Tutorial: Baby Knit Beanies – Two Ways {by Littlest Pretty Things}

Hey there! It’s Heather from Littlest Pretty Things where I blog mostly about the little things I sew for my two year old daughter. But since I’ve started hitting the “nesting” phase of my 2nd pregnancy pretty hard lately we’re going to be sewing up something for the littlest ones in our lives: beanie hats for newborns – two ways!

For this project you’ll only need about 1/4 yard knit fabric – we’re using some of the dreamy-to-work-with organic interlock knit from Birch Fabrics. (Or you can get yourself a full yard and make a matching beanie & blanket set 😉

Let’s get started:

First find an old newborn-sized beanie from the bins stashed under your basement stairs, fold in half and trace the general shape onto the fabric. You’ll want to add a good 2 inches to the bottom and, if you’re making the knotted version, draw a 4-6 inch Telletubby-like antennae at the top. (cut 2 pieces!)

If you’re making the traditional beanie, you’ll do the same by adding 2 inches to the bottom then cut a notch out of the top like so (again, cut two!):

Next place the two pieces right sides together and stitch. I used a serger but a regular machine will work just fine. I actually use just a regular straight stitch for the knot-piece mainly because I cant get my serger to not screw the whole thing up (any tips on serging inside corners like that are appreciated!)

For the classic beanie you’ll then fold in half – lining up the seams – and sew the top opening closed.

Then you’ll cut about 2 inches off the bottom of the hat (either one!) – we’re making the bottom band.

Fold the band, wrong sides together, and press. Tuck the band into the hat, lining up the raw edges, right sides together, and sew the band to the hat.

Turn your hat right-side-out and press the band flat. You may need a knitting needle (or something similar) to push the knot-piece out. Tie it up and you’re finished!

Wanna make a quick blanket to match? Cut a length of the knit fabric into a square. Use a rounded edge (like a small plate) to round the edges.

Run the raw edges through a serger and voila! A sweet gift for any new baby. Even your own 😉

Be sure to visit my Etsy shop for these and other gifts & accessories for little ones 🙂