How to Make a Beret

Last Updated: March 29, 2022 Tested

The beret is a style of hat that has been around for hundreds of years but is still stylish to wear today.^{[1]
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Research source} This type of hat, with its unique round, flat shape, was traditionally worn by shepherds in the Basque region of France, but berets have become more synonymous with French sophistication and style than with rural peasants.^{[2]
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Research source} Authentic berets made in France can cost a pretty penny these days. Luckily, you can make your own with just a few tools and supplies.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Making a Simple Felt Beret

1
Choose a fabric to make your beret with. Berets are traditionally made out of wool felt but any thick felt should work for this project.^{[3]
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Research source} You will not need more than a half a yard of felt for this project.
- Remember that the felt is going to be resting against your forehead, so make sure it's not itchy or otherwise uncomfortable directly on the skin.
2
Measure around your head with a tailor's measuring tape. This will determine the diameter of the opening in the beret and should give you the perfect custom fit.
- If you don't own a tailor's measuring tape, which is simply a measuring tape that is really flexible, try to find a regular measuring tape or ruler that can be easily wrapped around your head. This should give you a good measurement for the band of your beret.
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3
Make a pattern. Use pattern making paper or any thin paper you have at home. Your beret will be made of three pieces: the band, the top of the hat, and the underside of the hat. Remember that each piece will have to have a bit of seam allowance added to it, the fabric that gets wasted when you sew a seam, so that it will end up the right size.
- Make a pattern piece for the band. The band will be a long, skinny rectangular shape with tabs sticking out along one of the long sides. For the length, add ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) seam allowance to diameter of your head. Make the width 1 ¹⁄₂ inches (3.8 cm) wide. Once you cut out the basic rectangle this size, you will also need to cut out little "v" shapes along one of the long sides every 1 inch (2.5 cm). Each "v" will need to be ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) deep, at its deepest point.
- Make a pattern piece for the top of the beret. This will just be a large circle. Decide how wide you would like your beret to be, around 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter is probably good, and draw a circle that diameter on your pattern paper. You can do this with a homemade compass, consisting of a pencil tied to a string, or you can find a round item you can trace that is approximately the right size. A record would work well for this.
- Make a pattern for the underside of the beret. This will consist of two circles. The larger circle will be the same diameter as the circle of the top piece. The second circle will be located in the center of the first circle and it will have the same circumference as your head.
- Cut your pattern pieces out once you've drawn them.
4
Pin your pattern pieces to the material. Position them so that they all fit on the piece of fabric you have. Use enough pins so that the pattern will be securely attached to the fabric while you cut around each pattern piece.
- Next cut out all the pieces, making sure to follow the edge of the patterns carefully.
5
Pin your fabric pieces together. You will need to pin all the pieces inside out, so that the seams will be on the inside of the finished project.
- On some materials, such as felt, this might not matter, as both sides of the fabric are identical.
- Pinning the band to the underside of the beret will be the most difficult part of pinning. You want to fold each tab over so that it is 90 degrees away from the rest of the band, then set the underside piece so that it is sitting on top of the tabs. Pin the tabs on the band to the edge of the opening on the underside piece. Once the beret is turned right side out, the tabs will not be visible and the band and the underside will be able to sit at 90 degrees from each other.
6
Start sewing your beret together. Set your sewing machine up to the best setting it has for sewing felt or other heavy duty fabrics. If you don't think your machine will work well, you can always sew your beret by hand.
- Sew the seam to close the band first. This will make your band into a full loop. You added ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) seam allowance to the end of the band, so make sure that you sew the band so that there are ¹⁄₄ inch (0.6 cm) seams on each end.
- Next connect the band to the underside of the beret by sewing around the inner circle of the underside piece, as close as possible to the edge. The small tabs you made on the band will get sewn to the underside piece, connecting the two pieces together.
- Finally, sew the underside piece to the top piece, making sure that all your pieces are still inside out.
7
Flip your beret right-side out. Flatten the seam between the top and underside of the beret with an iron set to the setting for the fabric you used. The seam between the underside and the band should be at a right angle, not flat, so simply manipulate it with your fingers until it is in place.
8
Add any decoration or accessories you would like. Many berets have a small stem that comes out of the center of the top, made out of the same felt as the beret is made of. You could add a little additional embellishment of your own by attaching a small pom pom or tassel in the center of the top.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Making a Paper Beret for a Child

