How to Make a Fleece Beanie Hat

Cutting the Fabric

Buy 1 yard (0.9 m) of the fleece of your choice at a local craft store. You can buy fleece in a variety of colors, patterns and thicknesses. Choose your fleece according to needed warmth and personal style, using whatever patterns and colors you want. You can choose accessories such as buttons, sequins or gems to add later if you'd like.

Measure the circumference of your head. Most adult heads are approximately 21 to 23 inches (53.3 to 58.4 cm) around. Fleece has some stretch to it, so you should be able to use a 23-inch (58.4-cm) hat pattern for most people.

Feel the way your fleece stretches before you set it on your table to mark and cut. You want the stretch of the fabric to run across the width of your head, so that it will fit tightly. Check which direction the fabric stretches, too. What direction does it naturally pull towards? This is also going to show you where the back side of the fleece is -- if you stretch the fleece between two hands, the fabric will naturally curl towards the backside (the side touching your head) of the fleece.

Download, print, and cut out a pattern for your hat online. You'll need a pattern to help you cut the right shapes and sizes out of your fabric. Search for "fleece beanie pattern" online and check out the shapes that you like. There are often subtle variations between hats, and this is your chance to choose the exact design you want. Make sure your print it "to size." Do not print it to "fit page," as the actual size of the pattern is crucial! Print at 100% or "actual size." They often provide a 1-inch square on the design that you can check with a ruler. Most fleece beanie patterns differ slightly in their construction. They will have 4 side panels and a bottom band. Some patterns will allow you to work from one piece, while others will separate the fleece into up to five pieces.

Cut a long piece of fabric from the cloth to work with. The following measurements provide more than enough fleece to make your hat from. Cut a rectangle of fleece that is approximately 23 inches (58.4 cm) wide by 12 inches (30.5 cm) tall. Reduce the measurements to 19 inches (48.3 cm) wide or 21 inches (53.3 cm) wide for a toddler or smaller adult, respectively. When in doubt, leave a 1/2 inch of excess -- you can always cut it later, but it can make construction easier.

Fold the fabric in half across the width, making sure to align the ends. Across the width means folding it like a sandwich, not like a hotdog bun. (14.6 cm by 30.5 cm). You should have a long, doubled up rectangle of fabric.

Place the printed template on top of the piece of folded fabric. Make sure that the point of the beanie aligns with the top of the longer side (30.5-cm). There will be a long horizontal line through the pattern, usually labeled "stretch." This line needs to be lined up with the natural stretch of the fabric, found earlier.

Use sharp fabric scissors to cut through both layers of fleece, following the outline of your pattern. Repeat on another stretch of fabric, preferably close to the first cut, so that you have 4 total domed pieces. Make sure the pattern doesn't move on the fabric as you cut. Pinning it down with sewing needles is a good way to keep everything straight. Use at least two pins, if so.

Cut four more domes out, using a different fabric if you want a reversible hat. If you want a solid colored beanie, cur out four more domes from the same fleece. Simply repeat the process above with a new fabric for a reversible hat. By now, you should have at least eight pieces of fabric in the dome-like beanie shape.

Cut out any sets of trim, if included in the pattern, using the folded fabric to make a doubled up, folded piece. Some patterns simply attach the domed pieces into a beanie, but that classic "lip" of a beanie is easy to add. This will be a rectangular piece of pattern, which you cut right at the fold in your fleece. This leads to one piece of fabric that is twice as long as your pattern, but folded in half so that it appears the same size. You will need two of these. Remember to cut half in one pattern, half in the other pattern, if you're making a reversible hat.

Make sure you have all of your pieces. When finished cutting, you should have a total of 10 pieces of fabric: 8 pieces of dome shaped fabric. 4 in one color, 4 in another. 2 long pieces for the trim. 1 in one color, 1 in another.

Sewing the Hat Together

Turn the fleece so that the back side of the fabric is facing out. You will want to sew on the side that will be the inside of your hat. Remember that you can stretch the fabric to find what side is the back if it is not obvious. The side the fabric curls towards, when stretched, is the back.

Stack a two pieces of fabric on top of each other and sew them together along half of the curve. You want the good sides facing each other. Follow the curve with your sewing machine (1/4 inch seam allowance) to attach the two pieces, almost like a book. Use a straight stitch. Make sure the overlap goes wrong-side-out, on the side that will soon be the inside of your hat. You will need to feed your fabric through the machine in a curved motion so that it follows the dome shape.

Repeat on the second, third and fourth domed tips to make darts. When you get to the last side, pin the sides together and sew from the bottom of the hat to the top of the last dart tip. You should end up with four sewed together pieces.

Pin matching sets of fabric together at the top. Take two of your book-like domes and place them together, good sides touching. Then pin them at the top, matching along the center seam. Try to make sure the seams both face the opposite way to prevent getting bulky. Do this with all four books, so you end up with two sets of matching fabrics pinned together.

Sew the entire curved edge of your pined pieces, making two complete hats. This will finally attach each of the four pieces of matching fabric into a "mini-beanie." Simply sew along the entire long edge of the dome, using the same 1/4 inch seam allowance, and a straight stitch. Repeat with the other set of fabric, leaving your two small beanies.

Keep the wrong side facing out. Measure and fold a 3-inch (7.3-cm) hem at the bottom of your hat. You will now make the band at the bottom of your hat.

Fold the long hem or trim pieces width-wise, good side touching good side, and sew them into large rings. Touch the shorter sides together, matching them up perfectly, then sew the two short ends together so you end up with a fabric ring. Repeat with the other hem piece.

Match up the seam of your hem with the seam of your hat pieces, then pin them. Wrap the ring of fabric around your hat, lining up the seam of the ring with one of the hat's seams. Pin it here and on the opposite side. Then use as many pins as you need to match up the edges, lining them up so you can sew them cleanly. You want the good side of the hat fabric to be touching the good side of the hem fabric. Remember to stretch to check if need be.

Sew all the way around the edges to attach the hem to the hat. You may need to remove the sewing table extension, making it easier to sew in a circle. Use the same 1/4 inch straight seam, and slowly sew all the way around the bottom edge of the hat and ring to attach them. Repeat with the opposite hat and hem as well. For a little extra fun, mix up the fabrics -- use the hem from one fleece with the hat from the other.

Match up the two smaller "hats" and line them up by the longest seam. There is one place on each hat where the seam of the hat and hem are lined up. Press these seams together, then flip one hat over the other one so that they are nested in each other, like stacked plastic cups.

Pin the two hats in place along the bottom edge and sew them, leaving a 2" space un-sewed. This is your opening to allow the hat to flip successfully. Pin and sew the two hats together just like you sewed the hem onto the bottom of the hat. This time, however, you need to leave about 2" of the edge unsewed, allowing you to pull it out easily.

Pull the fabric through your opening. You'll end up with a weird, bean-shaped fabric oval. Reach into the opening with your fingers and gently pull the fabric back through.

Tuck half of the beanie into the other, leaving you with a beautiful beanie. Push half of the oval into the other half, leaving you with your finished beanie! Stitch together the little opening you made to finish the edge and prevent it from unraveling.