How to Make a Fleece Beanie Hat

Beanies make great hats for young and old, male and female alike. This article will describe how to sew beanies for yourself, your friends and family.
Beanies are small enough that it does not take too long to sew them by hand. Beanies are also very simple machine-sewing projects that are appropriate for a teenager or beginner to get great results with little or no prior experience.

Things You'll Need

• Fleece fabric Thread Scissors Sewing Machine String Tailors chalk Construction paper or card stock

Instructions

1. Go to the fabric store to purchase your fleece and thread. A beanie will require about 1/4 yard of fabric. From a yard, you can make about four hats. Choose matching or contrasting thread as you desire.

2. Cut a circle of fabric into four equal quarters. To start with the appropriate size circle, wrap a piece of string around your head at the "hat line." Add 1 inch to make room for your seams and cut the string to this length.

3. Use this string to create two basic pieces of fleece: a circle and a straight band. If you intend to make a number of hats in the future, you might first make a paper pattern to use again. Lay out your piece of string on a piece of paper in a circle with the two ends together. Use a pen or pencil to draw a circle. If you find you have a dinner plate or other circular pan close to this size, it will help keep your hand steady as you draw.
   Reuse the string to make a simple straight band. Lay out the string in a straight line along the edge of your fleece fabric or along the edge of the paper that is to serve as your pattern. Make a long narrow band 3 to 3 1/2 inches wide.

4. Cut the large circle into four equal pieces once you have the circle and a matching band. Fold the circle in half and cut along the fold line. Fold your two semicircles in half again, cut along the folds and you will end up with four triangular quarters. Sewing these quarters back together will yield a fitted dome that will fit the head instead of a flat circle.
   To sew the four quarters together, start with two of the triangles. Lay the two triangles exactly on top of the fabric with the "right sides" of the fabric, the sides intended to face outward, together on the inside. Stitch from the point of the triangle down to the edge on one side of the triangle only. It does not matter which side you choose to start with. Open the two stitched triangles and lay a third triangle on top of the two stitched pieces, again right sides together; stitch on the third piece from the tip of the triangle down to the edge. Open up the fabric to lay down the fourth triangle and stitch it into place, right sides together. You will now have a solid piece of fleece that is staring to curl and will no longer lay flat. Fold this entire piece so that the two remaining edges are on top of one another. Make sure that the finished seams, what will be the outside of your hat, are folded to the inside, and the inside of your hat is facing outward as you stitch the remaining free edges of your triangle. This will yield your basic beanie. All you need to do now it sew the band on.

5. Prepare your hat band before stitching it to the beanie dome by first finishing one edge. Simply turn one edge under by folding one long side of your band away and underneath the right side of the fabric. If you are a beginning sewer, you may want to pin this in place to get it perfect. Once you have hemmed one edge, wrap the hat band around the unfinished edge of your beanie dome. The hat band will be slightly larger than the beanie circumference, and you will need to sew the edges of your hat band together to create a ring that fits the hat size exactly. Use a piece of chalk or pin the hat band edges together to create the perfect size. Again, be sure to sew the "right sides" of short edges of your long narrow hat band together. This means that the "good" side of the hemmed hat band edges should be placed against one another and that the turned back edges should be facing out. Sew the short edges of the band together so that you end up with a ring.

6. Finish your beanie, turning the beanie dome inside out. Place the "good side" of the hat band ring around the outside of your beanie dome. Use pins to hold the hat band ring perfectly in place if you wish. Stitch the band onto the beanie dome by stitching all around the circumference of the two pieces.
   Turn the dome right side out again and flip the hat band to the outside. Stitch one more time, all around the circumference of the hat to hold the band in place on the outside of the beanie dome. Fleece fabric is usually sturdy enough to hold the hat band in place from there, but use a few hand-stitches on the upper free edge of the hat band if it appears loose or gaps in any way.

Tips & Warnings

• One you get the hang of making simple beanies, you can embellish your work. You can use fleece fabric of different colors to contrast between the dome and the band, or you can alternate colors for the triangular pieces. You can stitch a pom-pom, tail or bells to the crown of the beanie. You can cut out stars, or flowers from felt or more fleece and stitch them by hand to the hat band. You can purchase silk flowers, a funky pin, beads or old jewelry and use them to decorate you basic For children or for Halloween, cut out felt ears--sharp pointed ones that stick up, or long droopy ones that hang down--and sew them by hand to either side of the beanie.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish