leather hat
A leather hat is one of the most prized possessions for hat lovers. Today, some makers follow elaborate steps to make a leather hat. Every manufacturer has their way of designing and making a leather hat. However, if you are mulling on the question – "how to make a leather hat," you can count on the steps discussed below.

1. Materials

You might add a six-prong punch and E-600 glue to your list, as it's helpful. When it comes to the material, you will need leather, leather sewing needles, waxed threat, sealer, and a leather dye. Most people used vegan tanned sides that come at approximately priced at $30. You can also choose from multiple leather dyes. You can choose acrylic sealers and oil dye.

2. Choosing a style

Today, you will come across multiple hat styles, and not every style is perfect for a leather hat. The hats that look good in leather are usually small and simple. You should also think about the hat's weight and shape as that plays an important part. The amount of time you have at hand decides the size of the hat. If you are making a more oversized hat, it will need more stitching work and more time.

3. Patterning

It is a tricky part and might need practicing, so don’t give up soon. Once you've decided on the hat style, you should start to measure. You can start with the circumference of the head. You can add one to two inches for leather shrinkage that can happen. After that, you can begin sketching using the Autodesk Inventor Professional 2015. You can select a pre-made pattern or can use a scale depending on your thinking.

4. Cutting the pieces

Once you have transferred the pattern in the leather, you should cut it out. Sometimes, you might have to split the brim into four pieces and use the leather scissors on all the pieces, which is the simplest way to go about it. You can also decide to use the rotary tools because it's faster. You might also need to cut small triangles from the brim so that it can curl.

5. Stitching and punching

One of the most stressful and time-consuming parts is the stitching. It’s good to take some time to pattern the hat, as it is where everything pays off. If every measurement is correct, all the stitches should line up the way you want. However, if that is not the case, you might need to do a few emergency cutting, and few pieces might overlap. The pattern of the crown decides the way you would want to stitch your hat. For instance, if you like a porkpie crown, you might need to saddle stitch your hat inside out. On the other hand, for a fedora crown, you might go ahead without stitching inside-out.

You will understand as you go ahead on your hat-making journey. It's good to start at the crown and then sew the brim and finally reach the back-side seam. However, for stitching brim and crown, you always start in the front and take each needle in the opposite direction around your hat so that it can meet where it began. It will make everything turn out symmetrical and lovely.

5. Dying and the finishing touches

It is the fun part! Here you will finish off the hat and add personal touches. Once you have finished stitching, you need to turn the hat right side out and provide it a final shape. You might make a band around the outside. It's a good idea to choose leather for this and texture it with an interesting pattern. 

You might want to use a small spring for your hat and hammer it to the leather at casual intervals in an opposite way. You can then dye it with the same color as the hat. You might want to use some suede as well! It finishes the hat but can cost you a bit more if you are planning to use suede. You might also make way with a nice strip of any soft fabric. Furthermore, if this hat is for anyone or for sale, you might want to make a small leather piece with your name on it. And that completes your hat.

Now that your hat is complete, it's time to wear it somewhere fitting! Additionally, you can also have your thoughts about the hat! Did it turn out the way you wanted it to be? If it's your first time, there might be a few amateur touches that might crop up, but you can always get better with practice. You can also find your ways to fine-tune an amateur hat into a refined-looking leather hat. These are the necessary steps that you can use to make your leather hat.