MAKE A LEATHER TRAPPER’S HAT
Now that I’ve shown you how to turn a deer hide into leather (November/December 2017), the next step is to take that leather and create something useful. In this article, I’ll show you how to make a practical, comfortable trapper’s hat.
You’ll need one-third of an average-sized deer hide to make the outer part of the hat. You can use a variety of materials for the liner, such as hair-on rabbit, fleece, or my favorite liner material: khaki-colored sherpa suede fabric. Once you get the hang of sewing the material, it’ll take a couple of evenings to make the hat.
Tools & Materials
Deer leather is thin, so you won’t need many specialized leatherworking tools for this project.
▪ Leather punch or awl
▪ Heavy-duty scissors or leather shears
▪ Artificial sinew
▪ Glover’s needle
▪ 2 stitching needles
▪ Beeswax
▪ Wig or hat stand
▪ ½ yard of sherpa fabric, or whatever material you’d prefer for the liner
▪ Quilting needle
▪ All-purpose thread
▪ Needle-nose pliers
▪ Light-duty work gloves
▪ Sheets of paper
▪ Pencil
▪ Thin-tipped marker
▪ Flexible tape measure
▪ Ruler
▪ Carpenter’s square
▪ Hammer
▪ Medium-sized binder clips
▪ Lighter or matches
▪ Small round stone the size of a chicken egg, for setting the stitches
▪ 2 large buttons (I like making these from deer antler)
Making the Liner Pattern
Take the following measurements and write them on a piece of paper.
A. The distance over your head from the middle of your forehead, just above yourB. The distance around your head just above your ears and eyebrows.C. The distance over your head from just above your right ear to just above your left ear.
