Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Bonnet Tutorial

We're in the middle of the Prairie Primer for school this year. If you've never heard of it, it's a unit study-type curriculum based on all of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Well, my girls have been aching for their own bonnets. My search for some sort of free pattern online was mostly fruitless, and so I got the crazy idea that if I figured out how to make them on my own I could do a tutorial. So, you're all my guinea pigs. Let me know if I missed anything, if anything's unclear, or just what you think...



Step One:
Cut out one crown piece (7"x14" rounded, with long side on the fold), two brim pieces (3.5"x9" rounded, with short side on fold), and two brim pieces of interfacing cut the same as the brim pieces (med weight works fine). Note: The photo of interfacing shows them unfolded.





















Step Two:
Iron your interfacing to your brim pieces


Step Three:
Stich brim, right sides together, leaving long straight edge open. Clip the corners, then turn brim right side out and iron 1/4" to 1/2" hem to the inside of the long open edge. This will to be to sandwich the gathered crown edge in before topstitching later. Note: It's a bit stiff at this point so you may have to pin the ironed hem while it cools to hold it in place.



Step Four:
Unfold crown and stich hem on the bottom (neck hem). If you want to put a neck piece on to shade the neck, do that instead.

Step Five:
Baste the unhemmed edges of crown. Your basting should go from one end of the neck hem up and around the curve and back down to the other end of the neck hem. Pull basting so that the circumference of the crown equals the length of the brim. The photo shows how to check that measurement with both items folded in half.


Step Six:

Once you've got your basting pulled to the correct length, tie off the ends (I use slipknots) so it doesn't scoot. Note: In this photo you can see the finished neck hem from Step Four.


Step Seven:

Pin brim to crown, sandwiching the gathered crown edge between your ironed brim hem. You will use lots of pins to hold it in place. It should look something like this when you're done...


Step Eight:

Sew along the brim where it meets the crown. Not too close or you'll lose the brim piece underneath in places. I stitch from the top because that's the part you'll see when you're done.



Step Nine:

Add strings for tying. These can be fabric, ribbon, or whatever works for you. I handstitched some grosgrain ribbon on this one because it's faster than the machine work. It turned out like this:


Plus, I don't know if you can see it in that photo, but I added some elastic in the back of the neck so it wasn't so gappy, like this:

Well, that's it. How did I do? Did I miss anything or explain something poorly? It sure was easy to make, and now my other daughter is clamoring for her own, so I should go start on that one.

82 comments:

***Sharon*** said...

Adorable! I just got done making a bonnet via a pattern that I PAID for and the instructions were horrible. Wish I would've found your tutorial first! :)

***Sharon*** said...

Sara - you've probably had a few more hits to your blog in the last day or so....I posted a link to your tutorial on my blog! :) My bonnets turned out cute but next time I'm trying out yours!

Tonya said...

Thanks for the pattern. I searched several months ago for a free tutorial and never found anything suitable. These are perfect.

Leslie said...

i found your pattern a month or so ago and i knew right away that this was the most manageable one i had found! I made one this afternoon for my daughter and we love it. Thanks for the direction

JenW!~ said...

Thanks for posting this. i was looking for a bonnet turtorial and just came across yours.

Hcurly said...

THANK YOU!!! I love your tutorial! It's pioneer day this Friday and I was searching frantically for a bonnet pattern that made sense when I came across yours. I love it! Thanks again!

Kara said...

You have just saved the day! We went to an event recently where everybody was dressed in period clothing, and my daughter loved the bonnets. So she had to have one for Halloween- which is just around the corner! Now I don't have to search the fabric store for a pattern. Thank you!

LadyJ said...

Thank you. We are doing the Prairie Primer this year and I really wasn't wanting to come up with a bonnet pattern all on my own. :) This is perfect.

marnae said...

Thanks for the bonnet tutorial. My daughter is little bo peep for Halloween and this worked perfectly. Great instructions, easy to follow and so quick to make!

Faith said...

Thank you for the tutorial! I suddenly got the idea that my 3-year-old HAS to have some bonnets for her summer wardrobe, and was so happy to find this on your blog. You make it sound so simple! I'll be making a few of these next week. :)

Shannon said...

Thanks for the instructions! I made a bonnet for my 4 year old. (I increased the numbers and made one for my 8 year old too!)

Mimy Sant'Anna said...

Hi would you explain how to do this?
http://i48.tinypic.com/jhtptt.jpg

Sonja said...

Thanks so much for posting this tutorial! I've made 10 bonnets using your pattern. (We are getting ready for a youth pioneer trek)

I added a couple inches to both the main piece and the brim and it was perfect for adult-sized heads!

Thanks again!

Lana said...

Thank you for your detailed instructions with photos. I loved the simple design and enjoyed making up a few for myself and my daughters. Feel free to view mine at: have-a-plan.blogspot.com

PS - I posted a link from mine to yours!

Julie said...

Thank you for this tutorial. My daughter wants to be Mary Ingalls for Halloween this year so I really appreciate your help!

The Wooden Spool said...

