December 4, 2007

Easy peasy elf hat!


I had to make Lucy an elf hat last night, she is an elf in the school christmas play and, only having a couple of days notice to come up with a costume, had to think of something quick. So, after a bit of pondering, I went up in the loft, rummaged around in the bags of old clothes and found a pair of Lucy's red cropped leggings from last summer. Here is what to do -

You will need, an old pair of childs leggings (I used cropped, if you have full length ones, you can just trim the length a little shorter if need be), a felt strip - about 3" (8cm) deep and enough to go all the way round their head, scissors, a pom pom, needle & cotton, embroidery thread, buttons are optional.

1. Turn the leggings inside out, and upside down, cut all the way round the inside leg seams.

2. Open out the legs flat, sew a long triangle shape with the waistband forming the bottom edge, and trim off the excess fabric

3. Turn the hat right side round and trim off any clothing labels.

4. Cut the felt to give a decorative zig-zag edge (I just did this by eye, no measuring) and attach to the bottom edge using running stitch in the embroidery thread (a contrasting colour works best). Before finishing off the running stitch, try the hat on for size, as you will need to loosen off the running stitch first to allow the hat to stretch a little.

5. Attach the pom pom to the point of the hat.


You could also add buttons for decoration and a bell instead of a pom pom, couldn't be easier!

If you make something from one of my tutorials please do join the Flickr group, Lucykate Crafts... pattern pieces, to show off your creations.

19 comments:

Kifkif said...

What a good idea !This elf's hat is really funny ad lovely, I will try to make one me too !

Prue said...

Great thinking in the way you used the leggings. I love it!

{kimmymade} said...

Very clever and cute! Hope Lucy loves it :-)

Shirley said...

Great idea. I bet she's gonna look so cute in that hat!

Unknown said...

....but, LK, I don't have any leggings and I need to make an elf suit for friday too, and I have only just remembered........what else can I use? (frantic searching for something similar)

Lucykate Crafts... said...

i reckon you could use pretty much any old item of clothing, i used leggings as they were the only thing in red i could find : )

Unknown said...

How cute!! I will be making one of these for sure. Thank you for sharing your pattern!

syko kajsa said...

I LOVE the elf hat!!! And your instructions are super cute!

Unknown said...

The elf hat is adorable and a fabulous idea! I am really happy to discover your blog!

Cláudia Vargas said...

lindos! amei!

inbal weisman said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
inbal weisman said...

love this tutorial. Great recycling and simple way to use everything you have to create. thank you!

ginny farquhar said...

very cute!

Until We Bead Again, Beth Murr said...

Love it!!

Hoshiko Murasukai said...

Great! this is gonna save my life... I need to wear an elf costume for a big Christmas project. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

They look so good! You have made some really cute looking ones.

Caroline White

tonsillitis symptoms

Anonymous said...

thank you for this easy way to make an elv hat from something that i already have.my daughter was right you can find anything just google it!!!!from this nana,thank you!!!!from our home to yours Merry Chistmas and Happy New Year!!!!!

karen608 said...

Love the idea of recycling some clothing for a fun hat!
So much more fun than a santa hat.
Thanks for leaving this up so we can make elf hats. :)

Tasty Destination said...

How cute is that elf hat! I'll try to make some for this coming Christmas using dress fabrics at home.