How to Make a Fabric Adult Hat With Ear Flaps

Add your own style to a winter hat by creating your own cap with ear flaps.

Protect your ears from the bitter cold of winter by making yourself a hat with ear flaps. As a fabric used for optimum heat retention, fleece is a lightweight fabric that can protect your head and ears from the frigid wind chills and whipping winter winds. With a moderate amount of sewing ability, you can create a fleece hat with ear flaps that will keep you warm for many winters to come.

Things You'll Need

• Sewing measuring tape
• Fleece
• Fabric marker
• Fabric scissors
• Ruler
• Pins
• Thread
• Needle

Instructions

1. Measure your head circumference with sewing measuring tape at ear level. Make sure you include your ears in the measurement. Add 1/2 inch to your measurement to account for a seam allowance.

2. Trace your head circumference on a flat sheet of fleece. Within the circle, draw four triangles that meet in the center of the circle. Cut these pieces out twice, so in the end you will have eight separate triangles. These triangles will be sewn together to form the top of the hat.

3. Start the inner shell by sewing two triangles together down the right sides. Add the third and fourth triangle on the right side until you have sewn all four sides together.

4. Trace the hat band piece onto the fleece by drawing a semi-circle. Basically, you are drawing the circumference of your head measurement but leaving an opening for the face. Include coverings for the ears by adding ear flaps to the hat band piece.

5. Lay the hat band piece out flat and mark the middle with a fabric marker. Fold the top of your hat in half and join the hat band to the natural crease at the middle mark. This will ensure the hat band is balanced when it is sewn onto the top of the hat.

6. Sew hat band piece to the circular triangle top of the hat. The inner shell is now complete. Repeat this process to make your outer shell in your chosen fleece color.

7. Turn the inner shell wrong side out and sew it into the outer shell.

8. Braid long strings of fleece together and sew them to the bottom of the ear flaps so that you can tie the hat tightly to keep you warm.

References

• Kwik Sew: Hats & Neck Warmer
• From an Igloo: Warm Winter Hat Pattern and Tutuorial