[Joan]

Hello, I am new to this forum and could really use some help. Not a beginner but a little rusty. I made a bucket hat size small for my grandson. His measurement is 18 1/4″ so I made the small which said 19″ finished size on the pattern. Pattern printed correctly with the 1″ test square and I used the pattern seam allowances of 1/2″. Well the hat is too small and the finished size it about 17″, two inches too small. Does anyone have any suggestions? I want to be more careful with size going forward.

Where do I measure the pattern piece for the hat to check the size? I would think it would be the top edge of the side piece 7c (less seam allowance) because this is the smallest edge that must fit around the childs head.
Thank you for any help!

[Joan]

here is the picture of the pattern piece side

Attachments:

1. 

   Bucket-hat-pattern-piece-side-rotated.jpg
   

[Lightning McStitch]

Hi @jlrobinson1220gmail-com Joan,
The best way to work out what size a finished garment will be us to draw the stitching line on your pattern piece.
The crown circumference measurement will be taken at the opposite end to where you’ve marked.
Draw a line 1/2″ in from that longer curved edge. Stop the line 1/2″ from each end
The length of that line, doubled, will be the head size circumference of the finished hat.

I guess most heads slope in a predictable way so the circumference where the crown meets the lid is not usually given.

The pattern does run true to measurement, but many of us have found that it’s not true to age/size. Or possibly we have kids with big heads!
I always sized up with this pattern, or used a smaller seam allowance.

Good luck. Once you get the sizing right, it’s a great hat to make over and over again.