Easy Sew Fringed Fleece Hats
Fleece is a very popular winter choice these days. Here is a quick and easy sewing project that also throws in a little bit of basic math. If you already know the basics of measuring, cutting and using a sewing machine, you should be able to complete one hat in about 30 minutes.
Materials needed:
Fleece of your choice
Sewing machine
Thread
Tape (Scotch, masking, etc.)
Measuring tape
Measure around the head of the person for whom you will be making the hat. Add one inch to this measurement. This will be your width measurement. (Rounding up or down a little is okay, to come to an even ½ or whole inch.) The height of your hat will be approximately 2/3 of the width measurement. Again, a little rounding is perfectly fine.
The width measurement will need to be along the "stretch" of the material. If your material still has its selvedge, lay it to the left or right and measure the width starting at the inside of the selvedge. If your fleece no longer has the selvedge attached, gently pull the fleece in both directions to determine which direction stretches the most. (If the fleece is a pattern, the stretch generally goes left-to-right — as you're looking at the print.)
Measure out your width and height and cut the material. Now you are ready to begin making your hat. If the fleece has a "right" and "wrong" side to it, put the right sides together on the short edges. At the sewing machine, stitch the short edges together with a ¼ inch seam. Turn the tube, bringing the seam inside.
Roll a brim on one edge of the hat. The width of your brim will depend on the overall size of the hat. A baby's hat would only need a brim of about ½ - ¼ of an inch, while a larger child or adult would need a brim of about an inch. Starting at the back, sew the brim into place close to the cut edge, not the fold. After sewing the brim, roll it up one more time to hide the cut edge. (If your machine can handle the thickness, it works even better to do both rolls, then sew it; it cannot unroll this way. But the average sewing machine probably can't handle that sewing through a total of three layers of fleece.)
Now you're ready for the fringes. Lay your hat out on a flat, firm surface and smooth the seam well. As with the brim, the length of the fringes will depend on the overall size of the hat. In general, they will range from about 2 to 4 inches. Measure the length you want, then place a long piece of tape across the material instead of marking it with pen. Trim down both sides of the seam first, making that piece of fringe as close to the seam as you can. Simply cut down to the edge of the tape and stop. Then cut the rest of the fringes for the top. The thickness of the fringes is up to you and whatever pleases your eye.
To finish the hat, simply gather it in your hand and tie a scrap piece of fleece around the bottom edges of the fringes. Tie it a little, straighten the gathers, tie a little tighter, gather a little more, and so on until you get it gathered evenly around the top and the tie is tied firmly into place. To be most pleasing to the eye, you will want the ends of the tie to dangle down to the front. Trim the edges of the tie if they're too long.
For additional security in the finishing, you can turn the hat inside out and run a needle and thread through the gathers right in the middle. Then, even if the tie slips out of place, the top will stay together.
Embellish as desired. You can trim the fringes if they're too long, snip the tops into points, or add decorations to the body or brim of the hat. (Beads or buttons look nice.)
