At JoAnn's I bought a large quantity of black felt, black cotton for the lining, 19 gauge wire, interfacing, and an assortment of black and red feathers. Following the pattern's directions, the hat came together quite easily. Upon completion I trimmed down an old belt from Target to make the hat band, added the feathers, and tacked up the side of the brim.
However, the brim was still rather floppy and the hat looked like what it was - a homemade felt hat. While we were getting ready to go see Pirates of the Caribbean 2 at midnight, one of my friends (who also happens to be an artist) suggested that I coat the hat in an acrylic matte medium to make it stiffer.
I took this advice, and after testing it, I've coated the entire hat in the medium. Once it dried, not only was the hat stiffer, but it had weathered to the point where it actually looked like it had been worn at sea.
