How to Make a Leather Top Hat

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I've wanted a leather top hat ever since I saw them at the Georgia Renaissance Festival. The one I saw that inspired me to make one myself wasn't quite a typical top hat. Rather than getting larger at the top like a Mad Hatter top hat or just going straight up like a stove pipe top hat it actually kind of angled in toward the top. It also had a very stylized brim. I think this one in particular was designed for a woman, but I thought I could make something similar in a more masculine style, so that's what I did.

Step 1: The Pattern

In my research into making a top hat I found several very useful instructional sites, which I will share here, but because of the style I wanted I couldn't actually follow any of them to the letter and had to create my own pattern.

Leather Learn: Top Hat
I believe this site uses a pattern that you can buy at Tandy Leather. The site does have a copy you can download and resize.

Tom Banwell: Leather Hat Tutorial
This one has two different patterns that you could potentially use.

I printed off and put together all three patterns as well as one I free handed. Then I tried to combine aspects that I wanted into one SUPER PATTERN! Okay, maybe that's a little much but, regardless, this is what it looked like.




It was at this point I realized it looked like I was making a pattern for underwear...

Now that you can see what I came up with let me explain why the pattern looks the way it does. The three parts of the pattern are the Crown, the Brim, and the Top. The wavy bottom line on the crown is because I want the brim to swoop down in the front and back, but curve up on the sides. The sides of the crown are angled in towards the top because I didn't want it to flare out like most top hats. Oddly enough the top of the crown has to be curved so it will be flat when it's rolled into a cylinder. If the top goes straight across it actually ends up with an odd peak in the front once you put it together. This is caused by the angled sides. If they were straight up and down you could cut the top straight across.

As you make your pattern you'll want to check to make sure the fit is right. I have a felt top hat that my wife bought me for Christmas that is a perfect fit, so I took measurements from that to make sure that this new top hat would be of similar height, brim width, and fit. If you don't have that, it's okay, you can just measure your head and either stick to a pattern or just eyeball how big you want it to be. It's actually not a bad idea to make it slightly bigger than you need it because the leather can shrink. If it turns out a little too big in the end you can just add a sweat band to the inside, which isn't a bad idea anyway.

My measurements were:
Crown Circumference: 24 5/8"
Crown Height: 6"
Brim Width: 2 3/4"

Regardless of how you choose to do it remember to continually check the fit by actually trying it on your head, because that's the best way to know if it's going to fit. Another plus side? You can take goofy pictures of yourself wearing it!

Comments

[zomfibame]

nice hat

[The Rambler]

Thanks!

[Zivig110]

I love the hat, would you mind saying where you got your leather? I'm planning my own hat and I'm having some difficulty finding a good supplier.

[The Rambler]

I got it from Tandy Leather. If you have one nearby I recommend going and picking it out in person. That way you can check for defects, imperfections, and brand marks. You can also talk to the employees and actually see what you're getting instead of just going by descriptions.
If there isn't one close you can order on their website. For certain types of leather you do have to order the whole hide. I think the one I got is considered a "belly" or something like that. It's the best way to get enough without having to get way more than enough.

Good luck! Don't forget to post pictures!

[Hzlbrwn]

You do amazing work my friend! Your hand stitching is so neat!!

[The Rambler]

Thank you!

[Fred82664]

As a Leather crafter my self,,,,VARY WELL DONE HAT!!!!!!!!!!!

[The Rambler]

Thanks, man. You should put some stuff on here. I'm always interested in the leather projects I see on here, and I'd love to see what you've made.

[Fred82664]

I am not a payee member

[The Rambler]

You don't need to pay to post things. I got my Pro membership because the first thing I posted was featured. That being said, I can send you a code for a Pro membership.

[thinkpadt30]

VERY nice, man! I'm impressed! I too dabble in leather (mostly knife sheaths and pistol holsters), and have wanted to do a hat for a long time. I'm so glad you showed me that the layman can do it. I really appreciate that you detailed the steps you went through, and why you did what you did. That will save some of us some heartache down the line when we try our hand at it. I've found the easiest way to do the hole punching is to get a 4-prong punch from Tandy, then put the first prong in the last hole of the previous punching. That way, all the holes are the same spacing. It also looks better to hammer the sewing down when you have wet the leather, so the thread doesn't stand up above the leather. Again, I'm very impressed with your work!.

[The Rambler]

Thanks! Yeah, I find I like to know why I'm supposed to do a certain step, because sometimes I think, "that doesn't look necessary, I bet I can skip it." Knowing the purpose helps me make that decision.

Man, I have got to get me one of those 4-prong punches. I've seen them but somehow it didn't click until just now that it would go four times as fast. Maybe it's because I've never had to punch 600 holes before. Also, thanks for the tip on hammering the thread. I had no idea. Do you put something over it to keep the hammer from marking up the leather? Do you just use a standard rawhide hammer?

[thinkpadt30]

Thanks for your supportive reply. As to hammering the thread, I think it would depend on what effect you're after. If you just want the thread to be inconspicuous, I would take a small piece of flat wood or metal and put it over the thread to hammer. However, sometimes you want to highlight the thread. Then, I would use a thin strip of wood or metal that would concentrate the force just over the thread, which would leave an indention that would highlight the thread. In reality, I just use a smooth-faced hammer directly onto the leather. There is more of a chance of leaving hammer marks, but I've been lucky so far. Another way to do it is to get a punch from Tandy that leaves a thin line. Then punch your holes in the line. I have been pulling out what little hair I have left trying to figure out how to draw the curved bottom of the crown. How did you do it? You did a great job of it.

