Hello, emt2004. d.rickman gives some good suggestions. Allow me to add a few. I don't sew the band together until I have sewn one side on, then I sew the other side to cover up the gathering. Also, to make gathering easy, I zig-zag over a piece of shoestring elastic. Then you can just pull it to gather. Sew the band on and cut the elastic loose to use again. Iron up 1/4 inch on the raw edge of the band and sew it over the gathering. I usually leave about 2" of the band to overlap using velcro to close the hat. Have fun! (I have made these for every child in our church!)