How to Make a Santa Hat {Free Santa Hat Pattern PDF}

Ho ho ho, it’s the time of the year to be jolly. There is nothing quite as festive as everyone wearing a Santa hat at the Christmas lunch table or around the Christmas tree. This tutorial will show you how to make a Santa hat fit for Father Christmas himself or for his busy elves. It includes a printable free Santa hat pattern that even beginners can sew.

How to Make a Santa Hat Tutorial (Christmas Hat)

Making Santa hats is a fun activity for beginner sewers. Here are the supplies you will need for your DIY Santa hat.

Supplies for Making a Santa Hat

• Red Fabric - You have a choice of fabrics and can use faux fur, fleece, Minky, felt, velvet or velour. Velour gives a bright shiny texture, felt is the easiest to sew, and for Santa, of course, the color must be red.
• White Fabric - The cuff is white felt or faux fur. Faux fur with a shorter pile is much easier to sew.
• Sewing Supplies - In addition to your fabric, you need good quality fabric scissors, pins, a thicker machine needle to sew thicker fabrics, and a hand sewing needle. 
• Threads - You will use polyester sewing thread in red and white.
• For the Pom Pom - White faux fur and some stuffing for the pompom. Alternatively, buy a large white pom pom or make one yourself.
• Foot - A walking foot is recommended but not compulsory. It can make the sewing of faux fur and velour much easier. A Teflon foot will also help if you don't have a walking foot.

BEGINNERS - If you are a beginner sewer, then make your easy Santa hat sewing pattern from felt or fleece. These fabrics are easy to sew and don't fray at the edges, so seam finishing is not needed. Once you have confidence, you can make a Santa hat from faux fur.

Free Santa Hat Pattern Sizes

Here are the three sizes for this downloadable Santa hat pattern: S, M, L

• Small - head circumference 20" (kids age 4-8) (51cm)
• Medium - head circumference 22" (small adult) (56cm)
• Large - head circumference 23" (large adult) (58.5cm)

You could make a mini Santa hat pattern by reducing the pattern on a photocopier.

Free Santa Hat Pattern - Printable Santa Hat Template

Download the free printable pattern in three sizes, and you are ready to start making your Santa hat. The pattern will open as a PDF in a new window. If you are new to printing PDF sewing patterns, read the linked article. The most important thing to remember is to check your scale is correct. There is a test square on the paper.

Tape the pages you have printed in the following grid formation. You will trim the edges of the paper.

Cutting Measurements for Cuff

Since the white faux fur cuff is just a rectangle, I'll just give you cutting instructions:

• S - Cut rectangle 22.5 x 4" (57x10cm)
• M - Cut rectangle 24.5 x 5" (62x12.5cm)
• L - Cut rectangle 26.5 x 5" (67.5x12.5cm)

For those of you that use metric measurements, try to cut in inches if you can as there are slight rounding variations in the centimeter measurements. You can read more about conversions for sewing.

How to Make a Santa Hat Step by Step

Here is a visual of the steps to making a Santa hat. Keep reading below for all the detailed instructions on how to sew a Santa hat.

Preparation and Cutting

Cut out the hat pattern and cut 2 pieces of the main hat in red and one piece of the cuff in white.

Lay out your fabric and fold over the edges with right sides facing. Check to see if the fabric has a nap. The nap is the direction of the fibers of the fabric.  Make sure the nap lies downwards. 

Step 1 - Stitch Hat Sides

1. Cut and pin and stitch the side seams of the hat with a ⅜ inch (1cm) seam allowance. 
2. Zig zag or serger the edges to neaten the seam. If you are using thick faux fur or fabric with a pile, I wouldn't use a serger to finish the seam. It tends to be too thick and makes an awful mess.
3. Clip the corner and curves but don't turn the hat to the right side yet.
4. For most of the types of fabric that you will use for the Santa hat, you won't be able to iron the seams open. Finger press if you can. If you do want to iron it, use a cool iron and put a pressing cloth in between so the iron doesn't directly touch the fabric.

TIPS - Put the walking foot onto your machine if you have one, and insert the stronger sewing needle. This will help you sew through thick fabrics, and the walking foot helps to keep slippery fabrics firm. 

Step 2 - How to Make a Santa Hat Cuff

1. Lay out the white fabric or faux fur and once again check the nap. The fur nap should face down and follow the rectangle portion of the pattern. 
2. Fold it in half as shown with the right sides together.

Step 3 - Stitch the Cuff Side and Hem

1. Sew the side seam together with a 1cm or ⅜” seam. 
2. Finish the seam with either a wide zig-zag stitch or serger. Once again be careful if you are using a serger on faux fur or thick fabric.
3. With the cuff still the wrong way out, turn up the bottom hem by ¾" (2cm) and stitch. Make sure the nap or pile is going down.

Step 4 - Stitch the Cuff to the Hat

1. Put both the hat and cuff the wrong way out.
2. Place the cuff over the hat matching the raw edges and side seam. Finger press the seams open to avoid bulk.
3. Stitch around the edge with a ⅜ inch (1cm) seam allowance. A free arm on your sewing machine can make this much easier.
4. Finish the seam using your previous method.

Step 6 - Turn and Fold

1. Turn the hat the right way out.
2. Fold up the cuff. The seam will now be hidden in the fold.

How to Make a Santa Hat Without Sewing

You can make a Santa hat without sewing by using fabric glue for the seams. If you don't have a sewing machine, another easy method is to use a simple up and down running stitch for the side seams.

Decoration Ideas for your DIY Santa Hat

Now you have completed the basic Santa hat, it is time for some Santa hat ideas for decorating. The pompom on the top is the finishing touch. You could make a normal pompom out of white wool, or you could take a circle of the faux fur and cut and sew a faux fur pompom to match the brim of your Christmas Santa hat. 

How to Make a Santa Hat with A Faux Fur Pom Pom

1. Trace a circle pompom piece with 8 inches diameter onto the wrong side of the white material. 
2. Cut the circle out very slowly.  Take tiny snips around the circle with the blade of the scissors snipping under the fur. You want the fur to hang over the edge to make it look fluffy. But to reduce some of the bulk on the edges.
3. Thread a hand sewing needle in white cotton. Use your needle to sew small running stitches in and out around the faux fur circle. Leave a small knotted thread out at the beginning. 
4. Gently pull on the tail thread and gather up the circle. Put some stuffing into the gathering circle. 
5. Pull the threads gently until the circle of stitches closes the gap of the faux fur pompom. Stitch the gathered opening closed.
6. Finally, stitch the faux pompom into the tip of the hat. Use your hand sewing needle and white thread to stitch through the top of the pompom and into the top of the hat. Stitch several times to be sure the pompom is firmly in place.

How to Make a Santa Hat with a Yarn Pom Pom

There are several ways to make a pom-pom, including using cardboard or a pom-pom maker. But below is by far the fastest and easiest method.

How to make a Santa hat yarn pom pom:

1. Wrap the yarn around your hand until it is nice and thick. The trick is that you need to wrap it really loosely so you can remove it all in one piece without disturbing the loops.
2. Remove the yarn from your hand. Wrap and tie a piece of long yarn around the center.
3. Trim all the loose folded ends and trim it into shape. Use the long yarn to attach it to your DIY Santa hat.

How to Make a Santa Hat - In Conclusion

Merry Christmas,  you have finished learning how to make a Santa hat. Take a big bow and accept applause from Santa himself! This hat will stand you in good stead for this and many other Christmas occasions. If you enjoyed making this Santa hat sewing pattern, you can make different color hats using the same shape for other family members who may want to feel like Santa’s little helpers in their Christmas hats.