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Friday, November 13, 2015

Fabulous Free Pattern Friday/The Beret

Yep!, the title is right, it's actually a Free Pattern Friday post, and what's even better, I'm not going to make you do the drafting on this one.
I do love hats. They finish off a garment so beautifully and they keep my head warm. I especially like berets. They're small, look great, easy to fold up and put in your purse if you decide to take it off. Just an all around great hat. Not so great on keeping your ears warm, but you can't always have everything!
I've looked for a free beret pattern, thought it might make a nice Thrifty Thursday post, but I couldn't find one that was what I wanted or that printed out correctly. I know what will happen now that I drafted out my own pattern, someone will email me with a link to the perfect pattern, and that will be great. But in the meantime, if you would like my beret pattern, just click HERE.
My head size is a medium head size and this pattern fits my head.
What I will send to you is 1/4 of the pattern. It's a little too large to get 1/2 of the pattern on an 81/2" x 11" piece of paper. So once you download the pattern, you will then need to either use a larger piece of paper, or tape 2 pieces together. Fold the paper in half and then cut the pattern out. You will then have 1/2 of the pattern which can be cut on the fold of your fabric. 

Once you have cut out your pattern, cut out the fabric, lay the 2 pieces one on top of the other. Sew along the outer edge with a 1/4" seam allowance.  
Cut the pattern out of lining fabric and lay the 2 pieces together just as you did with the fashion fabric. 
Once the hat has been sewn together, stay stitch along the edge of the opening.
To help keep the seam smooth, I like to edge stitch on either side of the seam. I do not edge stitch the lining.
Slide the lining into the hat and then sew around the opening 1/4" away from the edge. 
To finish the inside edge of the hat, you will need 23" of petersham ribbon. Look closely at the picture below, petersham is quite different from grosgrain ribbon. Rather than a straight finished edge, petersham has the small ridges along the top and bottom. This allows the ribbon to move around a curved edge. 
Prior to sewing the petersham into my hats, I actually use an iron and give the ribbon a curve.
It will end up looking like a very happy smile.
Clip around the opening of the hat. Clip only to the 1/4" stitching line and not through it. It's very important to not clip through the stitching line. 
Divide the opening into 4 equal parts.
 Sew the petersham together with a 1/4" seam and then divide it into 4 equal sections.
Match the outside curved edge of the ribbon to the 1/4" stitching line. The ribbon will need to be eased into the circle. If you find that the ribbon is just too much to ease in, you can take it up another 1/2", so 1/4" on either side of the center back. 
Edge stitch the ribbon to the opening of the hat.
 The hat is finished and ready to wear.
Once I get my coat finished, I'll post pictures of me wearing the beret. I think the 2 will look quite nice together.

20 comments:

  1. So cute! I just sent you an email requesting a copy of the pattern, but I forgot to ask about recommended fabrics and fabric weights. Thanks.

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  2. What a great hat. You make it look so easy to make. I think it looks very chic. Xx

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  3. berets are my favorite type of hat - I never even thought about making one! This is brilliant. My head is a large at 22" - measuring from nape to top of hairline. What size is your head and how would I enlarge your pattern? I will send you an email shortly. Thanks for this!

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  4. Wonderful tutorial! Thanks, Rhonda.

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  5. Yay!! This is great! I am having the hardest time finding berets here in Norway (we are NOT a hat-people....) I am SO making this!! Thank you Rhonda :)

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  6. Thanks for posting this! I like these style hats as well. I will send an email to request the pattern but I likely will also need to enlarge it. How should I go about changing the size? Thanks for your help.

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    1. I hope I answered your question in my email. Let me know if you need more help.

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  7. Very nice! I wish I liked berets, but unfortunately I don't...

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    1. Thanks Karien. Our likes and dislikes are what make the world a much more interesting place :)

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  8. Very nice, and just in time for winter! Thanks, Rhonda

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  9. How would you make the pattern bigger, Im 22 inches around the nap of my head.

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    1. If you have a 22" head, you shouldn't need to make any alterations.

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    2. Thank you for the reply. Im going to give it a try.

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  10. I really like this kind of beret

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  11. Thank you Rhonda for your post on hats. This beret pattern is just the ticket hor the tartan yardage from a mill in Scotland. I only have 3/4yard. It's April now so I should get this done in time for the chilly weather.

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    1. Oh, lucky you to have a pretty piece of tartan from Scotland! The beret will only take a small portion of the yardage. Maybe you can squeeze out a bag too 😊

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  12. A bag! Why didn't I think of that! I was wondering what to do with the rest of the tartan piece.

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  13. This is amazing! I love berets and have been wanting to try to sew one. Thank you! :) Lisa

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  14. Super artykuł. Pozdrawiam serdecznie.

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  15. I finally got round to making this beret and I absolutely love it I will be making them in tons of colors Dor the winter. Thanks!

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