The Legend of Zelda: Link's Hat + Pattern

I needed an "elf" hat for this upcoming holiday season, and I thought to myself, "why not make it multifunctional?" So, not only can you use this toasty warm hat as an elf, but you can use it as Link from The Legend of Zelda, because it's based off his.

The whole process, from design to creation, took me 3 hours.

Step 1: Materials and Pattern

The pattern is attached in PDFs below, and it should be pretty easy to print out and assemble. It's bigger than an 8 1/2 by 11 page of paper, so there are corresponding letters which line up to the different pieces you'll need to tape together.

The only other thing you'll need to take note of is the large triangle piece, which technically needs to be twice as large when you cut out a the fleece.

For materials:

• 1 yard of fleece (Fabric NEEDS to be stretchy)
• Fabric scissors
• Appropriate colored thread
• Needle
• Pins
• Sewing machine
• Measuring tape

Note: Sizing
If you find yourself having an abnormally sized head, you may want to change the size of the pattern, so the hat doesn't fit too tight/loose. I have a 22 and 1/2 inch head, and that corresponds to the smallest side of the main triangle being 12 inches long (x2 which makes it 24 inches), and once that get's sewn together with the seam the hat size goes back down to about 23 inches. So, if you find yourself with a need to make the hat bigger/smaller, change the size of the smallest side of the triangle accordingly, and change the length of the "brim" rectangle to match.

Step 2: Cut Out the Pieces

Once you have the pattern cut out and assembled, lay it out on the fleece. When you cut out the main pieces for the hat, you'll need to flip the pattern on the straight side to complete the piece. It's explained very easily through the pictures.

Cut out two of the main hat pieces, and then find some room to cut out the "brim" rectangle.

Step 3: Pin and Sew Main Body

Fold the main hat piece in half symmetrically, and pin it along the long side. Do the same for the other main hat piece. Once you the have them both thoroughly pinned, sew along the long side.

Step 4: Attaching the Brim

Start by folding the hat "brim" rectangle in half so the two shortest pieces meet. Pin and sew the short side.

Next, we need to pin the "brim" rectangle to one of the main hat pieces. I did this by flipping the "brim" rectangle, so it was right side out, then placed it inside the (inside out) main hat piece. Be sure to line up the seams when you place it inside. Once you arrange both of the edges, pin around the circle, and sew it.

Take the other main hat piece and flip it, so it's right side out. We'll be placing it inside the other piece which we just attached the brim to. Line up the seams so they're on the same side, and pin the remaining main hat piece to the only edge left on the "brim" rectangle. When sew this part you need to be sure to leave about a 2 inch gap, so we can flip the entire hat right side out when it's done.

Step 5: Finishing

Pull the entire hat through the tiny hole we left. Sew the remaining hole closed with a ladder stitch.

To complete the hat you'll need to push half of the hat into the other half.

Step 6: Warm and Fuzzy!

You're all ready to take on the evil Ganondorf, rescue Princess Zelda, save the world, etc.

Comments

[AluraDankk]

*Wheee!!*
So, I totally made this today, and I am super proud of myself! ^_^ I just wanted to say Thank you for posting this super easy, and super awesome Instructable! I did however take @Puddintane's advice and I folded the fleece when I cut the pattern for the big triangle pieces. This is so easy, though. I'm so glad to see guys out there who have a knack for needle and thread...Pretty awesome :D
I thought I 'd show off a picture of mine, It's a bit darker.
Anyways, Thanks again for an easy to follow and nerd-gasmic Instructable. I hope you win the contest

[LegoBrickMaster7]

Nice job!

[candybaroque]

is there an easy way to make it shorter? ive never altered a pattern before. im trying for a more skyward sword shape/length

[ricsam1940]

im dont have those materials is there a easy way to make it out of a bandanna

[ehn.mathias2]

I haven't sewn in ages but I thought this would be a good start to try it again, thank you so much!

[BrandyH40]

Wow!! After 21 years of making costumes for my kids, some of which were really elaborate, I consider myself fairly experienced at it. Hats have always frustrated me to no end! Your hat pattern and instructions are impressive!!! Using the pattern, I was able to get this done in a little over an hour and it looks GREAT!! My youngest, who is 9, is headed out tonight as Link and this hat is perfect!! This is likely one of the last years I will be "allowed" to make costumes and I am happy to finally have found the perfect hat pattern to finish up my mom costume making career! :) If only I had stumbled upon it years ago!! Thank you!!

[wyphers]

Love this! My son is obsessed with Zelda. I changed the print settings to scale it to 85% and it perfect for an 8 year old. Through trial and error, I found that 70% is probably toddler-sized ;)

[Shizuzeru]

What does "8 1/2 by 11 page of paper" Means i have A4 paper's... and not sure how or what to change to in the printer..... :( Please help ;_;

[Gamerman809]

nice N64 ;-)

[8thMain]

Thanks for the tutorial! I needed a hat pattern to finish my son's Link costume for Halloween. I ended up using brown flannel for the liner, added some grommets on both sides and wove some brown leather straps through the grommets. Perfect!

[ShayN2]

Thank you so much, this is perfect for my friend's Dark Link cosplay!! :D

[-Lacey-]

Can I knit a hat like Links ?

[NakedS]

I can't wait to make this for my Fierce Deity cosplay.

[sisteroftheflame]

Hiya there. I'm gonna cosplay Link next month for a con and I really was wanting to use this pattern, but you said it needs to be made out of stretchy material and I need it to be made out of light weight cotton (so I don't die from the oncoming summer heat). So my question is how do you think I could alter the pattern to make it work for the material I'm using?

[KatrienC]

Heya, sorry this is like a year too late but I had the same problem and I found it worked to just extend the pattern by about 8 inches which I just added on to the paper pattern. Make sure if you do that to make it three inches wider for every 4 inches you add in length though. You can then fold over any extra fabric to make it the right size.

I also added grommets with cord running through them so that I can adjust the size.

Hope this helps if not you someone else!

[LegoBrickMaster7]

Tough to say...

I personally haven't made it with a cotton material, so it may end up being trial and error on your part. Your best bet may be to make up your own pattern based on my own, but keep it a few inches larger, and intermittently try it on while you start sewing it together.

The most important things to make longer are the band and the bottom of the main sections.

Sorry I couldn't be of much help. Good luck!

[compwalla]

Another fabric suggestion is cotton jersey. This is more like t-shirt material and would work well if you wanted a hat that wasn't quite as warm but still has the stretch you need to make the design work. What are the rough dimensions of the pieces? Like the triangle pattern is twelve inches across the bottom but how many inches from base to tip?

[JackB4]

I gotta try this. My cousin started me on Zelda and it sorta snowballed.

[JackB4]

I gotta try this. My cousin started me on Zelda and it sorta snowballed.

[Lucas Hallman]

Cosplaying Blue Link, This is so... yes.