DIY Christmas- $2 hat and scarf sets

Because you probably  have more than one person on your Christmas list I thought I would continue with my DIY Christmas gifts.
Today I will be showing you a wildly simple way to make a hat and scarf set.   Although I am making them for my son and daughter they would be well loved gifts for children or adults.In fact, handmade fleece scarves were our gift to the civil servants - read :garbage collectors and mail carrier- last Christmas.

I decided to sew my hats, but there is a way one could do it with NO SEWING. I will share that with you at the end of the post.

Roses for Audrey and monster for Walter

So without further ado here is your tutorial for SIMPLE HAT AND SCARF SET.

You will need

- fleece 1 m (the amount you need will depend on the size of the hat and scarf you are making. 1 meter will be more than plenty - I got three sets of childrens sizes out of one meter) $5.25/m
- scissors
-measuring tape
- sewing machine
- ribbon/craft felt/ fabric paints ect (optional, for decorating purposes)
 Total project cost: a little over $1.75/set

Fleece fabric has stretch to it.  But only in one direction. Its important that you be watchful of this or you may end up with a very uncomfortable hat.  It matters much less for the scarf.

SCARF:
Since the scarf is, hands down, the easiest of the two I will begin with it.
Your scarf will be most comfortable if you have the stretch of the fabric running the length of your scarf.
Since I made my sets for children I did very small scarves.
Measure 6 inches wide and approx 37 inches long
Cut out this rectangular scarf 
Fold scarf in half lengthwise.
Cut fringe on the ends of your scarf, cutting both layers at once.  I typically cut fringe 3 inches long every inch.
Taadaa!!!
Feel free to embellish and decorate to your hearts content.
**Specific to projects shown**
For my sons scarf I did not cut fringe, instead I attempted to cut "monster claws" in the ends. Then I hot glued bright green craft felt under the "claws" to make them stand out.  This would look MUCH better if you took the time to plan your design and didn't just start cutting at random hoping for a monster effect like....some people......
For my daughters scarf I wanted to make it pretty, so I attached a felt rose to the side. I had the ol hot glue gun all heated up and was about to glue the rose in place when I got another idea. My daughter is still very young (read: wriggly) and I'd like to avoid the scarf coming open under her jacket. So why not use the rose as a button of sorts?  This did take a bit more work because hot glue would not have held the rose on well enough for button use. So I got out thread coordinating with the colour of fleece and sewed the rose on by hand..  Then on the opposite side of the scarf I cut a small slit for the button opening.
The "button" sits high enough that it will peek out over the top of her jacket and look adorable.

HAT:
Begin by measuring the head of your recipient.  If this is not possible use 22 inches as a standard adult size and 18-20 inches for children.
Your width according to your recipient, remembering that you need to cut the width along the stretch of your fabric.
I use a length of 11 or 12 inches regardless of the age of my recipient.
Cut a scrap width (along the stretch) of 6 inches by 1 inch long

Fold your rectangle in half with *right sides* together. (Since solid coloured fleece does not have a *right* or *wrong* side, I use solids as often as possible to avoid mix ups)  Folded it should still measure 11 or 12 inches long. 
Using the stretch stitch on your sewing machine sew along the raw edge. Now you have a fleece tube :) Turn your tube to right side out. Adjust it so the seam runs along the back of your hat.

Whats a stretch stitch? It looks like this on your sewing machine and allows the stitch to stretch with the fabric

Cut the same fringe along the top of your hat as you did on the scarf. The longer you make your fringe the larger your pom pom will be. Remember to cut the fringe at the edges as well.

Using you length of scrap, tie under the edge of the fringe, pulling as tightly as possible. Knot. Cut the ends of the tie as closely to the knot as possible.




For the hats "brim" fold the bottom edge uf the fleece up approx 1/2inch. The fold again. Pin in place.  Using the stretch stich on the sewing machine again sew along the brim.



Taadaa!!
**Specific to projects shown**
For my sons hat I decided to embellish with a fun monster face. I cut my pieces out of craft felt and hot glued them together and to the hat.  The great thing about making a monster face (and if I'm going to be honest, the real reason I did a monster) is because you don't need a pattern or  anything to be exact. I simply cut until I thought my four year out would be pleased with the results. Again, should one choose to plan their design before hand one might be rewarded with a more polished result. :)
For my daughters hat I maintained my pretty theme and stuck with the simple rose. Here's how to make a easy felt rose:
Cut a circle_ish shape from craft felt. approx 6 inches in diameter.
Cut the circle into a spiral, leaving a small circle in the center.

Starting form the outside edge cut a scalloped edge on your spiral.
 
Again beginning from the outside edge roll your spiral. I added a dab of hot glue every inch or so to give it more structural integrity

.Complete the process by gluing the small circle in the center of the spiral to the bottom of the rose.

 Add a dab of hot glue to the rose center and press in a faux peal bead.
Then glue the pretty rose to the hat.


If you're still with me at this point you may have noticed my frequent use of the hot glue gun for this project. So here's some great news for all the NO SEWers out there..... For every time I used my sewing machine you can substitute a hot glue gun! Really!! The finished project is the same and it holds up to even children, honestly my daughter has gone to church in a hot glue gun hat for weeks now. :)