How To Line A Hat With (micro)Fleece

This luscious handspun/handknit headband I bought when I was in the throes of hypothermia at the New Hampshire Sheep & Wool Festival has a nice little secret.  It's lined in polyester fleece.  See how simple and nice and invisible it is from the outside?  It makes the slightly scratchy handspun wearable over my ears and forehead, and it adds a layer of warmth and wind protection. 

I've used this procedure to line mittens and hats and neckwarmers in the past.  Abigail's Snow Queen hat and mittens (see my galleries in 2004 and 2005) are lined this way, at her request. 

As I promised earlier in the week, here is a tutorial to make this simple, quick and inexpensive, yet highly effective, lining.  No sewing machine is required, although I used mine for this project. 

Using your finished hat as a rough guide, cut a trapezoid (thanks to Ms. Lauren for helping me remember wtf that shape is called) that roughly follows the lines of your hat.  Make it twice as wide as the hat, with a little extra for a seam allowance.  Fleece has a nice stretch to it -- in one direction only.  Make sure you cut the fabric so it stretches horizontally to fit around the head.  Trim it so the slanted cuts match each other.

Fold the fabric and seam close to the edge, up the slanted side.  Cut a little triangle piece off the opposite side to reduce bulk, if desired, and seam that cut. 

Using a needle and thread, baste around the top edge of the lining, close to the edge.  Pull the thread like a drawstring. 

See?  You've made a simple hat shape. 

Place the lining inside your hat and trim the bottom edge to fit, if necessary.  Fleece does not unravel, so the edge can remain unhemmed.

Using a tapestry needle, and yarn that matches or blends with the yarn of the hat, attach the top of the lining to the inside of the top of the hat two or three times.  Just a couple simple knots pulled through both thicknesses and tied is all that is required.

Again using the tapestry needle and yarn, stitch the edge of the lining just inside the bottom edge of the hat.

Voila!  Another super-warm hat for the Dulaan Project.

Pattern:  Everyone's Favorite Hat & Scarf

Yarn:  Noro Iro

Comments

[Cookie]

Trapezoidal?

Norma... honey, I will never be that awake. However, fab tutorial. I'm sure someone with a working brain will use and love it.

/falls over stupid

[liz]

Bean wants to know if half a trapazoid is a trapa or a zoid.

Love the hat and the tutorial. As if I can sew more than a button. But it's nice to half the info!

[Lauren]

Ahhh, so that's what it was for. I was a little confused. Lovely head coverings.

[Paul]

Excellent tutorial, Norma! And the hat is beautiful.

LOL@Cookie....

[Kathy]

Now that is a very cool tutorial. A good fix on itchy stuff too. Thanks!!

[Dave Daniels]

I was thinking of you at the NHSW this morning as I was out walking a freezing my arse off. I remembered how you came so unprepared for the cold, just as I was this morning. Glad to see you learned from you past indiscretions, as I wished I had.

[Marcia]

Great idea! BTW, you've convinced me and I've started your PV pullover. 'Cept I'm doing it in teal Magpie Tweed that's been sitting in stash for eons. Gotta start using this stuff up!

[kmkat]

Talk about serendipitous timing! Just this morning I was thinking about a Dulaan hat I could make but it would need to be 2 layers in order to be warm enough. But I did NOT want to spend the time to knit a lining. Your tutorial has solved my problem -- now to knit the hat.

Thanks! btw, I e-mailed Pantera today and gave them four (4) reasons why sponsoring the Red Scarf Project would be good for them. Sure hope they are listening.

[Maia]

Lovely! I will line my Dulaan hats too. I was worrying that they wouldn't be warm enough. Now I have the perfect fix.

[Kathy]

I'd probably just use plain old thread to stitch the lining in, since it would go through the fleece a bit more easily. Great tutorial! I never thought of lining a knit with fleece, but then I lived most of my life in Southern California where it just doesn't get cold, ever. Good thing to know, especially when making things up for Dulaan where it absolutely does get very cold.

[lorinda]

Great idea and wonderful tutorial. Thanks!

[Lucia]

Hey, that looks like even I might be able to do it! Thanks!

[Debi]

Great hat Norma! You're gonna make some Mogolian child warm and happy!

[Kim]

Great tutorial and for a great cause! You are a good woman!

[AmyP]

Sweeeet (as my little brother would say if he crafted).

[sandy]

Excuse me? Did Dave just say "at the NHSW today?" Huh. I missed something being in this semil coma!
LOVE your lined hat! So soft! And warm! Bravo, Nor.

[Jen]

Trapezoidal? Great word. Not sure if it's a real one. But I'm adding it to my vocabulary ;) GREAT tutorial! Thanks!

[Marianne]

I've been wondering how to figure a lining out....thank you!!!! Marianne

[Laurie]

Thank you! I'm so not a sewing person, and that very idea had been tickling me for the hats made out of handspun. Now I can do it. I had envisioned much more sewing into the hat, which could have been a deal breaker for me.

[minnie]

great tutorial! and you've STILL got that pumpkin?

[Isela]

Just what I needed! Thank you! I made some hats for the kiddos and they are refusing to put them on because they make their head itch (uncultured kids!hahaha)

[Birdsong]

Thanks for the tutorial... I had been working this out in my pea brain, and hadn't caught that a trapezoid was needed.

[KnittyOtter]

I may try that on the one hat I finished for Dulaan so far. The scarf is being ripped and reknit. Or felted and lined. Gotta look it over and have a think.

Thanks for the Tut.

[Laura]

I'll definitely be using this tutorial for my Dulaan hats! Thanks Norma!! Sometimes the easiest things seem impossible until someone says "no, it's easy - see?" Thanks!

[DeAnne]

Help! Your instructions are outstanding!!! I followed them to create a lining for a knitted nordic hat. BUT>....... I am not a seamstress and my fleece is shedding everywhere. Anybody know why? Did I not buy real fleece? I am it is shedding everywhere!! Help

[Julie]

Oo just what I needed to save me from the forehead rash I'm developing :) Probably could have managed on my own but it's nice to see someone has done exactly what I was contemplating and it worked fine. I knew the thing about directional stretch but sure as shootin' I'd have forgotten had I not just read it in your post and then it would have been a 50:50 chance to get it right. Ta for the post.

[THE KNITTING MAN]

i love knitting, actually this was just the thing i needed for my perfect hat for my friends christmas present....THANKS A BUNCH, and why did u delete my last comment that i posted

[Julie]

I LOVE THE MAN KNITTER...this guy is great...lets just hope he keeps posting comments