How to sew a Clifford hat – easy beginner project!

I used to love Clifford the Big Red Dog when I was little, but nothing else comes close to Sofia’s passion for the miniscule runt of a litter of puppies which grew to the size of a house, thanks to his owner’s love. He was born in the 60s in the books by Normal Bridwell and in 2000 also became a PBS cartoon series. I don’t know any American kid who doesn’t adore Clifford.

Sofia needed a new winter hat to match her red jacket, scarf and mittens, so I decided to sew a Clifford hat for her.

Ok, I admit, it looks a bit more like Clifford the Big Red Rabbit, but Sofia recognized Clifford right away when she opened it up on Christmas and this was the first hat I’d ever made, so I’m pretty satisfied with it. And it’s gotten loads of compliments no matter what animal people think it is.

Would you like to sew a Clifford hat, too? Then grab some red fleece and a few black and white scraps, and let’s get to work!

Making the hat

This hat fits most children from ages 3-4. To make it bigger or smaller, just make some adjustments to the height and width. I used fleece so I wouldn’t have to worry about sewing the edges under, as it will not fray like cotton.

First, cut a rectangle of red fleece about 20 x 52 cm and fold it in half. Then cut the top into triangles as seen above, leaving about 16 cm intact along the two sides. With the fabric still folded right sides facing, sew along side #1 and also on the two sides #2.

Next, cut out four ear shaped pieces, two for each ear. I sewed my pieces together, wrong sides facing, and trimmed the edges, however I highly suggest that you cut them with some extra seam allowance and sew them right sides facing, leaving the flat base of the ear unsewn. Then flip the ears right side out through that opening. Depending on how puffy the ears are, you can choose whether or not to topstitch around the ears.

Arrange the hat so that the folded part is at the front and sewn seam at the back, pinch the sides #3 together, and stick one ear in on each side from the inside of the hat so the bottom edge is sticking out the top of sides #3. Pin and sew across the whole top.

Trim the edges, hem the bottom, and turn inside out. Voilà– a hat with ears!

Adding the details

Cut out eyes from scraps of fleece. Cut two elongated white ovals and two black circles, and just sew them on to the hat front.

For the nose, take a square or rectangle of red fleece, fold in half and sew in a semi-circle shape. Trim the edges and turn right side out, as shown above.

Sew a smaller black circle on the tip, stuff the semi-circle with small scrap pieces of fleece and hand-stitch to the hat, turning the bottom edges inwards as you go.

And that’s it! This type of hat is a really quick and easy project and is easily adaptable to other types of animals, or else you could put a bunch of cut strips of fleece sticking out the top, or so many other things.

(Also, please keep in mind that this was one of my very first garment sewing projects! Now, years later that I am updating this post, I create much more precise patterns! )

If you or your kids love Clifford, why not make some super easy stuffed dog bones for your little dog lover?!

**This post was updated on 09/03/2017**

Salva