Homestitched: Fleece Ear Warmers

Need a way to keep the little ears in your life warm?

These ear warmers are double layered and made of fleece to ensure extra softness and maximum warmth. Perfect for playing outside on those cold winter days.

I love that they are versatile. You can keep it simple, or embellish so your little guy can support dad's favorite team.

Even better, these babies can be made in 15 minutes or less. Seriously. You are going to make one for your little guy and then decide to make another for every member of your family.

See?? What did I tell you.

Now lets get started.

Materials:
2/8 of a yard of fleece (or 1/8 yard of two different colors)

-coordinating thread

-quilting foot (not necessary, but recommended)

-scraps of fleece or other embellishments of choice

Sizing:

3 months and under, 16 inches

3-6 months, 17 inches

6-9 months, 18 inches

9-12 months, 19 inches

1 year +, 20 inches

Adult regular, 22 inches

Adult large, 24 inches

I usually use these measurements, but keep in mind that heads run on the large side in my family. You may need to decrease the measurements a bit to ensure a good fit. Also note that this goes over the ears, so measuring the circumference of their head will not ensure an accurate fit. Be sure to account for ears no matter how small they are.

How:
1. Make the pattern.

First, fold a piece of paper hot dog style (lengthwise). Cut it to half the length you wish the finished band to be. In the picture below you will see the paper is 8 1/2 inches long. This means my finished band length will be 17 inches long .

For a child's band, make the thickest part 3 inches and the smallest part 2 1/2 inches. I do this by marking the two points on the folded paper. Then I draw a sloped line to connect the dots. I like the shape shown above best because it covers ears well and isn't too bulky in the front. Drawing a straight line will work as well, it will just come to more of a point in the back.

**For adults the thickest part of the band is 4 inches and the smallest part is 3 inches. The length will correspond to the sizing in the chart above.

Cut your pattern from the folded paper and tape the small ends together in the middle. Here's what your finished patter should look like.

Now lay your pattern on both layers of fleece and cut. Fleece is typically more stretchy one way than the other. I have found that it doesn't make much of a difference which way you cut because the threads will keep it from stretching too much in the end.

**If you want to add any embellishments to your band, do it now. This way, you won't have unsightly threads poking through the other side of the band. For the "Y" seen earlier, I cut the shape out of contrasting fleece and sewed around the edges onto the center of one piece of the fleece band. Be sure to account for seam allowance when you sew it on; leave about 3/8 of an inch on each side of the band.

With right sides together, pin and sew band down long sides only with 1/4" seam allowance. I like to use my quilting foot because fleece is stretchy and it helps keep it in the shape I cut it out in and pull both layers through evenly. If you are using a regular foot I suggest trimming your band if it has stretched.

Turn fabric so right sides are facing out and top-stitch using 1/8 inch seam allowance. Fleece does not iron well (I know- I tried- lets just say the bottom of my iron is not looking to good right now), so rather than ironing, use your guide hand to press the seams down flat as you topstitch. This will help the sides come together so you get a nice looking edge.

Switch your machine to a zig-zag stitch set at it's widest stitch length. Line your short ends up under your presser foot so that the seem is directly center with the foot. At this point you may notice that your sides do not match up well (see below). No worries. Fleece is very forgiving and very stretchy. Just use your guide hand to stretch the fleece as you go to make the ends match.