Bucket Hat Pattern Maker
A bucket hat is a crown, a sloping side band and a brim. Choose a size or measure your head and the pieces are drawn to match, with the ease you set.
Shape it with an oval or round crown, a straight or flared side, a soft or structured brim and rows of topstitching. Line it for a reversible hat, or add chin ties.
Make it yours: Measure your own head, then change the brim width, crown height and the ties.
Make this pattern in your size →What you can change
Size
- Band depth: 4–16 cm (1⅝–6¼″). Up the side of the hat, from the brim seam to the crown seam.
- Brim width: 2–14 cm (¾–5½″). From the band out to the edge of the brim, along its slope.
Sizes are typed in centimetres, millimetres or inches. The starting size is Band depth 7.5 cm (3″), Brim width 6.5 cm (2½″).
Options
- Size: 0–6 months, 6–12 months, 1–2 years, 3–4 years, 5–6 years, 7–8 years, XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL or measured
- Crown: oval or round
- Side band: upright, slight flare, bucket flare or wide flare
- Band and brim: one piece each or two halves
- Brim edge: sewn and turned or bias bound
- Brim: soft or structured
- Switches: Reversible lining, Chin ties
- Measurements and counts: Head, Ease, Brim slope, Rows of topstitching on the brim
Starting points
These are sizes and settings to begin from, and every one stays fully editable. Type your own measurements, or start from the nearest one.
| Starting point | Finished size, cm | Same starting point in round inches |
|---|---|---|
| Adult M | head 57 cm + 1 cm ease · band 7.5 cm · brim 6.5 cm | head ≈22½″ + ⅜″ ease · band 3″ · brim 2½″ |
| Adult S | head 55 cm + 1 cm ease · band 7 cm · brim 6 cm | head ≈21⅝″ + ⅜″ ease · band 2¾″ · brim 2⅜″ |
| Adult L | head 58 cm + 1 cm ease · band 7.5 cm · brim 6.5 cm | head ≈22⅞″ + ⅜″ ease · band 3″ · brim 2½″ |
| Adult XL | head 60 cm + 1 cm ease · band 7.8 cm · brim 7 cm | head 23⅝″ + ⅜″ ease · band 3⅛″ · brim 2¾″ |
| Child 1–2 years | head 48 cm + 1 cm ease · band 5.5 cm · brim 4.5 cm | head ≈18⅞″ + ⅜″ ease · band 2¼″ · brim 1¾″ |
| Child 3–4 years | head 50 cm + 1 cm ease · band 6 cm · brim 5 cm | head ≈19⅝″ + ⅜″ ease · band 2⅜″ · brim 2″ |
| Child 5–6 years | head 52 cm + 1 cm ease · band 6.5 cm · brim 5.5 cm | head ≈20½″ + ⅜″ ease · band 2½″ · brim 2⅛″ |
| Reversible hat · adult M | head 57 cm + 1 cm ease · band 7.5 cm · brim 6.5 cm | head ≈22½″ + ⅜″ ease · band 3″ · brim 2½″ |
| Wide-brim sun hat · adult M | head 57 cm + 1 cm ease · band 7.5 cm · brim 9 cm | head ≈22½″ + ⅜″ ease · band 3″ · brim 3½″ |
| Bound rain hat · adult M | head 57 cm + 1 cm ease · band 7.8 cm · brim 7 cm | head ≈22½″ + ⅜″ ease · band 3⅛″ · brim 2¾″ |
Cutting list
At the starting size (Band depth 7.5 cm (3″), Brim width 6.5 cm (2½″)) the pattern has these pieces. Fabric sizes include seam allowance, interfacing is cut to the stitching line, and pieces cut on the fold are shown opened out. Each size is the width and height of the piece as cut.
| Piece | Fabric | Cut | Size to cut | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crown | Main fabric | 1 | up to 16.73 × 18.94 cm (up to ≈6⅝ × ≈7½″) | Shaped: cut from the printed piece |
| Side band | Main fabric | 1 | up to 57.9 × 16.51 cm (up to ≈22¾ × 6½″) | Shaped: cut from the printed piece |
| Brim | Main fabric | 2 | up to 36.32 × 35.12 cm (up to ≈14¼ × ≈13⅞″) | Shaped: cut from the printed piece |
You will also need: Thread. The cover page and materials list give the amounts for your size.
The maker’s fabric estimate at this size: Main fabric about 0.6 m of 112 cm fabric.
