Baby sunhat pattern with ruffles and ties
Baby & Kids, Free Patterns, Sewing Projects, Spring, Summer, Under $10
Elise looks adorable in hats. I just can’t get enough of them. So I decided to make a free baby sunhat sewing pattern with ruffles to add to her fashion options.
I freehanded this baby hat pattern by looking at a couple of Elise’s best fitting baby hats and then added a ruffle to make it extra cute. Of course you could leave the ruffle off if you wanted.
This free baby sunhat pattern should fit a 6-12 month old; Elise is 10 months old and it’s super cute on her petite-ish noggin. Alternatively, you could easily size this hat up or down on a photocopier.
Free tutorial, baby sunhat pattern and step-by-step instructions are after the jump. Bring on the sunshine!
WANNA MAKE IT? Free pattern, supply list and DIY step-by-step instructions for creating my baby sunhat pattern with ruffles and ties after the jump –>
Supplies for making a baby sun hat from my free pattern:
- Kathy’s free pattern for a baby sunhat with ruffles and ties (PDF – sized for 6-12 months)
- 1/2 yard of fabric
- Rotary fabric cutter, self-healing cutting mat and clear acrylic ruler
- Good fabric scissors
- Good iron (like Rowenta) and Ironing board
- Thread
- Pins (I prefer glass head pins)
- Sewing machine
Please post a comment and let me know how this craft idea works for you. And share your own photos at the MerrimentDesign.com Facebook page, “I made it!” flickr photo gallery or tweet a picture to @merrimentdesign.
Cut your free baby hat pattern pieces
Print my free baby sunhat pattern. It’s sized for 6-12 months so you can scale it up or down as needed. You can use one fabric print or two.
Cut 4 triangles for outside crown
Cut 4 triangles for inside crown lining
Cut 4 brims (2 top, 2 lining) – cut 2 brims right side up, then flip the pattern so that you’re cutting 2 brims wrong side up
Cut 2 strips 16″ x 1″ for the ties
Cut 2 strips 25″ x 2″ for ruffle
For this tutorial you’re going to sew everything at 3/8″ seams. I usually do 1/2″ seams for my tutorials but wanted them to be a bit smaller for Elise’s baby head.
Create the outside crown and crown lining
Take four of your crown pieces. Line up two pieces, right sides together, and sew along the side. Repeat with the other two pieces.
Press seams open; they will be slightly curved.
Pin the two pieces together, right sides together.
Sew. You’ll now have one sewn crown piece. Press the seam open.
Repeat to make the lining crown.
Create the brim
Grab your four cut pieces for your brim. Now because it’s a bit of an asymmetrical brim, be sure to match pieces together so the brim top will match your brim bottom.
Sew two pieces of the brim together to make the outside brim. Press the seams open. Repeat to create inside lining brim.
Create the ruffle
Sew pieces together on the ends, pressing seams flat. It should look like a large circle. Iron the circle in half, wrong sides together. The right side of the fabric will be on top and bottom now, and there’s now a finished edge and a raw edge.
Using a basting stitch, sew two rows of stitching around the raw edge of the circle. I stop at the seams and then start again because I find it’s easier to gather (in the next step).
Match the seams of the ruffle to the seams of the brim. Pin. Pull the gathering threads gently to gather the fabric into ruffles. Pull it until it’s the same size as the outside of the brim. Pin the ruffle onto the edge of the brim, raw edges together.
Sew the ruffle onto the brim.
Place the other brim piece on top of the ruffle piece you just sewed, basically making a ruffle sandwich with the two right sides together. Pin and sew.
Turn right side out and iron. Finished brim is 18 inches circumference.
Topstitch the brim near the ruffle edge.
Sew the brim shut by sewing close to the inside circle edge.
Take out any basting stitches that show (yikes, I had a lot on this one …that’s what I get for sewing fast during naps).
Attach hat crown to the brim
Pin the crown onto the brim, right sides together matching seams. Sew around the crown to attach it to the brim.
On the right side of the hat, iron the seam open so the raw edges are up inside the crown. It’s starting to look like a hat now, yes?
Make and attach ties
Fold ties in half and iron. Fold raw edges into that center crease. Iron again.
On one end, make a triangle with the ends and fold in.
Sew along the open edge of the tie to sew it shut. Repeat for the second tie.
Now you’re going to attach the ties to the hat. Find the two sides of the hat. Pin the raw edge of the tie to the raw edge of the crown at the side seams.
Sew back and forth a bunch of times so it’s secure. Repeat on the other side.
Attach hat lining
Turn lining under 1/2″ along the raw edge and iron.
Turn the lining so the wrong side is on the outside. Pin the lining inside the hat, matching seams. Put your pins on the outside of the hat because you’ll be sewing from that side to make sure it looks nice on the outside.
