Dangly Heart Hat from a Sweater

While browsing Pinterest, I saw a knitted hat with a dangly heart and fell in love with it.  After wearing my thinking cap for a while, I came up with a way to make my own version using a sweater.  I hope you'll give this a try.  All you need is a sweater, a sewing machine and a scrap of fabric or fleece in a coordinating color, plus a small piece of ribbon or cord.

Choose a sweater made of cotton or acrylic.  These sweaters will not unravel easily and you can cut and sew them much like fabric.  One of the sweaters I chose was an almost new Tommy Hilfiger in a fun primary color stripe.
 
I cut the front along the side seams and about 12 inches up creating a square with a finished edge from the bottom of the sweater.

I folded the square in half and rounded the top.  You may need to adjust the width to the circumference of your child's head.  My sweater was 14 inches wide which is perfect for a baby.

From a piece of fleece I cut two heart shapes and sewed them together, inserting a cord at the top  (coil the end inside the heart while you sew).  Leave one side open about one inch for turning.  Snip the heart shape at the V of the heart before turning so that it doesn't bunch.  After turning, stuff with a small amount of fiberfill or even cotton balls.  Hand sew the opening.

Place the heart inside the folded hat piece, placing the other end of the cord at the top of the hat.  You will sew it in place while you sew the hat.  Sew up one side and across the top.  ZigZag the edges.
Turn the hat and tack the seam flat near the open edge.  Tah dah!  Dangly heart hat!

Below are photos of the finished hat plus another hat I made using the same technique.  On the second hat I added a button to the heart and used ribbon instead of cord.