Amelia Earhart Style Aviator Cap

Amelia Earhart was - among other things - the first women to solo fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Her death remains a mystery to this day, numerous conspiracy theories about her disappearance can be found online.
The photo of her in her white aviator cap inspired me to try and make an aviator cap myself.

- a thrift store leather jacket (really thin leather)
- a photo of the desired cap
- paper for the pattern
- pencil, marker, tailor's chalk
- bendable sewing ruler
- life size glass head
- faux fur lining (not in the photo)
- sewing machine
- fabric scissors
- magnetic button and decorative button (not in the picture)

... is not as easy as I thought!
The glass head is almost live size which is really super! I could draw on it with a non permanent marker and so came up with my first design. I used my flexible ruler and tried to copy the lines onto paper. Not too successfully I must say. I then started measuring around the glass head and around my own head and improved the pattern a little. But I also realised that my mathematical skills are not at all good enough to help me solve my pattern challenge.

...was my only choice. I cut out the pattern, transferred it onto the leather and cut. Then I used sewing pins to assemble the pieces. Well look at the photos and see for yourself. I found that I had too much leather on the sides, but also on top, so in order to correct the pattern I split it in half and taped the half to the glass head.
This actually helped. I marked the optimal lines and then bent my paper pattern accordingly.

I refined my pattern and cut the leather. I then assembled the cap again and... voila, it looked almost like a cap.

The leather pieces I used as stencils for my lining.
Notice the orange tape with the hearts? SUPER important. After confusing front and back for the umptieth time I marked the back with tape.

I started by sewing the two top parts together. I started in the back and sewed to the front. To destress the seam I trimmed it as narrow as possible. Also I cut the leftover seam allowance vertically to almost the seam every 1/4 inch or so. After that I sewed the side parts to the top parts and repeated the trimming and cutting. Finally I did the same with the lining. I didn't trim and cut that though.
I turned both caps and inserted the lining into the leather cap. (Pretty side to pretty side!) I sewed round and left an opening in the back for turning. After I turned everything I folded the gap to the inside and sewed it shut.

At this point I measured the perfect lenghth for the flaps. I cut the superfluous leather, folded the flaps inside and sewed them shut.

I took my small glover's needle and sewed the magnetic fasteners to the flaps. I added the beautiful red silver button as decoration as much as as security for the magnetic button.