Ready to turn your fabric scraps into something fun and wearable?
This beginner-friendly bucket hat tutorial will guide you through every step - perfect for sunny days, festival season, or just because your stash deserves it.
Whether you're sewing your first project or looking for a satisfying scrap-buster, this hat is warm-weather gold. Bonus: it fits both adults and kids.
What You'll Need
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Outer fabric: Medium-weight cotton, denim, canvas or linen — scraps welcome!
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Lining fabric: Same or slightly lighter than outer
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Interfacing (optional): For a little extra structure in the brim
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Thread
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Scissors or rotary cutter
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Pins or clips
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Sewing machine
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Iron
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Bucket hat pattern download and print off the patterns - Kids pattern Adults pattern
You will need to measure around your head - or the person you're making the hat for - to decide which size to make. Just check to make sure that it's comfortable.
Pattern Pieces
Cut the following from both outer and lining fabric:
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Crown (top circle) – 1x
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Side band – 1x (or 2 halves)
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Brim – 2x
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Optional: Medium-weight interfacing for outer brim and side band
Step-by-Step: Let’s Sew
1. Prep Your Pieces
If using interfacing, fuse it to the outer side band and brim.
Mark the quarter points on the crown and side band - it makes matching way easier later.
2. Sew the Outer Hat - the process is the same for the lining as well.
Side band first: Sew short ends together (if in halves) to form a loop. Press the seams open and flat - like a book.
Attach to the crown: Pin right sides together, easing to fit. Use the quarter marks and seams on the band to match up to the notches on the crown.
Then carefully sew around the crown of the hat. Tuck your hand in between the crown and the band to make sure nothing gets caught up.
Clip into the seam allowances to remove some of the bulk.
Optional: Topstitch the seam toward the crown for a neater look.
3. Build the Brim
Sew the brim pieces together into a ring, in the same way as the hat band. Do the same for the lining brim.
Then with the right sides together, pin and sew around the outer edge of the hat brim.
Trim the seam allowance down to just under half a cm, and clip into the remaining seam allowance.
Turn the brim so it has the right sides out, and carefully press the seam so it sits right on the edge. The inner and out brim should sit neatly together.
Optional: You can sew rows of concentric circles around the brim to help support it and as a bit of extra decoration giving it a proper Bucket Hat look. I used the edge of the foot as a marker to keep the rows neat.
4. Join it all together
Tuck the lining hat inside the circle of the brim so that both lining fabrics are touching each other. Pin the double layer of the brim to the lining hat. Sew around the the seam.
Now tuck the whole thing inside the outer hat, so that the outer fabrics of the brim and hat are touching. Pin and sew around the seam using the first row of sewing as a guide - BUT leave a gap of about 8cm. This is so we can pull it all through to the right side.
Now gently ease the hat through the gap to turn it the right way around. Tuck under the raw edge of the fabric at the gap and pin in place.
Top stitch around the brim and hat band so you stitch over the gap, closing it. This give a really neat finish with all the raw edges tuck away inside the hat.
5. Finish It Off
Give it all a really good press so everything sits neatly. Your hat is also now reversible too!
You Made It!
Take a moment. Admire your work. Then go out and wear your hat with pride!.
This project is all about progress, not perfection. And once you've made one, you might find yourself making more for friends, kids, maybe even the dog. I know Olive loves hers!
Jules x