Fleece Ear Flap Hats
This is one of my favorite
projects... it's cute, warm, practical, and so so versatile.
Above I added little pom poms but you can add simple animal
eyes or ears, or any number of variations to make each hat
unique and fun. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see all
sorts of different things people have done with this pattern.
Supplies:
1 foot of fleece,
which will make 2-3 hats
*Pattern includes a 1/4"
seam allowance.
Instructions:
Print out
this hat pattern piece. If you're making
the hat for an adult, print the pattern at 100%. I printed
it at 90% for my three year old and 75% for my baby, and
had to take both of them in a little, so I'd say to print
it at about 80% for a toddler and 65% for a baby. It
doesn't have to be exact so don't get too freaked out. Cut
four pieces of fleece using the pattern shape.
Sew two triangles
together, right sides together, along the curved side of
the triangle. Repeat, sewing the two remaining triangles
in the same way.
Now place (and pin if
you'd like) the two pieces together, right sides
together / seam sides out.
OPTIONAL: If you want
to add froggie eyes, doggie ears, a lion's mane, etc.
sticking out the top, then you need to pin them in place
(in between the right sides of the fabric, placing them
inside like a little sandwich of fabric), before sewing
this final curve together! Alternately, you could use a
pom pom or just leave it plain.
Sew along the outer
curve to complete the top part of the cap. When you turn
it right side out again, the top portion of the hat is
complete, and if you put eyes/ears or a pom pom at the
top, they're in place now.
Now, you can either
finish the hat with a simple band or with ear flaps.
(For ear flaps, skip to the next step!) To finish the
hat with a band, cut a rectangle the circumference of
your head and double the width that you want. Then fold
the rectangle in half, lengthwise, and pin and sew it to
the inside of your hat with seams facing out. That
completes your hat!
To finish the hat with
ear flaps, print this ear flap pattern piece. Cut the pattern pieces
out on paper at the desired length and tape them together
at the center line (total length: 12.5"). (*For child
size, print at 90% and for baby size, print at 75%. Then
cut the front fold line on the 22" line and cut the back
at 24" and place the hem on the 22" line.)
Placing the skinny end
of the pattern on a fold, cut out your fleece. Repeat to
cut out a second piece.
Place the two identical
ear flap pieces on top of one another, right sides
together, and sew the curved side of the bands together.
Then trim it close (about 1/8").
Open it up. At this
point, I placed the band around my son's head to double
check the fit and adjust accordingly.
Then sew the two ends
(the short sides) together so that the seam will be
hidden inside the band once it's folded right side out
again. (Oops, no picture.)
Turn it right side out
and pin it to the inside of your hat, like a normal
band, with raw edges together. Sew in place.
Voila! You're done!
Last, if you decided to
do this project yourself, please send me a photo of it
with your name and what state you're from! I've recently
decided to start featuring my readers' finished results.
Scroll down to see some of my readers' hats posted
below!
Don't forget to check
out What's New on my site! And sign up
for email updates HERE!!
Want to leave comments?
Go HERE! :)
Featured Reader's Results:
Angelina J. of
Sacramento, CA used this pattern to make an adorable
Yoda hat for her six month old, Shane! She doesn't own a
sewing machine, and worked on this during nap time for
two days. Somehow, I think the paci completes the full
Yoda look, don't you? Precious!
Thanks Angelina! Want to leave comments about her Yoda hat?
Go HERE! :)
Regina M. of Wasilla,
Alaska used this pattern to make her very first
successful sewing project! Here's her one-year-old son,
Oskar, modeling it...
Thanks Regina!! Want to leave comments about her hat?
Go HERE! :)
Ann from Toronto Canada
used it to make her 10-month-old daughter's Minnie Mouse
costume, which helped keep her warm while
trick-or-treating in the cold. The great thing about
these hats is they can still be used for
every-day-cuteness all through winter, not just for
Halloween...
Thanks Ann!! Want to
leave comments about her hat? Go HERE! :)
Caitlin, from
Fredericksburg, TX used my pattern to make her son's
first Halloween costume. She says she's far from a
seamstress but this was so simple that she already has
plans for another one. Here's little three-week-old Eli
as Yoda for his first Halloween...
Thanks Caitlin!! Want to leave comments about her hat?
Go HERE! :)
Sarah B. Of Liverpool,
NY used my pattern to make her son's Halloween costume
as well (he's Loki, from the Avengers). The fabric she
used wasn't stretchy so it took a couple tries to get it
to fit right, but she loved the pattern and said it
didn't take her long at all...
Thanks Sarah!! Want to leave comments about her hat?
Go HERE! :)
Tracy R. used it to
make several hats last year as her first sewing project.
She used it again this year to make her son a mohawk hat
to match his coat because she couldn't find any in
stores without skulls allover them. (I feel your pain...
I don't get the attraction to skulls either and they are
on lots of boys' clothes.)
Thanks Tracy !! Want to leave comments about her hat?
Go HERE! :)
Andrea R. made the ear
flap hat with matching scarf to velcro in place and even
some gloves too. She posted about it on her blog,
HERE.
Thanks Andrea!! Want to leave comments about her hat?
Go HERE! :)
Renee K. made some
creative additions to the pattern with this polar fleece
vikings hat for her granddaughter...
Thanks Renee!! Want to leave comments about her hat?
Go HERE! :)
Angela D. of Maryland
made several hats with embellishments and is sure she'll
make more in the future. Here's her favorite one...
Thanks Angela!! Want to leave comments about
her hat? Go HERE! :)
