Read on to make the newest staple to your closet. Because fleece doesn’t fray, you won’t have to worry much about finishing the fabric edges. In fact, you only need to sew a couple seams and they’re straight and simple. You can sew them by hand if you want, or use this as an opportunity for kids to practice on a sewing machine. Of course, this doesn’t have to be just a kids’ sewing project. It’s actually a great tutorial for making gifts or giving hats to a charity. Plus, there are so many adorable fleece prints available!
Gather Your Materials
1/2 yard fleece Thread Ruler Rotary cutter/cutting mat (optional, but helpful) Pins Sewing machine or hand sewing needle Scissors
For best results, be sure to read through all the instructions before you begin. Cut a 1" x 18" strip of fleece. Measure the head of the person who will wear the hat (or someone of a similar size if you are making the hat for a gift) and add 1". This will be the width of the band and body of the hat. Cut a 5" x measured width (+1") and a 13" x measured width (+1") piece of fleece. For example, with a 23-1/2" head measurement, the pieces would be 5" x 24-1/2" and 13" x 24-1/2". It’s easier to spot the right and wrong sides of printed fleece, but even solid fleece has correct sides. Sew the band to the body of the hat with a 1/2" seam allowance. Sew this short seam from the edge to the first seam with a 1/2" seam allowance. Be sure to secure the ends with back stitch on a sewing machine or with strong knots if you are sewing by hand. You can adjust the length of this seam to change the floppiness of the hat, as well as the size of the fringed pom pom. The point where the band and body meet will have a bit of twist to it, but you can still sew right up to that first seam. Turn the hat right side out. For faster cutting, use a rotary cutter and ruler. Or, mark the lines and cut them with scissors. You may find it easier to do this while the hat is on someone’s head. Trim the ends of the fleece tie to match the length of the rest of the fringed pom pom. You can leave it like this with just the folds, which might need to be re-rolled or folded as the hat is worn, or you can secure the folds with a few small stitches at each side. Your new hat is finished and ready to wear! Want to add some extra decoration to your hat?
Embroider your name or a cute design on the hat band. (Stitching on fleece is similar to embroidering on a t-shirt.) Sew jingle bells to the ends of some of the fringe. Instead of sewing a matching band on the hat, choose a contrasting fleece so the band stands out.
