Fleece Beret

As we approach the holidays our family is working on doing some service for those less fortunate than ourselves. Through our church we are putting together stockings for kids and families who are Hmong or Karen refugees. We chose a stocking for a little 4 year old girl. One of the things most of these refugees need are hats & mittens here in the cold upper midwest. So when I was at the fabric store I found this pretty little snowflake print fleece that I thought would be darling for a winter hat.

I used McCall 9497 pattern, however it is now discontinued. Even without a pattern this little beret is so easy to make. This will fit a 21 inch head. My 5 year old wore it just nicely. Adjust the band accordingly if you need it to fit a slightly larger head. You can also make the band a bit wider if you prefer also. The original pattern shows a 3" wide band. My finished hat had a 1 1/2 inch wide band.

DIRECTIONS:
According to the pattern envelope you need about 5/8 yd. fabric. However, I only had about a 24" x 40" piece to work with and that was plenty.

Cut one circle 15 1/2" in diameter
Cute one band piece (with stretch going lengthwise) 4 1/2" by 10 1/2".

1. Seam the band piece to form a continuous circle.
2. Fold in half with cut edges together.
3. Mark or clip at half and quarter marks of band.
4. Mark or clip at half and quarter marks of cirle.
5. Baste around circle.
6. Gather circle, matching at half and quarter marks, distributing fabric evenly.
7. Stitch circle to band using a stretch stitch.
8. Finish raw edges with either serger, zigzag or even leave raw.

DONE! and oh so easy, but very cute. You could add a little bow or flower on the band using leftover fleece. Or you could add some cute buttons. My "bigger" girls even think that they need a beret like this. Strawberry Shortcake eat your heart out!