Bunny Hat and Paw Mittens

I love halloween! It’s such a strange and wonderful day. You can dress up like anything from something scary like a ghost or a witch to something sweet like a pumpkin or this adorable little bunny.

When I was young I took Halloween very seriously. I would come up with an idea and my mom and I would go to the fabric store and pick out some fantastic fabric. One year I was a mermaid and we puffy painted all of my lycra scales individually and went to the fish market to buy big scallop shells for my top. Another time,I was a black cat and the costume was made out of the softest black cotton velvet. My favorite part of that costume was the hat. It was lined with satin and it had a big pink bow. I wore it long after halloween and I bet it’s still in my parents attic somewhere.

Inspired by that cat hat I decided to make this sweet little bunny hat for a Halloween project. It’s designed to fit a three year old but the pattern could easily be blown up or shrunk to fit many different sizes. It’s made from wool but lined in ultra soft Moda Muslin so it won’t itch! I used the Mary Flanagan Felted Wool but it would work beautifully in our brand new (and organic!) Wool Melton Fat Quarters or Wollfilz Wool Felt as well.

Page took the hat home for her daughter Coco to model (she is the cute bunny in the top picture) and Coco had the great idea of adding some paws to the ensemble. Page whipped up these darling paw mittens which, in my opinion, really complete the look! Worn with a white leotard and tights (and maybe a pom pom tail) the hat and mittens make a quick, delightfully home made Halloween costume. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  –Molly

Designed by Purl Soho designer, Molly Schnick. Click here to see even more of Molly’s work!

The Materials

To make hat and paws you will need:

• 3 pieces Mary Flanagan felted wool in White OR 1 fat-quarter of our O-Wool organic Wool Melton in Natural OR 2 Pieces of Wollfilz Wool Felt in Ecru -91 (if you decide to use the wool felt, be sure NOT to order the 5mm felt as it is too stiff for this project). This fabric will be called “Fabric A” in the pattern.
• 1 piece Mary Flanagan felted wool in Coral Rose OR 1 piece Wollfilz Wool Felt in Coral (#18) or Pink (#25). This fabric will be called “Fabric B” in the pattern.
• 1 yard of trim (I used a Kokka twill tape with rabbits on it but any rick rack or ribbon will work)
• 1/2 yard Moda Muslin in white
• 1 spool 100% cotton thread in off white and 1 spool to match your ear and paw fabric
• 1 ball of embroidery thread in natural

Print 2 sets of each of the Templates here:

• Bunny Hat part 1
• Bunny Hat part 2
• Bunny Ears
• Bunny Paws

Note: I used the Mary Flanagan felted wool in White (for Fabric A) and in Coral Rose (for Fabric B) for my project. Using the O-Wool as Fabric A would be just as lovely, while slightly thicker and warmer. The Wollfilz felted wool is also a good option for Fabric A, it is thinner and it will make a stiffer hat. There won’t be much difference between using the Mary Flanagan Felted Wool and the Wollfilz Wool Felt for Fabric B. Just pick whichever color you like the best!

Cut Fabric

Cut out all of the pieces from your 2 sets of templates (you can download the templates above). Please note that the hat will print in two sections that you will have to tape together where indicated on the templates.

Below is a list of the pieces you’ll be cutting from each fabric:

Fabric A

• 2 Hat pieces
• 2 Outer Ear pieces
• 4 Mitten pieces

Fabric B

• 2 Inner Ear Pieces
• 2 sets of Paws (each set contains 4 pieces)

Muslin

• 2 Hat Pieces

If you are using the O-Wool for Fabric A please follow the cutting diagram below (this is only for Fabric A. You’ll have a lot of room to spare cutting from Fabric B):

After you’ve cut everything out put the mitten pieces aside and continue on with the hat pattern.

Sew Bunny Hat

Refer to your pattern template or to the picture above to keep track of which mark is which along the top edge of the hat pieces.

For the right side of the hat (as if you are wearing it) fold the fabric so that mark A1 is directly on top of A2 and B1 is directly on top of B2 as pictured here and pin.

For the left side of the hat (as if you are wearing it) fold the fabric so that mark A2 is directly on top of A1 and B2 is directly on top of B1 and pin.

