How to make a bucket hat at home: Shopper makes hats using $2 Kmart tea towels

A creative shopper has impressed thousands on social media after transforming budget tea towels into bucket hats.

Sharing an image to a popular Facebook group, Frances made seven bucket hats using 14 $1.75 towels from Kmart.  

In the comments many dubbed the DIY as ‘absolutely amazing’, ‘beautiful’ and a ‘great way’ to use cheap fabric. 

Some also seemed eager to buy the hats off of Frances and messaged her privately.  

‘A stack of hats made from the ever-versatile Kmart tea towel,’ Frances captioned the post.

The image shows a stacked pile of bucket hacks, each with a unique pattern.  

To make bucket hats at home, you’ll need a sewing machine, half a metre of fabric, pins, scissors, thread and a bucket hat sewing pattern. 

The social media post was ‘liked’ more than 3,600 times and received praise from kind strangers.  

‘You are very talented. I struggle to thread a needle so this is super impressive to me,’ one person wrote in the comments. 

Another added: ‘I wish I could do something like this, these are amazing.’

Others mentioned they too have used Kmart tea towels to create face masks, coin purses and baby burp cloths. 

To make bucket hats at home, you’ll need a sewing machine, half a metre of fabric, pins, scissors, thread and a bucket hat sewing pattern

In 2020 another Australian shopper created an incredible one-off dress using 11 tea towels from Kmart, inspiring others to take up sewing as a hobby.

Selika Harris, 37, started sewing quilts in her spare time a decade ago but lost interest after two years. Three years ago she was poised to pick up a needle and thread again, this time to piece together garments.

‘I saw some people on the Australian sewing advice and inspiration Facebook page used this tea towel to make bucket hats so I was thinking I could make a dress from it as it’s so pretty,’ the shopper from Croydon in Victoria told FEMAIL.

The tea towel, which costs $1.50, features a peach-coloured backdrop with cockatoos perched on branches.

In 2020 another Australian shopper created an incredible one-off dress using 11 tea towels from Kmart, inspiring others to take up sewing as a hobby

‘I went to Kmart to get something else and I grabbed seven tea towels as well before ordering more later,’ she said.

She had the vision for the dress in her head so it didn’t take long to piece together the material, sew in a zipper and post the finished product to social media. 

‘I pretty much sewed two big pieces of three tea towels for the gathered skirt, back and front pieces. Then I sewed two pieces each for the bodice back and front, plus sleeves,’ she said. 

This is the first time she has crafted something made out of ‘odd materials’, usually just using regular store-bought fabric to make dresses, jumpers and skirts. 

She had the vision for the dress in her head so it didn’t take long to piece together the material, sew in a zipper and post the finished product to social media

This is the first time she has crafted something made out of ‘odd materials’, usually just using regular fabrics to make dresses, jumpers and skirts

And her fellow Australian Kmart shoppers adored the final outcome.

‘Looks fabulous! Makes me want to do a refresher on the sewing machine and get cracking on some great creations – super inspired,’ said one woman.

The Cockatoo Tea Towel from Kmart 

‘Now that is a clever hack! Great job, love your creativity,’ said another.

A third added: ‘I am in love. That is incredible! You should take orders. I’ll take one please’.

Some people had even tried to make other pieces out of the same tea towel.

‘I used a couple of the exact same tea towel to make some face masks and got the rest of one turned into a shoulder bag and a coin purse,’ one lady said.

‘I thought making a floor cushion was a good idea but this is way better!’ Said another.