1
Purchase sheets of crepe paper at your local art supply or craft supply store. Pick out a mix of colorful paper.
- The crepe paper should be relatively thick, so don't just buy tissue paper instead. While tissue paper may be easier to find, it's not strong enough for this project.
2
Draw a perfectly round circle on the crepe paper. Make sure you have several pieces of crepe paper piled on top of each other, as you will need to have several circles the same size. This is easiest to do by layering several pieces on top of each other and drawing the circle once, imprinting the circle onto the lower layers with the pressure of the pencil.
- To make a compass simply gather a thumbtack, a piece of string that is at least 10 inches (25.4 cm) long, and the pencil you are using to draw the circle. Tie the string to the middle of the pencil. Measure the string off the pencil 6 inches (15.2 cm) and hold that spot. Then attach the other end of the string to the thumbtack right at the 6 inch (15.2 cm) mark. Place the thumbtack in the approximate middle of the crepe paper you are using and stretch out the string until it is taut. Begin drawing the circle with the pencil, keeping the string taut and the thumbtack securely placed in the middle of the paper.
- There are other ways to draw a circle, such as tracing something the right size. For this project, you can simply trace a record, as it's 12 inches (30.5 cm) in diameter. Be careful not to damage the record while you are using it, especially if it's an album you love.
3
Cut the circle out of the crepe paper. You can either hold the layers of paper together and cut once, or you can separate them and cut each out individually. The choice is yours. Just be sure to make the circle really round. This will help to make your paper beret really look like a beret.
4
Take one circle of crepe paper and draw a smaller circle in the middle of it. The circumference of this circle should be the same as the head of the person you are making the beret for. Be sure to center the smaller circle correctly, so that the hole will be placed accurately.
- Once drawn, cut out the inner circle. You will not be using the inner part of the circle at all, only the outside, so you can damage the inside but don't damage the outside while cutting.
5
Attach the outer circle you made in the previous step to one of the other whole circles you cut out. You can do this in a variety of ways.
- Try gluing the two layers together. You can use simple school glue for this method.
- Sew the two layers of paper together with a needle and thread or with your sewing machine. You will need to be very careful, so that the paper doesn't rip, but the thread makes a nice decorative element.
- You could also put double-stick tape between the two layers, being careful to keep it as near to the edge as possible.
6
Decorate your beret. While traditional berets did not have a lot of color or sparkle, who says that your cool paper beret can't? Make the beret your own with a signature design.
- Add a little sparkle to your beret with a glitter glue design or a few colorful stickers!
- Try making a bunch of paper berets for a French themed party for kids. The kids could decorate the berets themselves and then wear them for the rest of the day.
7
Put on your paper beret. While it may not last forever, this fun crafted beret can really make a colorful statement on your head.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Knitting a Beret

1
Purchase a pattern. There are a wide variety of beret patterns available at your local yarn shop. Pick one that has an interesting design but that also matches your knitting skill level.
2
Purchase yarn and needles, if you don't already have them. Choose a yarn that matches the requirements of the pattern you chose. Usually, a pattern will specify the weight of the yarn to use, so that the beret you make will end up the right size.
- The pattern will also specify the size needles you should use. The size of the needle you use will also have a big impact on whether or not you finished project matches the size the pattern was supposed to make.
- In many cases you will also want to use circular knitting needles for knitting a beret, as the length of the swatch you are knitting is relatively long.
- Pick out a yarn that will feel nice in contact with your skin. For instance, while heavy wool yarn will keep your head nice and warm, it may be itching where in contact with your forehead. Balance your need for warmth and an attractive look with a yarn that will be comfortable to wear.
3
Knit your beret. You may need to refresh your knitting skills a bit before beginning. If this is the case, consider knitting a sample swatch that practices your skills before starting your actual project. This way you can get used to the yarn and the stitches you will need to use in the project.
- The basic design of most berets requires that you begin by knitting a number of stitches onto your needles that will equal the circumference of your head. That's usually going to be about 60 stitches to start.^{[4]
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- Once you have knitted a few rows of that same length, which will eventually become the band of the beret, you will begin to increase your stitches at regular intervals, making the length of your knitted piece longer and longer.
- Once you get to the midpoint of your beret, where the flat flare is at its widest, you will begin to reduce your stitches. This will create that signature flat look of the beret.
- Finishing the beret requires you to reduce your stitches until you are down to around a dozen. Then you will tie all the stitches together at the top.
- To create the finished shape of the beret you will then work your way down the side of the beret, sewing the two ends of the swatch you have made together. This will form your work into its final round shape.
4
Make sure the beret fits you and then wear it out! Your knitted beret is finished and it will keep your head nice and toasty warm.