Adventurous Homemaking: LTTSA: Cozy Hood

Fabrics:
I used a slightly stretchy, lightweight, super soft, white fur for my outer layer. My lining was a navy blue soft knit for my boys hats, and a thin kinda shiny bright pink knit for little girls Christmas present.
This would be a great project to recycle old jersey shirts for linings and sweaters or fleece hoodies for the outer layer. If you do use a knit, be sure to check the tension settings and stitch width on your machine. The slippery knits like my pink one, are a pain to work with and may not feed pefectly. Be sure not to pull on the fabrics while you're sewing with them.

Cut Your Pieces:
If you do use a fur, pay attention to the grain of the fur, which may not be the same as the grain of the fabric. Decide how you want your fur to lay as a finished product before you start cutting.

Step 1:
Pin and sew your ears. I went ahead and pinned my linings too and worked my hats assembly line style. Don't forget to leave a 2-3" opening in the seam of your lining for turning (I forgot on all 3 hats).

Step 4: Sew side panels to the center hood piece. I found it helpful to pin with the side panel facing me, then flip it over and sew with the center hood piece facing up. It kept my pieces from wrinkling.

Step 5: Pin and sew your lining to your hood with right sides together. Flip right side out.

Step 6: Blind stitch the turning hole in your lining closed.

Step 7: Fold your ears forward along the seam, and Bartac them in place. I did this on my machine and changed my bobbin thread to match the lining. The further up the ear you tack, the more your ear will stand up: 1/2" worked well for me.

Then admire your work! I chose to leave off the ribbons, because I know they would cause my children nothing but fuss. The pink hat is a size small and the blue is an extra small. The hats run a tad large, but still stay on just fine. With a thicker fabric, it probably wouldn't be noticeable.