Hat School Tutorial - Easy Beginner Fleece Beanie with Single or Double Pom Pom Trim ... Drafting your own Pattern

Kids Sizes through Adult

You can scale this two piece pattern up and down once you know the head size you need to fit.  For adult Heads, remove 1/2" or 1.25 cm from head circumference and that will be the width of your band, with this long edge matching the stretchy directiion of the fleece which we be the part that is wrapping around the head.  See the beginning segment of the Video (link directly to the video from the title card above) for instructions about how and where to measure head size.   For kids, you will likely do the same but if you are unsure remove just 1/4" from the circumference measurement and if the child is nearby check the fit of the band before cutting the top pieces.  Pieces are easy to ease together however as fleece is quite lovely too work with and will stretch slightly without distorting the finished hat. 

Once you know the band width, add your seam allowance 6 -8 times to the band width (8 times if you want the top to be a bit more baggy)   and then divide that number by 4.  That is the width of each of your top panels.  Depth can be determined by preference or by calculating the measurement as a fraction of the Medium pattern piece provided in the PDF download. 

For example - The Medium double pom pom hat pattern piece is 7" deep.  That is for a head size that is 22.5" deep.  If the head you are creating a hat for is 20" in circumference, then we do some math to determine what percentage we would use to proportionately scale the 7 inches on the MEDIUM 22.5" top pattern piece to work with a top piece for a 20" band.  Once we calculate that number, we then multiply that result by 7" to come up with the depth of the smaller pattern piece.  I always round UP to the nearest quarter inch or cm.  So here is the math sequence...

1. 20 divided by 22.5 = .89 (rounded up).  So our pattern piece for a 20" head will be .89 percent of the pattern piece for a 22.5" head.
2. We know that the pattern piece for a 22.5" head is 7"
3. So taking 7 we will use this formula  - 7 x .89 and the answer is 6.23.  I rounded up to make the pink toddler toque  in the photo above so round up to the nearest full cm or nearest quarter inch to determine your top pattern piece depth. 
4. To scale larger, say from 23.5 to 25 inches, do the numbers with the larger first (opposite step 1.) So 25 divided by 23.5 = 1.064 (rounded up).  In this example the depth of our LARGE pattern piece 23.5" should be increased by 1.064 to proportionately increase the depth for the larger 25" head size.

If you need help,  you can also email us at madcaphats@gmail.com 

Here are the items used in this video available on Amazon. As an Amazon affiliate, we will earn a commission on purchases using these links which will not increase your cost but help us greatly to pay for the digital work needed to share our hat making patterns. Thank you so much!!  Note - links should open in a new window ...  Some items may not be available in your country but if you live in Canada or the USA, these links (if the product is still in stock) should work!! 

Clover Bodkin - https://geni.us/P7LHz

Black Elastic, 1/8" - https://geni.us/mWiIck5

Magnetic seam guide on Amazon - https://geni.us/RqgyZ 

Clear Ruler Set on Amazon - https://geni.us/D36AI

Worklion Self Healing Cutting Mat - https://geni.us/0OHKWA

Compensating presser foot for an industrial machine - 1/4 inch - teflon - https://geni.us/IxOxx

Compensating presser foot for an industrial machine - 1/4 inch metal - https://geni.us/7AkUt

Compensating presser foot or edge guide presser foot for domestic or portable sewing machines - 1/4 inch, USA and many countries - https://geni.us/wTHSw

Edge guide presser foot, Canada, for portable sewing machines - https://amzn.to/4gG1BX6 

Fiskars easy action scissors - https://geni.us/L7Fs 

Fiskars Rotary Cutter, Ergo Control - https://geni.us/TNBueV1

Jack Industrial Sewing Machine on Amazon - https://geni.us/zLobAE

You can see a variety of our favorite sewing and lifestyle products on our Amazon Storefronts with all of our Affiliate Links for products we recommend and use in our Hat Making and in our 5-Star Airbnb! 

In Canada the list is here - https://www.amazon.ca/shop/madcaphats 

In the USA the list is here - https://www.amazon.com/shop/madcaphats

In the UK the list is here - https://www.amazon.uk/shop/madcaphats