Cutest Hat Ever!

Update: This hat pattern was included with the 101 Free Hat Patterns compiled by Craft Stew. Follow the link to get all kinds of free hat patterns. 

While we were at a restaurant, an absolutely gorgeous teenage girl walked in with her friends. She was wearing a pretty hat that caught my eye. When she turned around and I saw the back, I was completely smitten with the hat. It was a combination of beautiful and girly and a tad bit quirky. On the way out, I stopped at the table (bold, I know!) and told her how pretty it was and then asked if I could check it out. It was knitted and I don’t knit, but the wheels started spinning in my little brain. 

When I got home, I immediately sat down and made hats until I got it right. The amazing part is that all of them worked just fine, but I kept tweaking it. I love that this project is so forgiving and easy!

The pattern is pretty loose because it doesn’t have to be precise. And, maybe this is why I love this hat even more. When it comes to sewing, I like things straightforward and precise and maybe a little on the perfect side. This is none of that and yet it works oh so well!

If you like precise patterns, try this out—I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how much fun it is to sew without precision.
 (Just grit your teeth and do it!)

If you don’t like precise patterns, you will definitely love it and it seems to work every time!

Materials
1/3 yard fleece
1/4 inch elastic (7 inches long)
scrap of lightweight interfacing (fusible on one side)
2 buttons (at least 3/4 inch wide)
hot glue

Instructions

Print your pattern (full page 8.5 x 11 inches) and cut as shown.

                 

Using the pattern as a guide, cut out 2 hat shapes as shown. Remember, this is a pretty loose guide. I found that the height of the hat was great for all of my girls (ages 3-9) and myself. You can see from the pattern that I added a little bit to the height, but it wasn’t necessary. Either way will work fine, and you can adjust it later if necessary. The width is 24 inches.

Place your pattern on the fabric so there is more fabric on the left side than the right. There isn’t an exact measurement. (Mine is about 5 on one side and 7 on the other.) The total width will be 24 inches.

On the right side, cut about even with the top corner and swing up to the top edge of the pattern.

On the left side, curve down from the edge of the pattern and keep going a bit so that this side is a little more narrow than the other side.

With right sides together, sew around the whole thing with a 1/4 inch seam allowance leaving an open space on the bottom edge.

 

Trim the corners as shown.

Clip the curves. (Make small cuts from the edge close to the seam about every 1/4 inch in the curves.)

Cut a piece of elastic about 7 inches long. Sew in place along the seam around the top of the hat by stretching as you sew. It should cover most of the top as shown.

On the wider side (right side, above) iron on the scrap of interfacing. This gives the buttons more to hold on to when they are sewn in place and keeps them from pulling through the fleece.

Turn right side out through the opening. Topstitch close to the edge. Turn in the edges of the opening so it will be sewn closed as you topstitch. I rounded the corners--some worked better than others.

Make a buttonhole on the narrow side (left, above).

Sew two buttons on the wide end. (Forgot to photograph this, but this picture shows it.)

To make the ruffle, sew a gathering stitch down the center of a 1 inch x 24 inches strip. Gather to 12 inches. Repeat for the other strip. Leave the threads long at this point.

Lay the ruffle along the bottom edge (right side) of the hat. Fold under about 1/4 inch at the top of the strip and sew in place along the stitching line from the gathering stitch. Use the threads to pull the gathers tight especially as you start. Stop sewing near the end. Leave the needle in the fleece. Flatten the ruffle by smoothing out the gathers for the last 1/2 inch or so of the ruffle strip.

Fold under 1/4 inch at the top of the next gathered strip.

Lay directly on the flattened end of the first strip and continue sewing along the gathered stitching line.

This is what you have now.

Cut a strip of fleece about 1 1/2 inches x 24 inches. Using the tutorial from House of Smiths HERE (which I found via Oopsey Daisy HERE), make one large flower.

Hot glue, sew or pin to attach the flower to the hat. Attach to the left or right of the center like this.

Button the hat (the quirky part---off center, offset, and different widths—love that!!) to fit your head.

Now isn’t that the cutest hat EVER??

I am in love with these hats and just may start wearing a hat myself now! Can’t wait to make some more!

Did I tell you that this whole process took less than an hour? Even better!

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