Hats from sweaters! (now with tutorial!)

[pleaseelise]

I made these in about twenty minutes (each), and I hand-sewed them.  I got the idea from the book Super Crafty, which is a wonderful book!  I had several old sweaters that I loved but that were either too small or pilling in certain areas...so now I get to wear them as hats!  The little appliques are so fun to make, too.  It's a great project to do in front of the TV







Here's a written and hopefully understandable tutorial (I don't have pictures of me making the hats!):

1.  Lay the sweater on a flat surface, smoothed out

2.  At the bottom of the sweater (the nice, hemmed part), measure a half-circle that's 11 inches long and 7 inches high.

3.  After you mark the measurements, it helps to draw the semi-circle with tailor's chalk or something before you cut it out.

4.  You can either cut through both layers of the sweater, or just cut through one layer, turn the sweater over, and remeasure and cut.

5.  Put both pieces right-sides-together, and sew.  I hand-sewed using a blanket stitch, but if you plan to throw it in the wash, you should probably machine-sew it.  And because you're using the bottom of the sweater, you don't have to hem the bottom of your hat!

6.  You can decorate by adding bias tape (like I did on the zebra hat), felt appliques, buttons, ribbon, rick-rack...anything you want!

I hope that's clear.  Let me know if you have questions.

[mommabear1963]

vary nice, excellent idea

[wokeupafraud]

i think you should give me that zebra one (;


wink wink wink


i really love that one

[snails]

oo those are really cute! i love the second one

[BiscottiTogs]

Very cute!

[peanutbutterkp37]

Could you make a mini-tut, pretty please? I so want to make some of these! Nice job. 

[elleislove]

ohhh very cuute!<3

mini tut, pleeasee?

[bubba*tink]

YES!!!!!!!!!!  I can't knit worth a frik, and I've always wanted to make a knit hat!  Now all I need is an ol knit sweater and my trusty sewing machine!  THANKS!!!!!

[jutybo]

Those are adorable!  I love the applique on the gray one- is that (the applique) from a sweater, too?  I third the request for a mini-tute... I've got a 3-sizes-too-small sweater just waiting to make a great hat.   

[missy_potaimia]

I love you.
Tute please!

[PinkDaisy]

I love the second one! I just might have to make me some... that is if I can figure out how to. :-P

[samuraikiss]

Absolutely brilliant! Thanks for the tutorial. I love the ones you've made. If only it were cold enough here to wear them...

[peanutbutterkp37]

Thanks for the tutorial!! I've had a creative block for the longest time and you just might have cured it!! I'm going to go make one (or three!).

[jutybo]

Thanks!!  That really does look brilliantly simple... I love it.

[elleislove]

i made one!
it doesnt look that great on me, but im not a hat person.
but it actually workied really well,
but i was on the phone and my seam wasnt straight
so its kinda bumpy at the top and it looks akward.

so a warning to everyone:
keep your seams straight!

<3

[*smileyzebra*]

two words sew cute!

[peanutbutterkp37]

i made one!
it doesnt look that great on me, but im not a hat person.
but it actually workied really well,
but i was on the phone and my seam wasnt straight
so its kinda bumpy at the top and it looks akward.

so a warning to everyone:
keep your seams straight!

<3

Mine turned out bumpy/wrinkly too. 

[jutybo]

Here's the result of my hat-making efforts:
The weather warmed up here the last few days, so I made one out of an old rugby-looking shirt instead of the sweater....  and I winged it instead of measuring.     No measuring= hat too small for mama, too big for baby.  Oh well- he'll grow into it!  That's the hat over on the left, too- it was so cute I had to change my avatar.   

Sorry for the dark picture...  the hat's got ears!  The dark green of the stripe was too dark for the blue background I guess, but they really are rounded ears and not horns.
Thanks again for sharing the how-to!

[happy cricket]

Ive never sewed, so this may be a dumb question, but why doesn't it unravel?   

[bubba*tink]

ahhh, the wonders of sewing!

When you use something like the zigzag stitch on the sewing machine, it kind of holds the ends together in a loving embrace (heehee) and stops ends from fraying.

[bubba*tink]

jutybo, what a great hat!!!  I love the wee ears!

[dazy]

Waw, there all so cute! Can you make them from any sweater?

[loyda1]

i love the hat

[LOaccidentallyVE]

What a cute idea! <3

[pug2010]

great job  ,very nice  I'm gong to give it a try! thanks

[Vindi]

Love this hat idea!  Watch out old sweaters! Here I come!  Thanks for posting this idea!

[cre8ivegenes]

Love it !! I wanna try these. With the left over scraps from the seater you could make. Leg warmers from the arms. Pot holders or coaster from the center and some headbands or mittens. very cool!

[lindseylee21]

I'm totally trying this tonight. I found 4 sweaters at Goodwill that are excited for their new lives as hats!

[lizbef]

omg!  I have so many sweaters that I never wear..  I buy them because they are fabulous and I am SURE that I will wear them and then i never wear them because sweaters do not like me...  blah!  but hats LOVE me, and they are amazing gifts too, what a great way to recycle!

[NinjaKatt]

I love the zebra one!

[NancyLM]

Very nice idea.  Now I know what to do with those old sweaters that don't fit but I just couldn't bear to throw out!