December 19, 2018
Want to make a truly unique stocking stuffer? Try a Lee & Pearl hat pattern!
All this week, we'll help you amaze and delight the doll lovers in your life with beautiful and unique last-minute gifts — made with Lee & Pearl™ patterns and tutorials, of course.
Did you know that our pattern designer "Pearl" studied millinery at the Fashion Institute in New York? She takes great pride in crafting perfectly scaled, just-like-the-real-thing doll hat patterns that fit together with mathematical precision.
And when we say mathematical, we mean it. You'd be amazed how many geometric formulas and equations are involved in flat pattern cap drafting!
One of our very first Lee & Pearl patterns was a hat pattern — and it's still one of our favorites!
Use L&P Pattern 1006: Patrol Cap for 18 Inch Dolls to create straight-sided fabric caps with curved visors and flat tops. These fully-lined hats looks adorable in anything from camo prints and khaki to pretty cottons and tailored twills.
Here's a fun and unique style you won't find anywhere else — L&P Pattern 1007: Bush Hat or "Boonie" for 18 Inch Dolls. It's perfect for all the adventurous doll-lovers in your life!
Our Boonie's brim features spiral topstitching and a bias tape edge. The crown is fully lined and the adjustable chin strap is easy to make with purchased cord — or you can follow our directions to make your own twisted-strand cord out of embroidery floss.
We love both the patrol cap and the "Boonie" as casual caps for every-doll, but both also have military uniform pedigrees — and look just as great made out of camo fabrics as they do out of cotton prints and twills.
In fact, we love these hats so much with our L&P Pattern 1010: Army Combat Uniform for 18 Inch Dolls that we created a pattern bundle listing that includes ALL THREE PATTERNS at a reduced price.
CLICK HERE to see Pattern 1006: Patrol Cap for 18 Inch Dolls in the Lee & Pearl Etsy store.
CLICK HERE to see Pattern 1007: Bush Hat or "Boonie" for 18 Inch Dolls in the Lee & Pearl Etsy store.
CLICK HERE to see the Military Uniform Separates, Caps & Hats Pattern BUNDLE for 18 Inch Dolls in the Lee & Pearl Etsy store.
Here's another favorite for girl and boy dolls — L&P Pattern 1008: Classic Ball Cap and Big Fat Trucker Hat for 18 Inch Dolls.
We made our ball cap the right way, with six panels for a molded fit, ventilating eyelets on each panel, a "squatchee" fabric-covered button at the top, and an optional vent at the back for the look of an adjustable cap.
This pattern also includes a trucker hat version — which is the cutest thing ever with mesh panels along the sides and back and a stiffly-interfaced double panel in front begging to be decorated any way you choose.
We loved the fit of our six-panel crown so much — and all the math that went into creating it — that we designed a pretty sun hat using the same neat, round top. Here it is, the ultimate flattering, wide-brimmed topper — L&P Pattern 1017: "California Girl" Sun Hat for 18 Inch Dolls.
Make this style your own with one, two or three colors alternating on the crown, a self or contrasting lining, and your choice of optional trim along the brim edge.
CLICK HERE to see Pattern 1008: Classic Ball Cap and Big Fat Trucker Hat for 18 Inch Dolls in the Lee & Pearl Etsy store.
CLICK HERE to see Pattern 1017: "California Girl" Sun Hat for 18 Inch Dolls in the Lee & Pearl Etsy store.
Do you have a Costco Molly wrapped and ready to go under the Christmas tree? Or maybe a well-loved, pre-retirement Molly in need of some new duds?
Make your Molly a jaunty vintage cap using our L&P Pattern 2021: Hollywood Hats — The Glengarry Hat for 18 Inch Dolls. This centuries-old style was particularly popular in the 1940s!
Our Glengarry takes the standard Scottish cap and exaggerates the lines ever-so-slightly into a more glamorous shape and a scale better suited to an 18 inch face.
Along with recommendations for trims that traditionally complement the Glengarry shape — like the festive bias band on our Sonali's cap — we have included detailed directions to produce an easy and foolproof ribbon cockade.
