original crease and give it one last press.

6. Start at the centre back and pin or clip the binding around the brim edge, enclosing the raw edge.

7. Sew 1-2cm of basting stitches to attach the start of the binding. If you are using a heavyweight fabric, you can reduce bulk by trimming a small triangle from the edge of where you have basted the binding to the brim. This will help fit the binding over the start of the binding when you get back around to the start. If you are using lighter-midweight fabric, you can fiddle with the end to fold it over. 

8. Sew the binding to the brim, taking care not to stretch it, as this may cause the brim to warp. Overlap the beginning slightly for a clean finish, and backstitch to secure.

5. Attach the Brim to the Crown

1. Pin or clip the brim to the crown, aligning the edges with right sides together.

2. Sew around the entire edge using a 1cm seam allowance, being careful not to stretch the crown. I suggest sewing with the bottom of the brim facing up under your needle. 

3. Trim 1mm from the raw edge and finish with bias binding for a neat enclosed seam.

4. Trim any loose threads and try on your new Pansy Hat!