For a while now I have been meaning to share with you my favourite crafty podcasts which I listen to while driving about and stitching.  But I have so many to recommend I will need to think a little more about it.  Before I do that let me tell you about what I heard last week and bucket hats!

I have been listening to a range of crafty podcasts – let me know which are your favourites too!  I will eventually create a blog post with my top 5 or 10 but its another thing that keeps sliding!  One of my more recent new craft podcast finds  is ‘We’ve made it’ from the team that brings you the online craft magazine gathered.how.  Have a listen via this link

During the episode ‘We’ve Made It bonus episode: Juliet Uzor, 2019 Sewing Bee winner’ one of their recommended projects of the week was to create the bucket hat – so popular in the 1990s.  I am not really one for sun hats so thought it would be worth a try.

You can make one too – all the pattern details are on the gathered.how website with a link to the PDF pattern which is in actual size so no enlarging or calculations needed — bonus!  Find the pattern and fabulous instructions with pictures here:  BUCKET HAT PATTERN

Those of you who know me will recognise that fact that I am a lurking Womble!  I like to up-cycle and recycle wherever I can so a bucket hat needed to be made from old denim jeans as far as I was concerned.  I started with one for myself (sewists prerogative) using and old pair of jeans and a piece that my daughter had practiced sunflowers on.  I was well pleased with the result!  I do have a large head so rather than the recommended 1cm seam allowance I used my quilting quarter inch presser foot so it fitted well.

So naturally the family orders came think and fast!  Littlest child wanted a bright coloured one!  A harlequin fabric has been kicking around my stash for years, despite it being a slippy satin she couldn’t be discouraged so I had to fuse the fabric to a firm cotton before construction could start – she was very pleased with the result.

Largest girl requested a denim number – she likes to follow my style, not sure how long that will last – having made a couple of these already the stitching quality is better and I took the trouble to change thread to a ‘jeans style’ golden top stitching thread.

Middle girl is a green lover and in the stash was some left over heavy weight upholstery cotton which I am sure came from IKEA some years back – so a green bucket hat was created just for her, again with a 1/4 inch seam as she has inherited my large head!

On the whole I am pleased with the results, I had some lovely compliments from the ladies at social stitch on Friday morning.  Let me know if you make one too!  Or if you need some guidance we can arrange a little bucket hat workshop or 1-2-1 session just drop me a message.