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Thursday, November 7, 2013

Time for a Tam?

I decided to make a tam o'shanter for the boy doll I am working on, and consulted the book "Hat Making for Dolls," which I had bought on Amazon.   There was only a drawing of a rectangle and a circle, and "sew band to circle," for instructions.

I made three, before I had figured out the proportion of band to circle.  If the tam was too large, it looked - well, too large, and if too small, it perched on his head and looked cute, but - too cute. 


Too big, too little, and just right.




Tam O'Shanters are named for a poem of the same name by Robert Burns, written in 1791, according to my dictionary which has a kind of odd illustration of a man wearing one.  They go up pretty high on the one side, I noticed. 

So, here is my tam-making method: 



It is a circle attached to a band.   I figured the diameter of the circle should be larger than the head measurement. 

- First, measure around the side of the head, at the angle you want the hat to sit, like so.

- Then draw and cut out a circle.  The proportion I found to look good, in cutting out the circle, is to multiply 1.2 x the head measurement you just took.


The head measurement I took was 13 inches.  I cut out a circle that had a diameter that was approximately 1.2 times that, or 15.5 inches. 


When cutting out the circle add whatever extra for your seam allowance.  I added one quarter inch all the way around. 


Machine sew a basting stitch around the circle your seam allowance or 1/4 
inch, gather and check how it sits on the head,
pulling tighter or letting out as needed.


Then lay it down and check that the gathers are even
all around, and re-check it against the head measurement.






Pinning the band, right sides together


Cut a long strip of cloth on the bias, turn it up a quarter inch, and hem if you wish.  Pin it right sides to the gathered circle, cut off excess and machine sew.   Be careful you sew down all the gathers as you sew.   

Fold over the band in half, and tack down usng hand-stiches, on the inside.  


Then as a finishing touch sew on the pompom, going up from the inside all the way up through the pompom and then back down again, repeat, and knot.

And there you have a tam o'shanter for a doll or anybody.  I hope
this is helpful if you want to make a tam.



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