There are a lot of ways to make ties. Two of the most common are the 3-fold tie and the 5-fold tie, which are both made of fabric folded around interfacing. There's also the 7-fold tie, which typically doesn't have any interfacing.
It's best to use a sewing machine. A good, heavy duty, sewing machine is useful when working with denim, as the layers of fabric can get too thick to sew...
Hot glue would not work well for fabric. Fabric glue would work to make the hat without sewing, though the pleats may be a little tricky, and the hat would...
It's important to make sure you use self-fastening velcro when sewing, as velcro with adhesive can get into your needle and mess up the sewing process.
Practice! I love zippers and they are also very intimidating. You can install a regular zipper with a normal foot, but if you want to master invisible zippers (and also...
Use bonding web, or iron-on fabric glue, to hold the patch in place. However, since that isn't a permanent solution, you still need to stitch the patch down.
