Winter Princess Hat

I love to make fun things for my beautiful granddaughters like this winter princess hat, inspired by "Frozen" a favorite movie of the oldest one who looks delighted to be wearing her new winter crown.

And I love it when I can use things that I already have in the house, in this case I found 2 fleece scarves in a drawer that had not been worn for many years, so they have been repurposed and turned into something new.

I recommend using fleece as it has some stretch to it and is cozy and warm.

If you don't have any fleece on hand, you can purchase some.

The finished hat is about 20" around - suitable for a 2 - 5 yr old princess.

Supplies

1/4 yard of fleece for hat

1/4 yard of fleece for crown

Sewing machine

Thread

Pins

Embroidery needle

Embroidery floss or fine weight cotton yarn

Scissors

Ruler

7" or 8" plate

Washable marker

Embellishments - rhinestones, buttons or whatever you prefer for decorating the crown

Hair colored yarn for pigtails

Step 1: Cut the Hat

Cut a 9" x 21" rectangle from the fleece you are using for the hat.

Mark the wrong side of the fabric to guide you in where to cut it to make the shape for the top of the hat.

Using your ruler and measuring from the left hand edge of the hat. Make marks along the edge at 2 1/2", 7 3/4 ", 13" &18 1/4".

Measure 2 1/2 inches down from the top edge and make a mark along the lengths at left hand edge, mark edge of fabric, and at 5 1/4", 10 1/2", 15 3/4" and 21".

Use a 7" or 8" plate to draw the curves as show in the picture.

Cut out the hat along the lines.

Step 2: Cut the Pieces for the Crown

Cut a rectangle that is 5" x 21".

Fold the fabric in half lengthwise with right sides together and pin cut edges together.

Use your ruler and measure from the left hand edge of the hat. Make marks along the edge at 2 1/2", 7 3/4 ", 13" &18 1/4" & at the edge of the fabric.

Measure 1 1/2" down from the top edge and make a mark at left hand edge, and at 5 1/4", 10 1/2", 15 3/4" & the other edge.

Cut though both layers of fabric for the crown.

Step 3: Sew the Crown to the Hat

TIPS:
Seams are 1/2"

Use a small zigzag stitch to give your hat a bit of give when it stretches.

Don't be concerned about having things perfect. Fleece is very forgiving and hides small errors.

If the points of the crown don't line up perfectly, just trim the excess fabric to make them the same size.

Sew the Crown to the Hat

1. Flip the pieces that you have cut so that the wrong sides are together (right side out).

2. Pin the 2 pieces of the crown held together to the bottom edge of wrong side of the hat.

3. Sew through all 3 layers.

4. Flip the crown to the right side of the hat so it is pointing up towards the tip of the hat.

5. Top stitch along the crown at the bottom edge through all 3 layers.

Step 4: Sew the Hat

With right sides together:

1. Pin and sew the seam of the hat including the crown, starting at the bottom of the hat, stopping 1/2" from the point.

2. Sew the two points together on the opposite side stopping 1/2" from the point.

3. Sew the other sides together in one seam to form the top of the hat.

Step 5: Add Some Bling & Snowflakes

Work only through the outside layer of the crown.

Embroider snowflakes or whatever you like though the top layer of the crown so that the back of your work is not visible.

Attach rhinestones or buttons or whatever you desire to decorate the crown.

Step 6: Sew Crown Pieces Together

If the crown pieces do not line up exactly, just trim the excess fabric.

I used a darning needle and embroidery thread to make a blanket stitch along the two pieces of the crown to join them together.

If you prefer, you could sew the two pieces together using your sewing machine, but hand sewing gives it a nicer look.

Step 7: Make the Pigtails

I always use a box that is the right size to give me the length of pieces required for the pigtails.

Just wrap the yarn around the box until you have the desired number of strands.

The box in this example was about 30" around. This made 2 pigtails which are each about 15" long.

You can make them any desired length, but 15" was a good size for a toddler.

You can use any type of yarn for these. Just use enough strands to make a braid the thickness you desire.

Using the same yarn, tie the pieces for each braid about 1/2" from where you will make your cut to divide into 2 braids.

Cut the yarn.

Make the braid and tie off the other end using the same yarn.

Step 8: Attach the Pigtails

Mark the sides of the hat with the seam at the back.

Sew the pigtail to the inner layer of fleece through where you wrapped the yarn to tie the strands together.

Check to be sure it is securely attached.

Cut a piece of fleece about 1" square and hand stitch it over the end of the pigtail.

You are done!
Enjoy the smiles of the little princess when they get their new crown.