Noggin Nanimals Hats

Critters of real and make-believe lands are all part of the fun of growing up, and there's no more fun way to celebrate them than to BE them when you can. With these easy Noggin Nanimal face designs, you can create fun and funky hats for little (and big!) imaginations. This tutorial will show you how to easily assemble the hat to create your new critters.

While we're talking about faces, let's also talk about the different sizes and formats this design comes in. No matter your hoop size or preference, you can make a hat to suit your needs!

There are two sizes of the faces -- the smaller size is good for newborns, and the larger size best suits toddlers and slightly older kids. As you can see, both are super cute!

For those with 4"x4" hoops who wish to make a larger size face (like the kid/toddler version above), there's another option -- split versions for each face available that can be assembled together to make a whole. For some pointers on stitching and placing multi-piece designs, check out this tutorial.

These split versions also afford the opportunity to do some customization of the face. For example, you can space the eyes closer together or farther apart than the standard set design to make your face exactly the way you like it.

So let's start making hats...

Spray a piece of cutaway stabilizer with temporary spray adhesive, smooth it onto the back of your fabric, hoop both layers taut together, and embroider your critter face! These are raw edge applique designs -- refer to this tutorial for basics on stitching raw edge applique.

You're going to want to remove as much of the stabilizer from the back of your stitched design as possible. Do this carefully, pulling it away from your design as you cut, so you don't accidentally snip your fabric.

Next you're going to want to place your template. Download the PDF from the link above of the hat templates, and print out the template you'll be using. Each Nanimal has its own template. When placing it, keep in mind that generally you want your animal face higher up on the hat shape, so we have room to roll up the bottom edge. There's a rough guideline printed on each template for the placement of the face.

Where you cut on your template is also important. Cutting right on the printed dieline will make a hat suitable for infants and very young toddlers with smaller noggins.

If you're looking to make a hat for a mid-sized toddler (or an infant with a larger head), it's a good idea to add a half inch to the edge of your template, like so.

Hats for young kids will need at least an extra inch.

Once you have your front piece ready, cut a matching piece out of the same fabric for the back of the hat. Make sure you're following the same dieline sizing for each piece.

Next come the appendages. For all Nanimals, these are simply made by placing the template over a folded piece of fabric, so you can cut two pieces at once.

Again, the size your cut depends on your chosen hat size. If you used the printed template edge before, do so again now. If you added extra around the edge, you'll also want to do that with each appendage.

Here are two of my kitty ears with the two sides stacked on each, ready to be sewn together.

If you want to give the ears a bit more stability, you can cut a piece of felt the same shape as each ear, and add it to the top of the stack. (That way it'll be inside after you stitch and turn.)