[The Rambler]

Oh gosh. I might have half measured half freehanded it. Let me see if I can explain how I did it in a way that makes sense.
1. Fold the paper (or whatever you're making your pattern out of) in half.
2. Figure out how deep you want your "swoosh" to be and draw a line at that height parallel to the bottom of the paper.
3. Mark the halfway point on the line. This is the peak of your"swoosh".
4. Mark a quarter of the way in on each side of the bottom of the paper.
5. Draw an arc starting at one of the quarter marks, peaking at the halfway mark and ending at the other quarter mark.
6. Either copy it onto the other half or cut out the arc and trace the line.
7. Round off the corners.

Here's a bad quick "in progress" sketch
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s149/onehugsyguy/Top%20Hat/brimcurve_zpscf6f5885.jpg

Thanks for the tips!

[bigtreehouse]

Amazing. I love hats and leather.

[The Rambler]

Haha, cool. Thanks.

[KMSCoring]

Dude, awesome, please check out my leather top hat instructable and tell me what I did wrong!!!!

[The Rambler]

Haha, you didn't do anything wrong! It's in my favorites. It was one of the things I read when I was still prepping to make this one.

I'll look over it again and add my two cents if you want, but I wouldn't worry about it.

[gcai_fwb]

Great Hat! and great 'ible on how you created it.
One question though about the leather dye - is it fast? I own a leather Aussie drover's hat ( didn't make myself though )-: ) and have found myself with a dyed forehead after having perspired while wearing - eventually the dye stopped staining my head but it took dozens of wearings.
Also any suggestions re cleaning of your hat (or mine) because eventually it will get dirty from body contact - again great project!

[The Rambler]

Oooh, good questions! The dye dries pretty fast, especially if you're buffing it as you go. From what I've heard the bleed is just something you have to expect though. You can do things to minimize it, like using a sealant or putting in an inner lining. It's kind of like washing a red shirt with a white shirt in hot water. It's going to bleed over.

As for cleaning, I honestly don't have much experience in that area as none of the things I've made have needed it yet. I would imagine you could find some directions on caring for leather shoes and follow those steps. From what I've seen it always seems pretty simple.

[probetox]

OMG!!! its an amazing hat, great job pal

[The Rambler]

Thanks a lot!

[ezrablu]

Cool hat! VERY nice instructable, too. Thanks!

[The Rambler]

Thank you!

[Wingloader]

Reminds me of "The Butcher" from Gangs of NY! Love it!

[The Rambler]

Awesome, thanks! I loved the costumes in that movie!

[foobear]

Interesting. I've never worked with leather, but thought about it, especially with regard to shoes. Looks difficult.

[The Rambler]

You know, I can't say it's the easiest thing but if you're good with your hands I don't think it's too hard. I think the hardest part is planning the pattern and seeing how everything will work together. I've actually been wanting to try my hand at some shoes. I'm planning on doing some simple ones for my 2 year old and maybe some slippers for myself. I think I'll start with fabric though since that should be cheaper to mess up.

[vpurcell]

Most excellent! I think I would be able to attempt a mini one for attaching to a headband for steampunking. Thanks for the great post!

[The Rambler]

Thank you. The first link I posted has already sized down their pattern. I wondered if they had done so for that same purpose.

[rmcintyre]

Nice instructions - clear and with lots of beneficial information about re-using thread, matching holes, etc.

[The Rambler]

Thanks, I like to include little things that helped me along the way.

[jdmeaux]

Excellent write-up. It was done very well, and the explanations were perfect. I've done leather work over the years and know how hard it can be. Time consuming.

[The Rambler]

Thank you. Yes, it always seems to take longer than I think it will too.

[travelfeet]

I have had a lot of success using a dremel with a ball burr bit to quickly "drill" stitching holes in leather. I used a scrap piece of wood behind the leather as a backer. I have not seen a stitch spacer before though, I need to get one of those.

Nice hat!

[The Rambler]

Thanks! I've heard of other people using drills or dremels to do the holes too. There's always a part of me that goes, power tools and leather? But hey, it seems like it would make things go a lot faster so I should probably try it.

[whiteoakart]

This is so crazy. I was just thinking this weekend, while at a huge horsemanship show, that I would need to make a custom shaped top hat. Everything available is western cowboy. I ride horses, but I don't want to be a cowboy. I was thinking a curved brim top hat with a tapered top would work well, but I had no idea how to make one. Lo and behold....

[The Rambler]

Happy to be of service!

[tseay]

Wow, a dude that makes his own hats. Though I think it looks more like a western hat than a top hat. Top hats had a shorter brim. Lincoln style and a bit taller. The wavy brim is awesome and looks like the western style. Keep creating.

[The Rambler]

Yeah, it does have a sort of western feel to it, though that doesn't mean it's not a top hat. The top hat that is usually associated with President Lincoln was known as a "stovepipe" hat and was not the only variety available. Also, keep in mind that in step 1 I stated that I got my measurements from an actual top hat. So the height and brim width are the same. Maybe a compromise of "western top hat" would be best.

All that being said, thanks for the compliment.