sweet-pea-pilot-cap-tutorial2.pdf

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sweet pea
pilot cap
tutorial
copyright Meg McElwee
www.sewliberated.com
Babies need to be kept warm, and aside from hugging them to your body and
smooching their fat cheeks, a good hat provides that extra warmth they need
to feel comfortable. The Sweet Pea Pilot Cap is the perfect baby hat, as it is
constructed with flat, itch-free seams with cozy knit fabric. The chin ties keep
the cap securely on baby’s head, and you can customize the cap’s colors to fit
baby’s wardrobe.
The Sweet Pea Baby Cap comes in four sizes - measure around your child’s
head just above the eyebrows to get the circumference of the head.
Size XS (newborn - 3 months): 15”
Size S (3 - 8 months): 17”
Size M (8 - 14 months): 18”
Size L (14 - 24 months): 19.5”
Tips For Working With Knits
Before you dig into your fabric, I’ll share a few of my tips for working with knits. If you think knits are
slippery, slinky, scary monsters – let me assure you that they are not! You just have to have a few tricks
up your sleeves to whip them into shape (and whip up a very comfortable hat for your little one in no
time!) It’s time for a little Q & A:
Q: Where do I find knits? All of my favorite online fabric stores only carry wovens!
A: For a cheap source of jersey (t-shirt) and interlock (sweatshirt) knits, look no further than the thrift
store. Pick up men’s XL tees and sweatshirts made of 100% cotton, wash them well, and add them to
your stash.
I’m also partial to some of the organic interlock knit that is sold by individual designers through www.
spoonflower.com. Anybody can draw a
design and have it printed through Spoon-
flower! It’s a great source for unique
prints. Other sources for jersey and inter-
lock are www.nearseanaturals.com and
www.purlsoho.com.
You’ll also need 1x1 rib knit (shown to
the right) - rib knit has ridges and it is
super stretchy) for making the Sweet Pea
Pilot Cap. This can be more tricky to find.
If you see it at your local mega-sewing
store, pick it up. The rule for a 1x1 rib in a
nice color is – buy it. Don’t think twice. A
yard will go a long way, and believe me, it
is hard to find nice ribbing.
Q: I don’t have a serger. Does that mean I can’t work with knits?
A: No! The Sweet Pea Pilot Cap is made with a regular ol’ sewing machine! You will need to set yourself
up with a few tools to have the most success sewing knits on your regular machine.
First, you should consult your machine manual and figure out how to lessen the pressure of your sew-
ing machine’s foot. This, for me, is a huge key to success, and it’s not often talked about. At a normal
pressure, the foot and the feed dogs will stretch out your knit fabric as it’s pulled under the foot, resulting
in an unbecoming and very frustrating wavy, stretched out seam. To avoid this, set your presser foot to 15
(normal is 45-60).
Next, invest in a walking foot for your machine. A walking foot pulls the top fabric toward the needle at the
same rate as the feed dogs are pulling the bottom fabric toward the needle. This “even feed” solves lots of
problems in sewing, and isn’t just for working with knits (you can also use it to quilt!). A walking foot will
help greatly in keeping your knit fabric from stretching out. You can find generic walking feet for your ma-
chine at your local sewing store.
Also, don’t forget to change your needle! Sewing knits with a regular “universal” needle will result in small
holes and frustrating “catching” of knit fabric, as it pierces through the weave. Get some jersey (ball point)
needles, which slip in between the fabric’s weave. They are much less frustrating to work with.
Next, experiment with your machine’s stretch stitch repertoire. To make the Sweet Pea Pilot Cap, you’ll need
to use a wide stretch stitch. My machine has a special stitch for jersey fabrics. Yours might have a mock
overlock stitch. In a pinch, you can always use a wide zigzag stitch. The key here is to experiment – take
pieces of your fabric and run it through your machine. Then pull and stretch the fabric – is it supple? Do you
like the pattern? Keep on fiddling if not.
Finally, take a deep breath before you sew with knits. Your state of mind will show in the fabric. If you’re
nervous and tight, you’re apt to pull and the fabric, stretching it out. If you’re relaxed and let the fabric pull
through the machine with just a bit of gentle guidance, your seams will be nice a pretty. Oh – and one more
tip – when you iron your seams, use a steam setting and don’t move the iron back and forth on the fabric.
Just place the iron on top of the seam. Any moving of the iron can cause the fabric to stretch.
Without further ado, here’s what you’ll need to make the Sweet Pea Pilot Cap!
**
Be sure to wash, dry, and press your fabric before you begin!**
Materials
-20” square (or thereabouts) of cotton jersey, wool jersey, 1 x 1 rib knit, or cotton interlock for the main hat
color
-36” x 1.75” strip of 1 x 1 rib knit for finishing the edges and making the straps (make sure to cut this with the
ridges running perpendicular to the long, 36” edge)
-Sulky Sticky paper-backed stabilizer (available at your local sewing store)
-Coordination poly or cotton poly blend thread (the polyester makes the thread stronger – important for work-
ing with knits)
-Pattern pieces (Side and Middle) printed out on cardstock (or regular paper) and cut out.
-Fabric pen
-pins
-embroidery scissors
Instructions
1. Trace around the Side onto
the rough (non-grid) side of
the Sulky Sticky stabilizer. Flip
it over and trace once again.
You should have two Sides that
are mirror images if each other.
Trace the Middle.
2.
Cut out the two Sides and Mid-
dle from the stabilizer (use your paper
scissors, not your fabric scissors!) Now
lay out your main color fabric with its
wrong side facing you and pull on a
small section to find out which direc-
tion has the most stretch. Match the
grain line of the most stretchy direc-
tion with the grain line on the pat-
tern piece that says “most stretch.”
Remove the paper backing from the
stabilizer and place the two Sides and
Middle on the fabric. Press down on
the stabilizer to make sure it’s properly
adhered to the fabric.
3. With your fabric scissors, cut out around each
Side and the Middle, leaving a 1/4” seam allowance
beyond the edge of the stabilizer.
4. Align the left Side with the top edge of the
Middle, laying the Side on top of the Middle (there
should be a 1/4” overlap – just enough so that the
Side edge touches the stabilizer on the Middle).
5.
I don’t recommend using
pins for this step, as they are just
unwieldy. Using the edges of the
stabilizer as your guides, use a
stretch stitch to sew together the
left Side and the Middle. Gently
guide the left Side over toward the
Middle as you sew. It helps me to
think of pushing the Middle un-
der the Side. Go slowly – you will
probably have to plant your nee-
dle in the fabric, lift the presser
foot, and readjust the fabric every
once in a while along the curves.
Just don’t pull at the fabric!

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