Moosehide Hat With Polar Fleece Lining

I made some different type of fur hats and thought of this hat without the fur because it is versatile when doing odd jobs outside or taking short trips in and out the vehicle type situations.  It is warm but not as warm as the fur hat which is definitely for longer periods outdoors.  I hand sewed all the pieces together - using a hide needles and beading thread doubled on the needle.  A person could add decorations to the hat in anyway they wanted.  A person could use either side of the hide for the exterior.  I liked the shinier part on the outside.  The supplies needed are a four by four four piece of hide, a four by four foot of lining, a hide needle, a thimble, beading thread which is doubled for all sewing, and a pattern or make a pattern out of cardboard..

After you gather your supplies, you will begin by placing your patterns on the hide.  Remember that you will need to save some hide for the long stips to make the braid ties and a long strip to complete the bottom section of the hat. 

Measure and cut out two side pieces which are the larger pieces of the hat and measure and cut out one piece for the front section.  You will need to cut out the same three pieces for the lining.  The stretchy part of any material will run sideways on the hat for both the hide and the fabric not up and down.  This is to make sure the hat keeps it's original  shape and can stretch with wear as needed.  You can check the hide by stretching it all ways before marking so that you know which way it stretches easiest.  This is the way that you will place your pattern for marking and cutting.  The same with the fabric - whatever way it stretches place the pattern along this part.

Mark and cut out all the pieces for the outer hide section and the polar fleece section.  It is best to sew the polar fleece section first and then sew the hide section.  If the pieces do not form a shape of a star on the top - adjust the sections until they do or make a trial piece out of another piece of fabric.  Once you have the proper cutting and sewing - for the lining make note of it and make any changes at this step to the hide section it is simpler this way. 

Once the three hide sections are sewn together and the three pieces of polar feece have been sewn together, insert the polar fleece into the hat shell - all stitching should not show - the right side of the polar fleece will be next to the head and the hide hat section will be turned so that there will be not visible stitching on the outside. 

I started sewing the long border piece at the back so that the seams are not visible in the front.  The four sections are sewn together.  The long strip is balanced over the two layers and is sewn right through to the other side.  You will be sewing four pieces - both sides of the strip and the two hat layers together.  This is where a thimble helps out or a piece of wood so that you can press the hide needle through all the layers.  Completely sew the strip around the bottom edge of the hat to the end.  Trim the hide before you get to the end to make sure that you can sew the ends together to close off the seam line at the back.

For each braided tie you will need three stips of hide cut to your desired length.   The top and bottom of each braided tie is secured at each end.  When you start place the three strips together and sew through all three layers about four times for strength.  Braid the hide strips and at the bottom of the hide braid again sttich the pieces together to secure the end and you can sew this through at least four times and knot off the end of the thread each time before cutting the thread.

The hat can be worn in two ways with either the flaps up in warmer winter weather or the flaps down and tied for colder temperatures.