Pages

10.10.2008

baby hat

A simple dimple project for an old tee shirt or a scrap of fleece to help keep the littlest ones warm this autumn. Any material with a bit of stretch will do.

First, take two measurements of baby's head: from the top of baby's head to behind his ear (measurement A) and around the head at the widest part (divide this number by 4 for measurment B).
For those interested, my little guy is just about wearing US size 9-12 month. His measurement A is 6 5/8" and his measurement B is 4 1/4".
Use your two measurements to create three pattern pieces.

On a sheet of paper, draw a vertical line the length of measurement A. Then, create an 'L' shape with measurement B. Use a rounded line as in the illustration to finish the triangle. This will be your touque piece. The earflaps are approximated to the baby's ear size. I used a 'L' shape with 1 1/2" each side, then finished it again with a rounded line to make a triangle. (I suspect these measurements will have to be altered only slightly for babies smaller or larger.)

For the brim, measurement B forms the bottom part of a rectangle that is approximatley 3 1/2" wide.

All three pieces are cut on a fold. We haven't factored in seam allowances yet, so add them before you cut. Cut 2 of the brim, cut 2 of the touque, and cut 4 ear flaps. If you would like to cut a couple of long strips to use as ties under the earflaps, do so now too. I just cut a length of material about 8" long and 1/2" wide since I was using non fraying material and didn't think I needed to enclose the raw edges. If you like, cut a wider strip and do a double fold and stitch up the sides if you prefer. You can also cut very thin strips of material and braid them together, use bias tape or ribbon, add pom poms to the end, or leave the straps off entirely. You are, after all, your own boss.

Before you start sewing, find yourself a rounded needle (for knits and fleece) for your sewing machine to make your life much, much easier. If you still encounter a lot of stretching while you stitch, try one of your knit stitches on your sewing machine (see your manual), they can save you a bit of a headache too. If you are using a serger, turn your differencial feed up.

Sew your touque pieces right sides together. With right sides still together, align the seams and stitch as indicated in the illustration:This gives it a nice rounded top.

Position two earflaps right sides together with the tie sandwiched inbetween, raw edges aligned in the middle of the rounded bottom. Stitch around rounded portions. Repeat for other earflap.

Sew the two rectangles, right sides together, along the short ends (not measurement B sides) to make a tube.Open the earflaps right sides out. Align the raw edges of the earflap with the raw edge of the midpoint of the seam on the wrong side of the touque. Machine baste the earflap to the touque. Repeat for other earflap on other side of touque.

Fold brim tube in half, right sides together, with raw edges aligned. Align the raw edges of the brim against the raw edges of the wrong side of the touque, with the earflaps sandwiched inbetween. Stitch the brim to the touque. Turn hat inside out, with brim to outside and turned up to conceal seam. Strap hat on baby, strap baby on you, and go for a walk to check out the amazing fall foliage :)

***************************************************
This is a free tutorial and I encourage you to use the information in any way you need to (check the disclaimer at the bottom of the page). If it works for you, please consider supporting my etsy shop by purchasing a Little Print Design pattern or toss a dollar or two in my paypal to show appreciation and to encourage me to offer up even more quality patterns and tutorials.






Thank you!
Questions about the Donation? FAQ here.

8 comments:

  1. I love this hat - I'm going to try making one this weekend for my little one. I only have one question ... having read through your instructions a few times ... shouldn't measurement B be half the measurement around the widest part of the head? If you cut the measurement B brim piece on the fold, you would end up with a strip piece approx 34 inches long. If you then cut 2 and sew them short sides together .. would I not end up with a circle of fabric some 68 inches around?! I just wanted to double check I've read this right!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, there
    I first have to say that I LOVE your blog!!! I made your hat for my little girl. If you go to this post http://teamhuntley.blogspot.com/2008/12/sledding-fun.html you can see the finished product in the first two pictures.
    Apologies for not giving you any credit in my post...I'm in the process of making a few more of your designs and when I finish, I'll be doing a whole post dedicated to you!! :)

    Thanks and Happy 2009!
    Rachael

    ReplyDelete
  3. nice hat! like the recycling veyr much :) your wee one is just 6 days younger than mine.

    a whole post to me? oh boy!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I had a question about the brim measurements as well. Is B above the head measurement (mine was 17") or the head measurement divided by 4 (mine was 4.25"). For the brim, I am going to use 8.5" x 3.5"--which would make the brim the same length as the top part of the hat.
    Thanks for the pattern!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tricia, I hope I'm reading your question right - I'm a bit under the weather and numbers are totally throwing me off.

    But here goes,

    'B' is round the head divided by 4. Cut 2 of your 8.5 x 3.5 (or 2 4.24 x 3.5 on the fold) for the brim (plus seam allowances). This should put the wrap around brim at the same width as the bottom of your hat.

    Hope that's right :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. This would be a great use of a maternity tee-shirt that won't be used later! It could be a keepsake. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I never make stuff like this before but the way you do alteration doesn't look difficult so I'll try to do it myself.

    ReplyDelete