How it goes together
These are the maker’s own instructions at the starting size. They change with the options you pick, and the PDF carries the full set with the cover, cutting list and materials list.
- Check the fit first: pin a strip of paper or fabric into a ring 58 cm round at its stitching line (57 cm head + 1 cm ease) and try it on where the hat will sit.
- Sew the side band’s two short ends right sides together at 1 cm to make a ring; press the seam open.
- Sew the crown into the side band: right sides together, match the band’s notches to the crown’s quarter notches and its seam to the top (back) notch. Clip the band’s allowance every 1.5 cm or so, so it spreads round the curve, and sew with the band on top. Notch the crown’s allowance and press it towards the band.
- Sew the brim’s short ends together the same way, so it becomes a ring; do the same with the second brim layer. Press the seams open.
- Put the two brim rings right sides together, seams matching, and sew round the outer edge at 1 cm. Trim the allowance to half and notch it, turn the brim right side out and press the edge crisply.
- Topstitch 4 rows round the brim through both layers, the first 0.6 cm from the edge and the rest 0.8 cm apart (marked on the pattern). Start each row at the back, and keep the brim flat as it feeds.
- Baste the brim layers together along the inner edge.
- Sew the brim to the band’s lower edge: right side of the upper brim to the right side of the band, notches and seams matching. Clip the brim’s inner allowance so it lies flat round the curve.
- Finish the raw edges inside the hat (crown and brim seams) with a zigzag or overlocker, or cover them with a strip of bias binding. Press the brim seam up towards the band and topstitch the band 0.3 cm above it.
Fabric suggestions
Outer: Medium-weight cotton: twill, canvas, denim, corduroy, linen or quilting cotton. Waxed or water-resistant cotton, or nylon, for a rain hat.
Lining: Quilting cotton, poplin, or a second outer fabric for a reversible hat.
Interfacing, padding or other layers: A soft brim has no interfacing and a few rows of stitching, so it droops in the classic bucket way. A structured brim adds light-to-medium interfacing and close rows of stitching, so it stands out.
How each fabric family suits it
- Stable woven: great choice. Holds the band and brim shape and takes rows of topstitching well.
- Heavy or stiff: works well. Canvas, denim and waxed cotton make sturdy hats. Trim and grade the seams where the crown, band and brim meet.
- Stretchy knit: possible, with care. Fleece makes a warm, soft hat, but a knit brim droops: interface it or add rows of stitching, and sew with a stretch stitch. Thin jersey is too floppy.
- Slippery or fine: possible, with care. Nylon suits a packable rain hat. Pin inside the seam allowance only, and press with a cool iron.
The maker’s advice adjusts to the fabric family you pick in the Fabric tab.
Printing it
At the starting size the printed pieces take 7 A4 pages, taped together using the page labels, alignment marks and page map. For a print shop, choose a sheet from A0 to a 36″ roll: the pieces are packed onto as few sheets as they will fit on, and if one is too big for the sheet the maker says so. How printing, tiling and the test square work.
Frequently asked questions
What size can I make?
The bucket hat pattern takes band depth from 4–16 cm (1⅝–6¼″); brim width from 2–14 cm (¾–5½″). It starts at Band depth 7.5 cm (3″), Brim width 6.5 cm (2½″), and you can work in centimetres, millimetres or inches. There are 10 starting points to begin from (Adult M, Adult S, Adult L, Adult XL, Child 1–2 years, Child 3–4 years, Child 5–6 years, Reversible hat · adult M, Wide-brim sun hat · adult M, Bound rain hat · adult M). Every starting point stays fully editable.
Which fabric suits the bucket hat pattern?
Medium-weight cotton: twill, canvas, denim, corduroy, linen or quilting cotton. Waxed or water-resistant cotton, or nylon, for a rain hat. In the maker’s fabric advice, stable woven is a great choice; heavy or stiff works well; stretchy knit and slippery or fine are possible with care.
Are there child or baby sizes?
Yes: Child 1–2 years (head 48 cm + 1 cm ease · band 5.5 cm · brim 4.5 cm), Child 3–4 years (head 50 cm + 1 cm ease · band 6 cm · brim 5 cm) and Child 5–6 years (head 52 cm + 1 cm ease · band 6.5 cm · brim 5.5 cm). They are starting points, not a promise of fit, and every measurement can be changed. Check the fit yourself, and check the finished item for anything small, loose or long enough to catch, before a child wears or uses it.