About the pattern
As well as a range of clothing, Merchant & Mills has published four hat patterns to date: The Audrey, The Alberta, The Docker and The Bucket Hat – a free PDF pattern that you can print at home. The Bucket Hat is a great stash buster, as it doesn’t require much fabric, and there are only three pattern pieces – so no taping together of pages and pages of A4! It’s described as an intermediate sew, which I’d say is correct. If you’re fairly competent with a sewing machine, you won’t have too many problems constructing this hat. However, there are a few processes that will come much more easily to a person with millinery experience.
There is a significant amount of top stitching used in this design, particularly on the brim. I used a contrasting red thread (not a specific top stitching thread), and it did reveal how I need to practice my stitching a little more!
If you’re not confident with your top stitching, then choose a matching colour of thread for your fabric, not a contrast. Other tips would be to use LOTS of pins and remember the millinery trick of always pinning the opposite side to the one you’ve just pinned. So North, South, West, East – and then in the middle of these points and so on. When you’re sewing, it helps to have the pin heads to the right, so you can pull them out easily as the foot of the machine approaches them.
Making the hat
The hat comes in three sizes and is suitable for men and women. To choose your size, measure the circumference of your head. I made the LARGE version, which gave me a couple of centimetres wiggle room. Make sure you do a test before you print your pattern to ensure it comes out of your printer the correct size. I used a medium weight denim for the main fabric of my hat which worked well – except when it came to sewing double layers with seams. My machine (a basic Janome) did struggle with the thickness when it came to the final steps. My lining was made from an old cotton shirt. The perfect choice.
HATalk | APR 2026
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