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DIY Upcycling Newborn Hats & Headbands Part 1

9/1/2013

1 Comment

 
I love newborn props, especially the ones that make you think hmmm...whose newborn could I borrow right now to try this new prop out? Props can get expensive though, so I decided to do some research to find an inexpensive way to make newborn hats and headbands. Let me say that I do not consider myself to be crafty. However, after reading many tutorials, I found Corina Nielsen's and Pretty Prudent Baby's tutorials on newborn hats to be the clearest. I decided to give it a try, and I came to two conclusions in my research:  
1) I love the Internet
2) Upcycling is cool now
What is this "upcycling" you ask? It's essentially recycling, but you're (hopefully) making something better than the original product. So, I decided to try upcycling some old sweaters. What if you would actually like to keep your sweaters intact? This is where the thrift store comes in handy. Just don't ask a friend "hey, I need some ugly sweaters to make newborn hats. Can I look through your closet?"
 
I found knit sweaters with some stretch to be the best for this project. I got the newborn top knot hat pattern from Pretty Prudent Baby . I bought this purple sweater for a whopping $3 at the local thrift store! Since I can sew probably as well as a monkey can, I traced the pattern with a Sharpie before cutting it out. You'll notice that I also extended the top knot because I wanted a longer knot. Also, I turned the sweater inside out so that I didn't draw on the outside.
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If you're not crafty like me, you might be tempted to use your all-purpose scissors. You should use fabric scissors to cut out the hat and then make sure not to use your fabric scissors as your all-purpose scissors. You wouldn't wear your high heels to the gym, right? Same concept.
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Next, sew the hat together. Don't worry, you'll turn the hat right side out so that the Sharpie marks won't show.
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Turn the hat right side out, tie a top knot, and you have your newborn hat!
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There's still the rest of the sweater though, so I made another hat out of it! I traced another hat that I previously made from another sweater as my pattern. You could also just eyeball it. The hat I used is about 6" across and 4" high, but the dimensions can vary a bit depending on your sweater material.
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Cut the hat out, sew it together, turn it right side out, and you have hat #2! You could easily sew or hot glue gun some flowers, ribbon, etc. onto the hat to jazz it up a bit.
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So, I made 2 hats out of a $3 sweater and kept it out of our landfills, which makes me a fan of upcycling. I am not done with the sweater though. Stay tuned for part 2 next week where I will make an easy no-sew headband!
1 Comment
baby hairclips link
1/9/2014 12:56:13 am

With a little effort, it could do for my baby

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