Altering a Child's Winter Hat

Winter in Wisconsin is brutal, to say the least. Negative temperatures and wind can get one down, but adequate clothing sure helps. Last winter my baby wore a 0-3 lumberjack/aviator hat. It was perfect for the elements outside. Unfortunately, that hat no longer fits his 12 month head. It's been hard for me to find a similar hat. Yes, I get stuck in a rut with something I love and have to have the exact same one when something happens to the first.

A few months ago I was at the Land's End Inlet and found a steal of a deal on this hat! $9.50 for exactly what I was looking for. It is lined with berber fleece and wind proof - exactly what I wanted! I don't necessarily love the color, but it can grow on me.

The only problem is it's a tad bit large. The head size is okay and will work fine, but the chin straps are just too big. With a one year old who loves to pull things off his head, this would not do. I decided to fix the problem. :)

I started by cutting the snap tab very close to the ear flap. I didn't want to deal with unpicking the fabric and getting it out nicely. It should be fine because of the nylon fabric. I expect little or no fraying at the cut off site.

Once I had the snap tab off, I stitched the cut edge closed. Nothing fancy - I used a fairly small overcast stitch. I just wanted to ensure no fraying to this piece.

Another view of stitching

Snap flap complete

Once the snap flap was closed off, I measured where to place the snap. I put the hat on my son's head and put my finger where I wanted the snap to be - not too hard. I then pinned the snap in it's new place.

I sewed the snap on by using a back stitch. If you're unsure what a back stitch is, you can find it here . I also tried to follow the original stitching and was also careful not to catch any of the berber fleece while sewing. My needle only caught the green nylon.

Because I hand stitched the snap in place, I will easily be able to unpick the stitching and sew it back into it's original place if desired in future years. For now we are ready to enjoy the winter.