And here’s what it looks like inside…
Sew it all together, stitching close to the brim, catching the lining underneath as you go. I’m not a huge fan of blind stitching like this but it’s the way I figured out how to do it, so there you go. Suggestions welcome.
Tie that hat on and go outside!
Did you make it? Please post a comment and let me know how this craft idea works for you. And share your own photos at the MerrimentDesign.com Facebook page, “I made it!” flickr photo gallery or tweet a picture to @merrimentdesign. Craft and pass it on!
COPYRIGHT NOTE: You’re more than welcome to use free pattern and how to step-by-step tutorial for your own personal use. Contact me for any commercial use – this includes etsy sellers.
Comments (33)
| Permalink
| By Kathy on 8/31/2010
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June 30th, 2011 at 1:07 am
I made a few of these awesome hats this spring and finally got around to posting pictures on my blog:
http://www.ravennagirls.com/2011/06/29/sun-hats/
Thank you SO much for the awesome pattern :)
One question – I followed the seam allowances and seemed to have a greater circumference at the base of the crown than the brim, so I added a pleat at the front to make up for it. Any suggestions?
June 28th, 2011 at 11:31 am
Wow, Sarah, that IS small! I know that Elise’s head is on low-ish percentile but turning out too small for a 4-month-old seems pretty teeny! I would recommend increasing the pattern size on a photocopier before you do the next go-round. The instructions will be the same. Good luck! Would love to see it on our flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/groups/merrimentdesign/
June 27th, 2011 at 10:24 am
Thank you for the pattern. I gave it a try and had a lot of fun trying! But it came out too small for my 4 month old?! I am guessing that I should have remeasured my seam allowance! The hat in your pictures look huge compared to the one that I made. I am going to give it another try and give the little sunhat to my daughter’s dolly!
June 17th, 2011 at 9:45 am
@Becky, that’s great! So glad the pattern worked out for you. I am clicking the link and can’t see it – would you want to upload it to our flickr group? http://www.flickr.com/groups/merrimentdesign/ Or our Facebook wall? http://www.facebook.com/merrimentdesign
June 16th, 2011 at 6:53 pm
I absolutely LOVE your pattern. It was exactly what I was looking for, and my hat turned out perfectly. I made it for my 10-month-old daughter. Here is a link to a picture of it: https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10150669174190193&set=a.10150669173410193.693457.797135192&type=1&theater
Thanks!!
June 14th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
Joanna, I love it! It’s very cute without the ruffle. You should post it our our Facebook wall: http://www.facebook.com/merrimentdesign
…and our flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/merrimentdesign/
Thanks so much for posting a comment!
June 8th, 2011 at 6:41 pm
I just made this hat for my three month old daughter. I made it a bit smaller and left off the ties to make it reversible and the ruffle because I couldn’t decide which fabric to use. I plan to make it again with the ruffle. I love the hat and she looks adorable in it!
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150193543326307.304901.628371306&l=1cc11b8112
May 23rd, 2011 at 11:58 pm
Just used this pattern for a friend who just had a little girl…downsized it a bit…it looks so cute….can’t wait to get it in the mail. I was scared of blind stitching so I just hand stitched the lining in and since it’s so small it didn’t amount to much hand stitching. Thanks for the tutorial!
April 28th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
Hey Krista, I replied to your blog but just to help other people too I’ll re-post here. Thanks also for the photo catch – I’ll have to fix that!
==============
Yes, I think the seams on the crown are a tad too small. Go ahead and re-sew the seams to take in the hat crown and the lining a little bit. Two of the seams on your crown should match up to the two seams on the brim. Then the crown should match the brim.
Did you also sew the brim seams also at 3/8″? One time when I made this as a gift, I sewed the crown at 3/8″ and then the brim at 1/2″ – tired momma that night.
Thanks again for all your feedback! Let me know if that works or if not, what I need to fix in the tutorial to make it easier. Would you put your hat photos up on our Flickr group? Your son is too cute in it, even if there’s a bit of “growing room” :)
http://www.flickr.com/groups/merrimentdesign/
April 27th, 2011 at 7:43 am
I blogged about my sun hat attempt here: http://tharshesews.blogspot.com/2011/04/baby-sun-hats-two-ways.html
April 26th, 2011 at 3:12 pm
Hi there! I’m working on this sun hat right now. Really love the look of it. I am having one problem though. It started on the step where I was to attach the brim to the crown. (I’m not making mine with a ruffle — it’s for a boy. Don’t know if that matters.) Anyway, the brim just seemed to be smaller around that the crown. So it was impossible to get the two right sides to line up without some pleats forming. I tried and tried and then just sewed it on anyway, and so now the hat has some small pleats. It honestly doesn’t look that bad. But then when I try to put the lining inside, well of course, that crown won’t line up either, and since it is blind sewing, I’m scared to figure it out.
