I’ve been pattern testing again!  Thanks to Nikki, I now have a new summer hat.

The fabric is from Joel Dewberry’s Ginseng line, and is decorator weight.  There are three layers of interfacing in the brim, and the brim is topstitched as well to help it keep its shape.  I hand-stitched the binding into place – I’ve learned my lesson about attaching binding; I’m never happy with the finished result unless it’s been hand-stitched into place, even though it does take much longer.  The lining is also hand-stitched in place.

I really, REALLY love this hat pattern! I wear hats all the time in summer, trying to protect my lily-white skin (yes, I am very pale – my legs are so white that the glare is almost blinding).  I’ve made cloth hats before, but as usual Nikki has that something extra in both the drafting of her patterns and the instructions and tips that go with them.  This is definitely the most successful hat I’ve made.  It fits perfectly!

See, check out that grin!  Nikki is having a give-away for the pattern over here.  I expect that the pattern will be released any day now.  There are many more hats in my horizon – maybe a whole collection with varying brim widths?