Hello, Sunshine! – DIY Embroidered Sun Hat

I’ve seen so many cute variations of the embroidered sun hat trend lately! There are many styles and price options available (ranging from around $20 to nearly $500)! I made this one for $9. Personally, I’m super thankful that the big floppy embroidered sun hat is in style; I get sunburned ridiculously easily in the summertime, so wide-brimmed sun hats have been a staple of my beach wardrobe for years, as evidenced by this photo from 2010. Some things never change!

I really love craft/DIY projects, and I find that not only are they a great way to save money, but they also really help me manage all of my school-related stress! I get anxious pretty easily, and having a project to work on really boosts my mood. You can see one of my other recent projects, a pom-pom choker, here!

Don’t be scared if you’ve never tried to embroider anything before- I hadn’t either! It’s pretty simple, and if you make a mistake you can just pull your thread out and try again. For me, the most challenging thing was getting the curves down; I really wanted my letters to be pretty and cursive, but straight lines are much easier to stitch! If you’re like me, the more curves in your sun hat saying, the more patience you’ll need to finish it.

Note – this post contains affiliate links!

Steps to make an embroidered sun hat:

1. Gather your materials.

This cute sun hat that I used was in the Target Dollar Spot (it was $5). I wish I’d gotten more than one! If you’re an Amazon Prime addict, here’s a floppy wide-brim sun hat that comes in multiple colors, starting at $7.99. You’ll also need some embroidery floss and embroidery needles. I like to keep a variety of embroidery floss around for bracelets, tassels, and other craft projects, but you can buy individual skeins for around 50 cent at a craft store like Michael’s. I used only one skein to make my hat, so you don’t need to buy a ton. Make sure to get some embroidery needles, which have a larger eye than regular needles, because the embroidery floss is a good bit thicker than regular thread. I’ve included Amazon links to these supplies for convenience, but you’ll most likely save more if you buy from a craft store!

2. Choose your phrase.

What kind of message do you want your sun hat to sport? I chose “hello, sunshine.” Here are some other options, but the possibilities are really endless!

do not disturb

out of the office

beach bum

fun in the sun

summer fun

school’s out

vacation mode

La Vie en rose

3. Write out your phrase.

I wrote out “hello, sunshine” on a piece of paper exactly as I wanted it to appear on my hat. This gave me a better idea of how I should space things. While I chose to tackle the stitching just looking at my reference drawing, you can also lightly draw on your hat with a pencil!

4. Start stitching!

As I mentioned before, I’ve never embroidered before, and I don’t have a good understanding of different stitch types for embroidery. I believe that the method I used is closest to a ‘split stitch’ – I made a knot in the thread and started sewing from the underside of the hat. Once I made a stitch, I looped back under and started the second stitch at a point halfway through the first stitch. This overlapping method of stitching made the letters look more smooth and connected.

When I was unsure of where I needed to place my stitches for the more curvy cursive letters, I sort of laid out the thread to give me a better idea of the “flow” of the letters. Mine aren’t perfect, but I’m sure they’ll get better with practice!

5. Show off your fabulous embroidered sun hat!

I’m really proud of how this sun hat turned out! I worked on it a little bit at a time, so I don’t really have a good estimate for how long it took to make, but it was very simple once I got the hang of things! I’m planning to make some more for friends and family, and I’ll be sure to update with photos of those later. If I had an Etsy store, I’d definitely put these in it – so fun to make!

xoxo,

Raine