Free Pattern: Sweet Little Bunny Hat Tutorial

It's not spring or Easter season unless there's some kind of bunny in the house...why not make it your favorite little person by sewing up a Sweet Little Bunny Hat?

This one's extra fun because the ears stand up on their own:

I made this to go with the rest of my little guy's Easter outfit:

Ours is soft micro fleece so it is stretchy, yet solid, but not too hot in case we have a warm Easter.

It sews up pretty quickly, so there's plenty of time to make one and they are so cute in photos as you can see.

Materials:
- 1/4 yard of fleece (I used micro fleece so it wouldn't be too warm)
- Extra Firm stabilizer
- French curve ruler or small plate
- My Sweet Little Bunny PDF Pattern 
- Pins, rotary cutter/shears

Printing the Pattern:  Click HERE to download the PDF ear pattern and print at 100% (actual size) no scaling.  Cut out inner and outer ear patterns.

Using my ear pattern piece, cut out two front and two back ears from the fabric(s).  Using the inner ear pattern, cut two ears from the extra firm stabilizer. 

To determine hat size, measure around the head to find the circumference (the width needed).  Then measure down from the center top of the head to the middle of the ear (the length).

Cut a rectangle that is:

Circumference of the head + 1.5 inches (for the width)

x  

Side head length + 5 inches (for the height)

For my 12 month old I did 18.5 inches wide by 12 inches high.

Fold the rectangle widthwise, right sides together, and sew down the side with a half inch seam allowance.

Fold the fabric again, but this time only fold up to the seam so the seam allowance is uncovered. Find the top center of the folded bit.  Mine was 4 inches wide folded, so the center was 2 inches in. 

   
From there take a French curve or small round plate and cut a rounded shape down to the fold on the right, 3 inches down at the lowest end.

Do the same from that center point downward on the other side so you end up with a rounded point like this and set aside.

Unfold the hat and stitch the front and back curves as shown, using a half inch seam allowance.  Trim down seam allowance.

 With right sides facing, pair up the front and back of the ear pieces and stitch together, except for the bottom ends, with a .25 inch seam allowance.  Trim or pinking cut the seam allowances down and turn the ears right side out.

Insert the stabilizer pieces into them:

Pinch each ear together at the bottom and baste.

Fold hat so that the front and back seams are lined up.

With ears facing down, facing towards the front side of the hat, insert between the front and back sides of hat, each ear being about half an inch from the center seam. 

Pin ears and front & back sides of hat, then stitch all the way across.

If you turn the hat right side out it should look like this: 

To finish the folded cuff, with wrong side facing out, fold bottom upward 2 and a half inches and pin.  Stitch close to the raw edge with a wide zig zag.  This will give the seam the necessary stretch.

It should look like this when done:

Turn right side out:

Then fold cuff up as desired and put on so some bunny is looking cute!

Just Launched: My Little Leprechaun Mini Top Hat Pattern

Making more whimsical patterns is something I've been wanting to do for a while.  Judging from the amazing response I've had to some of my recent free download patterns, like this month's Pet House Igloo, it's something others are wanting more of too.  

So...I've decided to turn some of my most popular items from my previous handmade hat offerings into PDF Patterns starting with this Little Leprechaun Mini Top Hat:

With Saint Patrick's Day coming up it seemed like the perfect pattern to create first.

It can be made in fleece or felt so it's soft and washable.  It can be worn as a hair clip or a soft, stay put headband.  It's fun for babies, kids and adults.  

The mini size and jaunty shamrock make it festively fun.

It also can be made with other color combinations for year round looks.  It's perfect for Mad Hatter and Steam Punk styles too.

It can be sewn entirely by hand or mainly machine sewing with minor hand sewing to finish. The pattern includes all the printable pieces plus 8 pages with detailed instructions, supply list and loads of step-by-step full color photos.  

~ TODAY ONLY ~

I'm offering this PDF Pattern for FREE 

to 10 people who comment on this post!

Just leave your email address in your comment or send it to me at cheryl@sewcando.com and I will randomly pick 10 of you to email the pattern.  Comments must be received by 11:59pm EST 2/27/19 to be entered.

For everyone else, the full Little Leprechaun Mini Top Hat PDF Pattern is available in my Etsy shop, The Green Hedgehog.

I'm setting the goal of creating more patterns this year (both freebies and additions to my Etsy shop). I've always wanted to do a pattern book featuring my whimsical hat designs, so I'm aiming to release them as individual patterns in the coming months and then compile them all into one fantastic e-Book when I've got them all done.  

The big question is which one to do next?  

or 

or 

or 

Let me know what pattern you'd like to see next!

Coming Out of Handmade Retirement & Furry Slippers for Everyone!

I've made a crazy crafting decision this fall: to come out of my self-imposed handmade retirement and start making items for my shop again.  And I'm making fun new things too!



A few years back I was cranking out loads of whimsical hats and costume-y wearables for my Etsy shop, The Green Hedgehog, on a regular basis. 

While having lots of orders was a blessing, and it was awesome to have my creations featured in great places (even on Parenting.com!), it was sucking me dry in the free time & time with my family departments, so I scaled back.  Now, after the time away and my kids getting older, I've been feeling the vibe and am making select designs again.

Fleece Hats by The Green Hedgehog

I've been working on new goodies too, like my Fluffy Furry Monster Slippers.  Some are wild and colorful for pajama-time fun:

Others are more classic furry, like my original chocolate brown Fuzzball Slippers that are ideal for fans of Wookies, brown bears and furry feet:

Or my newest ivory Frozen Fluffy Slippers, that work great for fans of the yeti, polar bears, the 70s fur boot craze or Frozen:

And since nearly everyone likes fluffy faux fur, I'm doing baby, kid and adult sizes (why should just the littlest feet get all the fun?):

They've all got a cosy fleece lining and flip up-or-down cuffs and choice of over-the shoe or non-slip sole style:

And I've still got my costume PDF patterns in the shop for those that like to sew something special for dress-up or Halloween:

Plus my popular year-round daily wear patterns:

I'm excited to be back in the saddle & working on all new designs too.  I'd love for you to check them out and stop by The Green Hedgehog social media and say hi!