Once you know how to make cockades like these, you're going to want to use them all over the place — on vintage hats, sure, but also on scarves, on jewelry, on gift wrap, and even on first prize-winning doll gymnasts!
Here's a tip — if you've got one of those Costco or pre-retirement Molly's, you're also going to want to make her a stylish wardrobe using our L&P Pattern 1943: Molly Waves Goodbye 1940s Suit for 18 Inch Dolls.
Along with the fitted slip (which can double as a modern sundress), A-line skirt and darling little jacket with curved front seams and a blouson back, this pattern also includes... a hat!
Isn't this the sweetest little fabric cap? And doesn't that self-fabric bow trim look great with our Molly's signature bangs-and-braids?
CLICK HERE to see Pattern 2021: Hollywood Hats — The Glengarry for 18 Inch Dolls in the Lee & Pearl Etsy store.
CLICK HERE to see Pattern 1943: "Molly Waves Goodbye" 1940s Suit for 18 Inch Dolls in the Lee & Pearl Etsy store.
Finally, here's our most recent — and most glamorous — hat pattern for dolls, L&P Pattern 2064: Posh Accessories 1960s Flower Pot Hat, Gloves, Pearl Necklaces and Fabric Flower Trim for 18 Inch Dolls.
There's something for everyone and every level of sewist in this fabulous pattern — from an elegant, fully-lined hat and lace-trimmed gloves to a set of easy-to-make beaded earrings and a fabric flower that goes together in minutes.
Inspired by a vintage pattern from Pearl's collection, our 1960s Flower Pot Hat is a marvel of minimalist design. What appears to be a simple construction of gathered rectangles is elevated through gentle curves, bias cuts and carefully-planned tucks into one of the last great millinery forms — the iconic "upside down" flower pot, with its face-framing brim and tall crown.
Make your own flattering Flower Pot from elegant silk, or try a lightweight cotton, like the pink organdy on our American Girl Kit — or follow our directions for flatlining lace or other sheer fabrics for the couture-look version on our American Girl Melody below.
As beautiful inside as out, this hat is fully lined, with internal and external bands and a neatly cartridge-pleated crown.
This pattern is available on its own — or as part of our Retro Style Pattern Bundle for 18 Inch Dolls, which includes L&P Pattern 1964: "Darling Doris" 1960s Ladies' Suit for 18 Inch Dolls.
"Darling Doris" is our salute to sunny, sparkling '60s star Doris Day, and to all the stylish career gals of the era — like our Mom, who got married in a light blue suit that she made herself from a pattern!
Along with the fully lined swing jacket with bracelet-length sleeves and working pockets, this pattern includes a knee-length pencil skirt with a kick pleat and a refined little blouse with front princess seams that extend into cap sleeves.
Of course, this pattern is delightful on American Girl's 1960s historical doll, Melody Ellison!
CLICK HERE to see Pattern 2064: Posh Accessories 1960s Flower Pot Hat, Gloves, Pearl Necklaces and Fabric Flower Trim for 18 Inch Dolls in the Lee & Pearl Etsy store.
CLICK HERE to see Pattern 1964: Darling Doris 1960s Ladies' Suit for 18 Inch Dolls in the Lee & Pearl Etsy store.
CLICK HERE to see the Darling Doris and Posh Accessories Retro Style Pattern BUNDLE for 18 Inch Dolls in the Lee & Pearl Etsy store.
Remember — you can JOIN US on January 1, 2019 as we welcome the 2019 American Girl® Girl of the Year™ Blaire Wilson™ in person.
Both "Lee" and "Pearl" will be at the American Girl store at the Dallas Galleria on January 1, 2019 — and we'd love to meet you!
We'll be on line outside the store from 9:15 AM CST. If you'd like to swing by and join us as we explore the new collection, click on "Contact Us" above and send us a message — or just look for us on line or in the store. The store opens at 10:00 AM and the Girl of the Year festivities last until 1 PM.
NOTE: The American Girl store is in the parking lot of the Dallas Galleria, at 13464 Dallas Pkwy.
See you next time!
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