Laying Out the Pattern and Sewing

 

Lay the fabric on your cutting board and fold it in half, lengthwise, right sides together.  Now, pin the pattern to the fabric. cut out the brims, and repeat this with the buckram. Cut two of fabric and  from one up to two of buckram for the brims.

 
Baste or fuse the buckram to the wrong side of one of the brims,  then lay the two brim pieces with right sides together.  Pin them and sew them together at 1/2" in from the outside edge. Use a stitch length setting of 2 or 3. (For fabrics with a nap, make sure the nap is running from front to back before sewing.)
 
 

Now, cut little notches in the edge, avoiding the seam,  so you can turn this assembly inside out. Lay the wire down around the outside edge of the brim.




 


Now, using a long stitch length, zig-zag the steel wire right on top of the outer seam. Pay closer attention to the ends of the wire, sewing them more thoroughly so that the cut ends do not poke through the fabric. Now very carefully turn the brim assembly right sides out. Poke the edges smooth from the inside with a ruller or other such device. Finally, if you desire it, topstitch the brim at about 3/8" from the edge to make a casing for the wire.
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Back to Page One: "Step One"

 Back to Page Two: "Setting Up the Pattern"

 Fitting and Final Assembly

 Finishing Touches