ten hats in ten days: monster hat with ear flaps

 This hat requires a wee bit of sewing but is far from fancy. A machine will make it go super fast but you can also do this by hand.

Materials

*old wool sweater or sweater pieces

*sewing machine or needle and thread

*scissors

*tape measure

*felt pieces

*buttons and/or googly eyes, optional

*tacky or fabric glue

Measure around your kiddos noggin and divide number in half. Grab a sheet of paper and cut out a rectangle shape that measures the length of your measurement with about a 6" width. Fold shape in half and arc out a quarter hat shape. Cut.

 Lay out your wool sweater (inside out) or pieces and place your open pattern on top. Pin into place. Bring to sewing machine and stitch along the pattern edge. If your sweater is super thick it may be best to use a whip stitch and stitch by hand. This is an imperfect project so don't sweat the bumps and bits.

To create ear flaps, cut off a sleeve from a sweater and cut into two pieces.  Turn pieces inside out and use a marker to create a curve to stitch along. Cut and stitch by hand or bring to machine and stitch along your marks with a medium straight stitch.

Turn hat right-side out and pin flaps into place. Use a zig-zag stitch and contrasting thread to attatch flaps to hat. Trim threads.

Hand your kiddo their hat and all sorts of scrappy bits and glue. Tacky glue works wonders with felt. Stitching the pieces on can add additional color and fun. Let your kiddo create a monster of their choice. Once all glue has dried, pop the hat on and have a monster's bash!