Leather Flat Cap for Dad
I’ve sewn the You Sew Girl! Flat Cap at least twice before, but the previous versions were in fabric (as per the pattern). This time I sewed one in leather.
My dad is one of those guys who always wears a hat. As soon as he leave the house, a hat goes on his head. In summer it has a broad brim (skin cancers are rife in our family) and in winter it provides some warmth and a little protection from glare. Dad has worn his denim and wool versions of the flat cap quite often, and when his purchased leather cap started to look the worse for wear I figured that I couldn’t put it off any longer. It was time to sew with leather.
I have sewn with pleather and vinyl and other tricky fabrics before, but found that I faced some different issues when sewing real leather. After watching a leather bag class on Craftsy, googling sewing with leather, drawing on the power of the Instagram sewing mind, and simple trial and error, I determined that for my machine to sew leather effectively I needed the following:
- a walking foot (the teflon foot just didn’t work)
- a leather needle – size 14
- normal Gutermann thread
- clips and/or double sided adhesive to hold pieces in place
- a whole lot of patience and taking it slowly.
But after all that, it really wasn’t that hard to sew! Because I’d used the pattern before – and like all You Sew Girl! patterns, the instructions are excellent and the drafting spot on – I didn’t have to think too much about the construction and rather could just focus on manipulating the leather.
And yes, Dad really likes it! I sewed size Small (he loves the fit as he says it comes down to just the right place at the back) and after consultation we decided not to secure the brim to the front of the cap. The leather came from New South Wales Leather Co, who have a showroom in Collingwood. I actually bought three hides, as I plan to sew myself some bags. The service there was very helpful, and the range of hides enormous. I’m really pleased that I have finally stopped procrastinating about sewing with leather.
You have done a fabulous job of making your Dad’s leather hat. You will have to go into millinery now Lara because a driver’s cap is one of the more challenging styles to make. And you have nailed that!! I too love You Sew Girl patterns and agree that they are beautifully drafted and the instructions are excellent.
Dear Lara What a lovely post. My Dad loved flat caps and also had issues with skin cancer so was rarely without a hat. I never thought of sewing him a cap but he loved the jumpers that I knitted him. Happy memories.
Great cap Lara and a challenging sew for your first leather project, but perfectly done!
this is a lovely make for your dad, no wonder he is pleased with it you did a great job.
linda
what a wonderful hat, its absolutely gorgeous. Lucky dad!
Fabulous! He looks so cute!
So nice of you to sew things your Dad loves!
You did a great job on this hat Lara. I bet your Dad was pleased.
Well done, the cap looks terrific, and your Dad looks quite chuffed! Another sewing challenge success! I bought a couple of my Dad’s jumpers home last visit, he has worn through the elbows. I was going to buy suede elbow patches but Dad said ” I think there’s some suede in the shed somewhere” and found a large piece if brown suede ( he used to repair shoes when I was a child) Now I just have to figure out how to repair the thread bare elbows!
Your sewing is absolutely amazing! Your dad is not the only one who love it!