Thrifty Thursday/Super Cute Slouchy Hat

I have done a LOT of dumb things in my life ;) When I was in the 8th grade, I remember one particular day when it was so cold that I thought my ears would literally fall off of my head. Truth be told, had that happened, it would have been my own fault as I was just too vain to wear a hat on my head while walking to school. That day was a game changer though. As I walked, and my ears grew colder and colder, I vowed that I would never be this cold again, and yes, I would wear a hat. 

At the time, hats were just not the thing to wear, but after my experience, fashion or not, I was going to be warm. And so it has been ever since. I LOVE hats!!! If you were to look into my drawer, you would probably think I have more than 1 head since I have as many as I do. I have changed a lot since those days when I thought hats were horribly hideous. Having a hat for whatever the occasion may be is now just absolute fun! And soft hats fold down to nothing, so having a bunch is really not an issue. 

I recently saw a post from On The Cutting Room Floor for a free slouchy hat pattern and thought it was especially cute. A great little hat to wear, and when off, easily folded and stored in a coat pocket. It's intended for knit fabric, be it fleece, wool, or just a knit that you have left over from a t-shirt project. 

 

There are only 6 pages to print out, so quick and easy.

The pattern looks a little like church steeples to me ;)

I had a sweater that I had felted. I love the color and thought it would make into a fun hat. 

The sweater had side seams, so I couldn't cut the hat in one continuous piece, 

So I just cut it down the center and then added seam allowances to each side. 

I used the hem of the sweater for the bottom band. The instructions say to fold up the bottom 1 1/2". In the above picture, you can see that I placed the pattern right on the edge of the sweater, making it actually an 1 1/2" longer since I would not be turning up the bottom.If you aren't using a sweater with a finished edge, I would add at least 1" to the bottom of the pattern. You can always cut it off if you feel the hat is a little too long. But, it is supposed to be a slouchy hat, so a little more slouch is not such a bad thing :)  

I decided to have a little fun with the hat and add a tassel. All I did was take a piece of my sweater knit and cut it into fringe, leaving about 1 " at the top uncut. I then rolled the fringe around to make a tassel and stitched it securely together at the top. Once it was stitched together so that it would not open up, I then stitched it to the top of the hat.  

This is a very fast project, and something that would make a great, quick gift for just about everyone on your gift list. I made one for my husband, but shortened it so that there was no slouch. He loved it!

You can find the free pattern HERE. 

I plan on making a few more. A trip to the resale shop is on my agenda. Hopefully I'll find some fun sweaters that I can use. Our church usually has a request for hats, and or gloves at this time of year, so I thought I would use the pattern to make up a bunch. 

Enjoy!
Rhonda    

Fabulous Free Pattern Friday

Ahhh, a little normalcy :), a Fabulous Free Pattern Friday entry!!!
Today I have a fun and as always, well almost always, a very simple rectangular design.
I really enjoyed putting this one together. You must use a knit fabric for this top.
The Draped Waterfall Top

The front and the back are the same, after all, it is a rectangle. What gives the top so much drape is the shirring that you see on the left shoulder. The shirring is crated with elastic that is zigzagged to the seam.

The top laid out flat. There's the basic body of the top, 2 sleeves, and a band along the bottom.

Here is how the shape is achieved.

Begin with a basic rectangle. The rectangle should be at least 10" wider than your hip measurement and your desired length. The notch that you see on the left hand side marks an opening for a sleeve and the notch on the right hand side marks the opening for the neckline.

 The top seam line will be sewn and then elastic zig zagged to the seam to create the shirring. The hip opening along the lower edge will be half of your hip measurement. Draw in the curved line. It should be about half way between the bottom of the rectangle and the neck opening.

 The notch along the curved line marks the opening for the second sleeve.

 The final pattern. The lines marked in orange are the seam lines.

You will need to cut 2 of the main body.
Cut 2 rectangles for the sleeves that will fit into the sleeve openings. The sleeve openings should be wide enough for your bicep to go through comfortably. Once the sleeves are in place,taper them so that they will fit your wrist comfortably.
I also added a band to the lower edge, just a rectangle.
I'm planning to wear the top tomorrow, so I will try to get a picture of me in the top.
One last note on the elastic shirring. Cut your elastic half the length of the seam. Stretch it has you zig zag it in place. This will create the shirring.