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Della's Hand-Embroidered Hats
Della's Hand-Embroidered Hats
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90-day return policy
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Della's Hand-Embroidered Hats
Hand-Embroidered in the Hills of East Tennessee
Della Hensley, 68. She put a bird on her son's ball cap in 1986 so he would stop losing it, and has embroidered in the same back bedroom in Greene County ever since — first for her children, then for her grandchildren, and never once for money. Since her husband Roy died she cannot keep the house on her own. This is her final collection; the sewing room gets packed up in a few weeks.
"I put a bird on my boy's ball cap in '86 so he'd quit losing it in the dugout. After that it was all of them — a bee, a butterfly, a horse for the girl who'd have nothing else. I never sold a one. But I can't hold this house on my own since Roy passed, and where I'm going there's no room for any of it. There's boxes in there already."
— Della Hensley, Greene County, Tennessee
What You Receive
Everything That Ships With Your Hat
Your Hand-Embroidered Hat
Cotton twill with an adjustable back. Embroidered and beaded start to finish by Della herself.
Eight Designs Available
Hummingbird, Honeybee, Dragonfly, Butterfly, Robin, Horse, Sunflower Hummingbird and Blue Rose on denim.
Signed Inside
Her initials and the month it was finished, backstitched into the sweatband.
60-Day Returns
Sixty days to decide. If it isn't right, send it back — we pay the return postage.
Why This Hat
Six Things You Won't Find on a Machine-Made Hat
Every point below is something you can check with the hat in your hands — not a claim you have to take on faith.
Turn It Inside Out
A machine stitches onto a stabiliser backing with a second thread underneath, so the reverse comes out flat, even and identical every time. Hand embroidery uses neither. The underside of Della's work shows the path her needle actually took, each colour worked and finished off by hand. "If the back is prettier than the front, a machine did it."
Sewn On, Never Glued
Every freshwater pearl and crystal is stitched down individually — three passes of thread through the drill hole. There is no adhesive anywhere on this hat. She tried glue once, in 2006, on a hat for a granddaughter. It held one summer. She has not touched a glue bottle since.
Shaded Stitch by Stitch
The colour in a hummingbird's throat is built from dozens of overlapping strands laid one at a time, each catching the light at its own angle. Tilt the hat and the colour moves across the bird. A printed graphic has nothing to catch the light with.
You Can Feel It With Your Thumb
Padded satin stitch lifts the motif off the cloth, French knots stand proud of the surface, and couched gold outlines lie on top of the twill, held down by tiny stitches every two millimetres. Run your hand over it. Nothing about this hat is flat.
Her Initials in the Sweatband
Every hat is backstitched inside with her initials and the month she finished it. It is the oldest habit in handwork: the maker signs where only the owner will look. A factory has nothing to sign.
Made to Actually Be Worn
Cotton twill, an adjustable back strap, a softly structured crown and a curved brim that is already broken in. It goes over a ponytail and out the door — this is a hat for the feeders and the farmers' market, not a thing for a shelf.
◆ Craft Note
"Hand embroidery has not disappeared — but it has all but disappeared from this particular object. The decoration on very nearly every embroidered hat ever sold was digitised into a file and run on a multi-head machine, because that is the only way the economics work at scale. A hat carrying dense hand-set stitching and individually sewn freshwater pearls is a genuinely unusual thing to find, and the reverse of the work is where you can tell the difference in about ten seconds."
A note on how these are made. Every statement above can be checked on the hat itself.
Who It's For
Made For These People
Quality Promise
Five Things You Get With Every Hat
60-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Hold it, turn it over, wear it out to the mailbox. If it isn't right — the weight, the colour, the fit, any of it — email us within 60 days for a prepaid label and a full refund. No forms, no restocking fee, no explaining yourself. Della's own condition: "I'd rather have them back than have somebody stuck with one."
Every hat is worked freehand rather than from a machine file, so colour, stitch density and the exact placement of the pearls vary slightly from one hat to the next and from the photographs. Those are not flaws — they are the reason it is a single piece rather than a copy. A finished hat cannot be stretched into an embroidery hoop, so Della works the whole motif over her left fist, about four hours a day in the good morning light.
Care: spot-clean by hand in cool water, reshape and air-dry. Never machine wash. Sun: a baseball cap meets no published standard for sun-protective headwear, so we make no such claim — it gives you shade for your face and your part-line, nothing more.
The Details
Product Specifications
| Hat | Cotton twill · softly structured crown · curved brim · adjustable back strap · one size fits most |
| Decoration | Hand embroidery throughout — satin stitch, long-and-short shading, French knots, couched metallic gold outlines |
| Beading | Freshwater pearls and crystals, each sewn on individually with three passes of thread · no adhesive |
| Available Designs | Dancing Hummingbird · Golden Honeybee · Shimmering Dragonfly · Moonlit Butterfly · Frosted Robin · Magical Horse · Sunflower Hummingbird · Wild Blue Rose |
| Maker's Mark | Initials and completion month backstitched inside the sweatband |
| Set Contents | 1 hand-embroidered hat |
| Care | Spot-clean by hand in cool water, reshape and air-dry · do not machine wash |
| Maker | Della Hensley, 68 — Greene County, East Tennessee · embroidering hats since 1986 |
| Shipping | Free US shipping · packed by hand and posted within 2–3 business days |
| Final Collection | 491 hats remain across all eight designs — no reorders once a design sells out |
| Reviews | 4.8 / 5 average from verified customers |
| Guarantee | 60-day full refund · prepaid return label · no questions asked |
The Final Sale
The Final Sale
Message from the Artist:
After years of making things by hand, our workshop is closing. These are the last pieces we'll ever ship. Every item on this page was made slowly, carefully, and with more love than any factory could replicate. Nothing rushed. Nothing outsourced. Just real craft from real hands.
We're proud of every single one. We hope they find good homes.
When they're gone, they're gone — and so are we.
Shipping with UPS / USPS
Shipping with UPS / USPS
Free shipping across the United States
- Delivery time: 7–14 business days
- Insured: Every package is fully insured
🌳 Carbon-neutral shipping with UPS / USPS
800+ Happy Customers
Excellent 4.9
What Della's customers are saying
Freqquently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here's how to reach us.
Got a question? Here's how to reach us.
My wife and I personally respond to every single email — as fast as we possibly can. Whether you have a question about your order or just want to talk craft, we're here.
You can reach us:
- Mon – Fri: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (CT)
- Saturday: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM (CT)
Email: info@craftfolk.com
Can I return my order if I don't like it?
Can I return my order if I don't like it?
Of course. We stand behind everything on CraftFolk 100%. If you're not happy, neither are we. Just shoot us an email within 90 days and we'll make it right — no hassle, no headaches.
How are your products made?
How are your products made?
Every single product on CraftFolk is 100% handmade — crafted by hand, using only premium quality materials. We're proud to carry on a tradition of craftsmanship that has been passed down through generations.