Sew the fold down with a 1/4-inch seam allowance on both pieces. This fold will be where you place the ears later. If you find your fabric shifting around because of the thickness of the layers of wool, you can use your machine’s walking foot.

Once you have sewn down the folds on both hat pieces pin them right sides together along the back of the hat. When the pieces are pinned together right sides together be sure that the folded edges are facing the front of the hat from inside, and the back of the hat from the outside as pictured in the image above.

Sew the two halves together with a 3/8-inch seam allowance.

Repeat all the above steps to sew together the lining, but use a 1/4-inch seam allowance for the final seam instead of the 3/8-inch allowence used with the wool. Once it’s sewn together press a 1/2-inch fold from the bottom edge to the wrong side of the lining as shown above.

With right sides together slide the lining into the wool piece as shown above.

Pin the two pieces together along the front edge. Notice that the bottom of the lining doesn’t reach the bottom of the wool because of the fold in the lining, don’t worry! you’ll be dealing with this later.

Sew the two pieces together with a 3/8-inch seam allowance. Turn the hat right side out though the open bottom.

Make Ears

Place the inner ear on the outer ear being sure to line up the bottom edges and pin into place.

Sew the inner ears to the outer ears with a 1/4-inch seam allowance using the thread that matches the ear color as the top thread and the off white for your bobbin.

If you are using the O-Wool for Fabric A you might want to topstich 1/8-inch around the long outside edges of the outer ear to discourage fraying.

Attach Ears to Hat

Fold the inner edge of the inside of an ear.

Thread your needle with the embroidery thread and set aside. With the hat turned right-side out, place your non-dominant hand between the lining and the wool. Place the folded ear inside one of the top folds of the wool, being sure that the colored inner ear is facing towards the front of the hat and grasp it from the inside. With your dominant hand and the threaded embroidery needle, back stitch the ear into place. Make sure to sew through all the layers of the wool. Repeat for the other ear.

Finish Hat

Push the lining back into the hat (you can tack it down in a few places if you like) and flatten the bottom unfinished side as shown above.

Fold the bottom edge of the wool to the inside to line up with the folded edge of the muslin (about 1/2-inch).

Cut two 18-inch lengths of your trim.

Place your trim into the two corners (wrong side up) and pin across the bottom of the hat.

Using the embroidery thread handsew the bottom seam closed (or if you’re pressed for time you can top stitch it closed on your machine using a 1/8-inch seam allowance).

Paw Mittens

These are so easy and they really complete the bunny look!

Sew on Paw Prints

Gather your mitten pieces. You should have:

• 4 Mitten pieces in Fabric A
• 2 sets of Paw pieces in Fabric B (each paw contains 4 pieces)

Place the paw pieces onto the palm side of both the left and right mittens with the right side of the fabric facing you. Arrange them on each mitten as in the picture above. You may pin down the large paw piece, but the smaller pieces aren’t big enough to pin. One piece at a time, topstitch each piece on with an 1/8-inch seam allowance. (Make sure you thread your sewing machine needle with coral thread and the bobbin with white thread.) For the smaller pieces of the paw, I found it easiest to sew a few stitches, stop with the needle down, lift the foot and turn the fabric, sew a few more stitches, lift the foot, turn the fabric, and so on.

Sew Mittens

With the right sides of the fabric together (paw pieces should be on the inside too) sew with a 1/8-inch seam allowance around the sides and top of the mitten, leaving the bottom open. Make sure to sew a deep “V” seam between the thumb and index finger so that the thumb piece is long enough. Back stitch at the beginning and end of your seam for reinforcement. Trim off the excess wool between the thumb and index finger so your bunny is comfortable when wearing these.

If you are using the O-Wool for Fabric A you might want to top stitch 1/8-inch from the raw edge of the mitten cuff to prevent fraying.

Turn the mittens inside out and Voila! To slip the mittens on, have your child put their hands in the same position they would to slide a bangle onto their wrists. The mitten fits snuggly around their wrists once it is all the way on so you won’t have to worry about them falling off.

All Done!

Now go hop around and trick or treat!

Update 2024: You can explore our current collection of beautiful fabrics and supplies on our page of Sewing Tools + Notions!