Cindy SewSew

What makes the quality and craftsmanship of your bucket hats stand out? 

I think the thing that stands out the most are the colors. They seem to really make people smile.  

I’m drawn to bright happy colors myself. I dress the same way in very bright very colorful fabrics. I take great pride in my workmanship, hoping that each Hat is perfect for each person that purchased it  & they are proud to wear them out in public. That’s the ultimate compliment to a Creator.

What inspired you to start making bucket hats? 

Four years ago, I saw a TV show on Britbox called “Vera”. The main character is a woman detective that wears a very interesting shaped olive green hat. Everyone started calling her hat a Bucket Hat. I knew they were not Bucket Hats. It had a different configuration. So,  I designed my own pattern and made about 20 and put them on Etsy and they started selling like crazy. At one point there was no olive green thread in the town where I live, because I had bought every olive spool in town. Over 350 Vera Hat sales later, they are still selling on my www.etsy.com/shop/CindySewSew Etsy account all over the world. When you google (Vera Hat)… My Vera hat is the first thing that pops up on the Internet. This inspired me-to start making REAL Bucket Hats in really bright fun colors that I personally love. I really got into the festivals and Art shows this year selling the Bucket Hats full-time. It has been so much fun. I take my little Orange circus tent show on the road where I’ve created a display that is really catchy featuring the Bucket Hats right at eye level. We have so many people that can see our bright orange booth from a far and point and laugh, and can’t wait to get up to it to see how all the hats are displayed. My friend Tammi, and I Man our Booth and we get so many compliments from people thanking us for our Booth because it’s so much fun. We’ve had many people take selfies of themselves in our booth. Most people cannot believe that I have sewn the hats all myself. We’re talking about hundreds of hats possibly over 1,000 now.  I learned this skill set working at a baby clothes Factory many many years ago. And those skills help me sew 20 to 50 Hats in batches at the same time. I love to Sew and I have a craft room that I work in every day while I watch BritBox TV. 

How did you learn to sew? 

One day Mom got out her Old Singer Sewing machine and I started sewing Barbie clothes immediately. I was in grade school… The sewing machine was my “instrument”.  In junior high, I designed and created a little felt beanbag dog that my girlfriend and I started selling to the other kids at school. I started sewing clothing for hire at the age of 14 Years old. It came to me very Naturally.

In the Beginning I took 4-H sewing lessons to learn harder things like putting in a zipper or a pocket or how to sew on a curve, how to make patterns fit my growing tall body. I also took Sewing lessons in Junior high &  high school, in those days it was a full-time class. I took tailoring classes in high school. Where we learned how to make men’s suits and wool coats. I’ve been making most of my clothes & jeans since I was in junior high. One of my favorite things to Sew is One of a kind Halloween & Cosplay Costumes.

What do you enjoy most about designing and making each hat?

It seems like each Hat has its own personality, and when people try them on, it’s almost like trying on a new pair of glasses. When they put on the right hat, we all know it’s the one for them. It just looks perfect on them and that makes me very happy.  When I see them walking around at the festivals wearing something I’ve created, It’s very satisfying. I also sew the Bucket Hats in Baby sizes, anything in a tiny size is so cute to look at specially on a baby.

Where do you find inspiration for your fabrics, colors, and patterns?

I watch a lot of social media, especially TikTok… And I see different Fabrics, Styles, trends and clothing that people wear that give me ideas for Hat Fabrics. When I travel, I like to Collect Fabrics from My travels, and I also have friends that bring Fabrics home from different countries for me. Right now we have Fabrics in our Cindy SewSew booth from Norway, Sweden, Japan, and Africa & A few Vintage retro pieces.

What makes a Cindy SewSew bucket hat unique?
When I first started Sewing the Hats, I tried purchased Hats patterns, but they didn’t fit right, so I designed my own Adult and Baby Bucket Hat patterns. Our hats are very colorful and unusual. You won’t see them anywhere else. I try to pick the best Quality Fabrics, with my sewing skill-set I feel like they’re very well-made.

What do you hope people feel when they wear your creations?

Hopefully my Hats make people feel confident and bring out their real personalities. It’s like a walking billboard on your head that tells people a little bit more about you. We see such happy faces after they make a purchase from our Booth. It makes us feel really great that we’ve done something to make their day a little bit better. At our last Festival, I sold a one of a kind vintage fabric hat. The woman who purchased It, told us she was going on a trip to Greece. Her new

Hat was gonna be part of her fashion statement and shade protection on her trip. That was fun to know my hats are still traveling around the world.