Fleece Neck Warmer

I've seen these all over but some of the sizes have been really odd. So hopefully here's a version that won't have anyone swearing up a storm and ripping out a lot of seams.

If you're making this for yourself or a loved one, the best option is to measure around your/their head. Not around the top like a hatband, but around your face. Remember you need to pull this over your nose and ears. If it's a surprise or donation, I'd suggest looking up the average hat size for intended age group and adding 2".

I'm 5'10, and I use fleece 19 1/2" tall by 26" long to make a neck warmer high enough and loose enough to be able to bury my nose in it. If I'm not planning to tuck my nose down, I use fleece 18" tall by 25" long so it's still loose enough to comfortably pull over my head and cover my chin. Experiment and see what works best for you.

at least 1/2 yard fleece with some stretch to it (more if you want to make one taller than 8 1/2" final height)

sewing machine/coordinating thread

pins

sewing scissors

ruler

tape measure

(rotary cutter and mat is optional but super useful)

The example is going to be a teen one to go with the kitty ear beanie, so I'm going with 18" x 24". The smaller dimension is twice the height minus the seam allowance. So the final neck warmer will end up being about 8 1'2" tall. The longer dimension will be the circumference of the neck warmer, also minus seam allowance. So this will be about 23" in circumference.

Gently pull the fleece in both directions. There's more stretch in one direction. Cut in that direction so that the length will be stretchy, since that's where it's needed to be more comfortable to pull over the head.

Pin along the entirety of the length, in this case, 24"

Sew it with a zigzag stitch. This will let the fleece stretch without tearing the stitches. (A straight stitch can't stretch.) Use a 3/8" seam, measuring from the far side of the zigzag width to the edge of the fabric. The stitch I'm using here is 8 stitches per inch with a listed width of 4. Back stitch at both beginning and end.

The goal is to sew this so you have a tube of warm soft fabric forming a tube you can pull over your head. This part looks a little strange.

Meet the two raw edges of the long tube by carefully pulling one side into the other.

I stuck my hand in the left side to grab the right side and pull it until the right edge lined up with the left. Flatten the seams and pin them together first to keep the tube from twisting. Then continue pining the edges together. Leave a 3" gap just after the seam to turn it inside out. I usually mark turning places with red pins as a reminder to stop.

Also sew this with a zigzag stitch and a 3/8" seam. Back stitch at the beginning and end.

Turn it right side out. Carefully start pulling the fleece through the hole in the seam you left, then smooth it down.

Pin the 3" gap. Be careful not to catch the far side of the fabric. You just want to sew the two sides of the gap together. Close with a straight stitch about 1/8" from the edge. Leave the tails long for tying knots.

Knot the ends and use a needle to tuck the ends back into the seam.

Since the whole thing is a tube, gently rotate it until the long seam and final closing seam are hidden inside.

Bundle up and prepare to brave the cold!

(The penguin make a better model than me even though he doesn't have a neck...)