How to Make a Cloche Hat

Cloche is what the French call a bell and therefore this hat being a bell-shaped hat is called a cloche hat. This hat design was quite a rage amongst the women in 1920s and with many women still wanting to have a couple of cloche hats in their hat collection definitely implies that these hats have not quite disappeared from the world of fashion.

Did you know that in the era where the cloche hats were highly popular, these hats were not simply worn as a fashion accessory but they were often adorned with ribbons attached on the circumference of the hats and that different styles of ribbons denoted different meanings? Ribbons with arrows on it suggested that the lady was single and in a relationship, ribbons with knots suggested that the woman was married and a bright and colorful bow suggested that the woman was single and interested in dating. Now that we know a little bit of the cloche hat history, I'm sure you'd be interested in making your own hat. There are no different ways to make these hats as such, all that really differs is the pattern, the rest of the sewing procedure remaining the same.

Guidelines to Make a Cloche Hat

Making a cloche hat involves the following considerations.

• The first crucial bit in making the cloche hats is the measurement. Remember this is a close-fitting hat and therefore one must be very careful with the measurements. Even an inch extra could make a cloche hat look clumsy when worn. So to get the exact measurements, place the measuring tape at the center of the forehead. Take the tape around the head, under the bump at the back of the head and then to the front from where you started.
• Next comes picking the right pattern that suits your style and taste. Cloche patterns mostly include four pieces and a fusible interfacing is recommended to get the proper fit even if your chosen pattern does not mention involving it.
• Choosing a fabric that is comfortable to wear and easy to maintain is important and therefore you might want to consider going for wool, felt, lycra or even leather (depending on where you intend to use). The fabric will consist of two lengths, one of which would be the upholstery fashion fabric of your choice and the other, the lining fabric. It's better if you go for a color that contrasts with the upholstery fashion fabric.
• Also choose the embellishments that you'd like to adorn your hat with and that could be anything from a ribbon to jewels to flowers, anything that would suit the fabric, texture and the color of the hat.
• Making a cloche hat is pretty easy with the fact that once you have all the materials assembled including the sewing machines, the needles, thread, scissors etc, all you need to do is follow the instructions that come with the patterns. Laying it out, cutting it and finally sewing it is all that needs to produce a perfect hat. Please note here that before you machine-stitch the hat, try the hat out and then machine-stitch the two side seams at the crown region to ensure that it fits correctly, just as a cloche hat should fit.
• Once the hat is completely stitched, add the adornments. For tips on how to fix these adornments on the hat, you could use the help provided by various websites that specifically instruct you on the same.

I hope this information was helpful enough to inspire you to make a cloche hat yourself! Cloches are great for a casual look as well as for a dressy look, in fact it's one of the versatile hats that can be worn in winters and is also one of the top choices when it comes to women's summer hats. So ladies make these elegant yet casual cloche hats and you are sure to get some great compliments!