How To Sew A Top Into A Fedora

Recycle your old clothes by learning how to sew a top into a fedora. A fedora is a popular hat style, commonly worn by men in the 1920s and throughout the 20th century. The fedora still looks good in the 21st century. In order to sew a top into a fedora, you'll need to back some shirt fabric with felt to give the hat some body.

To sew a top into a fedora, you will need:

• An old top, preferably made of cotton or wool
• Felt
• A fedora hat shaper
• Hat pins
• White glue
• A paint brush
• A rubber band
• Scissors
• Heavy-duty thread
• A hand needle
• Matching ribbon

1. To sew a top into your fedora, first cut the top into a large rectangle. Cut a piece of felt the same size.
2. Drape a piece of felt over the fedora shaper. Center the felt on the shaper, then smooth it down on all four sides. Secure the felt to the shaper with a straight pin on each side.
3. Apply a layer of white glue to the felt. Brush the glue on evenly. Remove the pins holding the felt.
4. Place the rectangular piece of fabric from the top onto the felt. Smooth the top down into the shape of the fedora. Secure it in place with a rubber band and let the glue dry overnight.
5. Cut an oval out of the top and out of the felt. Make the oval 2.5 inches wider on all sides than the fedora crown.
6. Brush white glue over the felt oval. Place the top oval over the felt and smooth it down. Let dry overnight.
7. Place the crown of the fedora on the oval. Trace around the circumference of the crown and cut the center out of the oval.
8. Get ready to sew your fedora together by threading the hand needle with heavy-duty thread. Sew the brim of the fedora to the crown, stitching the inside edge of the cut out to the bottom edge of the crown.
9. Apply glue to the back of the matching ribbon. Wrap the ribbon around the crown, right where it meets the brim. Let the fedora dry overnight.