Do you think I made my seams too small on the crown? Perhaps if they had been bigger, the crown itself would be smaller, and then it would all line up? Sorry if this is confusing!
Also, your first picture where you are talking about sewing the two right sides of the crown together — you have a picture of the rim of the hat. Just FYI!
Thanks for much for you help, and for the tutorial!
April 18th, 2011 at 12:36 pm
no, nothing was confusing when I started sewing
it seamed confusing before :D
it is great tutorial
I will post pic
thanks!
April 13th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
Hi Olivera, thanks for your feedback! Is there a particular piece of the instructions that seemed confusing? Would love to be able to clear it up for future crafters. Stitch in the ditch is a good idea – would love to see it – you should add your photos to the Merriment Flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/merrimentdesign/
April 12th, 2011 at 1:57 pm
ans yes
i just remembered
for the ending stitch
i used “stitch in the ditch” technique
April 12th, 2011 at 1:34 pm
hi there :)
i love your project
and just wanted to say thanks
for sharing
instructions seamed so confusing
and I was WTF???
but, when I started to doing the that
it all came to place
:)
thanks again
April 9th, 2011 at 9:30 am
I just made this sun hat and it turned out so cute. I posted pictures of it on my blog http://www.weieroriginal.blogspot.com. Thanks for the pattern!
I have also been scrolling through your posts and you are fast becoming one of my favorite reads- you’ll see yours in my favorite blogs to read too!
April 1st, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Hi Monique, actually you can post a picture! You can upload one to the “I Made It!” flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/merrimentdesign/ Can’t wait to see it. Ah, 4 month olds! Seems just like yesterday…
March 22nd, 2011 at 5:56 pm
Just made this hat minus the ruffle and ties, but I added a small rose. It was a little small for my 4 month old so I took it in a bit on the sides. Very cute, I wish I could post a picture for you…Thank you so much for your blog :)
February 27th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
I made the hat! See it here:
http://pandiolalane.blogspot.com/2011/02/baby-sunhat.html
My seams were a little too narrow so it puckered when I attached the crown to the brim. Oh well…I’ll get it right next time around.
Thanks for the tutorial! I just found your site recently and LOVE it!
February 24th, 2011 at 9:54 am
@Carol, yes, seam allowances are included. The pattern you’re looking at is the original pattern that I drew – then I scanned it in for you. Note that it’s a 3/8″ seam allowance – I didn’t want the bulk. Let me know how it goes!
February 23rd, 2011 at 3:40 pm
Does this pattern include seam allowances? I ask because one of the photos of the crown piece being cut out shows a drawn seam allowance on the pattern piece. Please advise – thanks!
February 10th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Just made this for my little girl! Thanks so much for a great pattern & tutorial. I did a different color on the inside, so cute. Didn’t end up putting on the strings as she leaves it on :) …. for now anyways!
November 29th, 2010 at 10:15 am
Yay, Audrey! Glad that it was able to work for you in a 3 month size. Happy sunny Florida days!
November 28th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Thank You for this wonderful pattern. My new baby grand daughter is coming to visit in Florida and I wanted a sunhat for her. I looked in the stores and everything was outrageously priced. I used your pattern, reduced it somewhat to fit a 3 month old, and some fabric that was in my stash. It is abasolutely adorable– and a fun project for a Sunday afternoon.
September 12th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
And I’m right there on Augusta! I love our neighborhood and definitely had a good time at Renegade, as usual. I actually managed to stop myself from buying every print in the place, seeing as I have no more wall space.
I’ll make sure to say hi next time!
September 12th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Angie, that’s the coolest thing I’ve heard in awhile!! Yes, we live one block south of it all so kind of hard not to go all weekend :) Had a great time, did you? Next time please stop me and say hi!
September 12th, 2010 at 8:57 am
I’m pretty sure I saw you at Renegade yesterday, and I only knew it was you because I recognized this adorable sunhat!
September 9th, 2010 at 8:03 pm
Oh, Katie, bless you. I had a rotten day and reading your comment is exactly what I needed. And I’m very excited about being added soon to your blogroll! I love your curtain ring napkin rings …I’m a sucker for napkin rings as well as unique craft, uh, supplies. Hope to see you back here again soon.
September 7th, 2010 at 7:15 pm
oh my goodness…this is a most beautiful blog! I cannot believe that I am only just discovering you! I love your writing and your design and style. Everything. And thank your gift so freely with the rest of us. YOU are most certainly going onto my blog roll:) I don’t want to miss anything.
September 6th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Oh WOW! That is so, so cute! I love the ruffles. =) Thanks so much for your generosity. I’ll be spreading the word about this hat.