Wonderful tutorial! I just had to THANK YOU so much! Saved me time and money, and energy running around looking for bonnet patterns. Mine turned out fantastic! Excellent tutorial!

THANK YOU!
Laurie~

Unknown said...

This Bonnet is AWESOME!!!
I was making it and it sewed it by hand because I have no sewing machine. But I didn't think about it being for children...So its way too small for me...:/
But it looks pretty cute and today i got new fabric, i'll just make everything a bit bigger, it'll work! <3
Thanks SO much for this Super cool tutorial :)

Mrsblocko said...

This was the best and easiest tutorial for a sun bonnet that I found on the internet. I searched and searched and some of them seemed quite confusing. Thank you so much for sharing it!

If you want to see the bonnet I made you can check it out here.

a to z library said...

Thanks for the tutorial. I just brought home the Little House shows from the library...now we must have a bonnet. Heading to the fabric store:)

Cindy said...

Will be making this soon as I picked up some fabric to make halloween costumes. Thanks for the tutorial.

bloggymommy said...

how much material do you need altogether?

Sara said...

For those who are wondering how much fabric?? Believe it or not, I think I squeezed this child sized bonnet out of one fat quarter (not including the strip of interfacing for the brim, obviously).

bloggymommy said...

Thanks! Working on two for my daughters as we speak!

Ms. Plieth said...

I am making a costume for a small little girl for a christmas carol. thank you so much this will help her to look more authentic. she gets to say "a goose, a goose" and has been practicing often. she is my grand niece. thank you so much again.

Ms. Plieth said...

thank you. I am making a costume for the duaghter of a friend (my adoped grand niece if you will who is in a christmas carol. this will make her more authentic. thanks very much.

Carrie said...

Thank you so much. I just made one for my daughters little boo peep Halloween costume. Don't think I could have done it without your help.

Andrea said...

I made this yesterday with your post. Exactly what I was looking for and very easy to follow. Thank you so much. I have looked all over for a good post to make a bonnet!

catlady said...

How would i add the neck piece and how large is it for the childs bonnet?

Sara said...

Catlady... to add a neck piece I would probably just add a gathered strip of fabric to the bottom before I put the elastic at the neck. As for size, my daughter in the picture is about 5, but I made one for my older daughter with the same pattern and it fit her fine. Both my girls continue to wear them still, and they are now 12 and 8. It seems to be a very "uni-sized" bonnet. Happy sewing!!

hqlane said...

My daughter and I made one of these for her Halloween costume (Laura Ingalls Wilder). Even as a VERY basic sew-er (can't even use the word seamstress in connection with my name!), this project was very easy. I even made a mini one as a test to make sure I got all the steps before we embarked on the bigger one. Big and small came out GREAT! Excellent directions! Thanks for sharing them!

Satomi Samson said...

Thank you so much for this tutorial! I've been looking around the internet for free bonnet patterns, and this is one of the best I have foound so far! Almost all of the others have been how to change already existing straw hats into bonnets....not what I was looking for.

Bryan Wang said...

Thank you so so much - my 8 year old is Laura Ingalls in a class play this week and I whipped this bonnet up this afternoon!

stephf said...

Perfect! I whipped up two today for my Little House fans. I'm not much of a seamstress, but they turned out adoarable. Thanks!

bettyjeann said...

Hi, You could not have done a better job...better than "youtube" tutorials. I saw the following note on your blog and was curious. Did you know what this item is in the picture? I think it's pretty, but I'm not even sure what it is. Call me crazy! LOL Would like to make one if you have any more info on it. Thank's for everything. Betty


☆Mimy☆ said...
Hi would you explain how to do this?
http://i48.tinypic.com/jhtptt.jpg
June 28, 2010 1:03 PM

Sara said...

Thanks for your comment Bettyjean. As for Mimi's post...it looks to me like it's a backless bonnet. Kind of like a visor vs. a hat. I would try making the brim piece then adding ruffles to the back side where the head piece would be and maybe some embellishments on the top of the brim? Be sure to post your own tutorial when you figure it out!! :)

Annette Whipple said...

Thanks! I've been searching for a somewhat easy tutorial, and I think yours is the simplest for me. Thanks!

Ginger said...

Just made this. Wondering if you'd consider linking to some instruction for basting. I hadn't done it in forever so found a youtube video that helped.
Also, how did the elastic magically appear on the finished crown? ;) Got it all done and then saw the pic of the elastic and realized what I needed to make the shape right.

Melanie @ bear rabbit bear said...

Thanks for this tutorial. I used it to make a bonnet for my daughter's SunMaid Raisin Costume!

http://www.bearrabbitbear.com/2012/10/sunmaid-raisin-halloween-costume.html

vfg said...

Worked like a charm!
Made a double-sided version for my little chica.
Thank you!

Annette Whipple said...

Thank you for a simple tutorial! It was perfect for our Little House birthday party. You can see the whole outfit at http://www.thissimplehome.com/2012/10/pioneer-dress-apron-and-sunbonnet.html if you wish. Thank you!

Laura and Sarah's Mom said...

Howdy!! I'd love to send you a picture of my finished bonnet! I am so excited! Our daughter needed one for "Constitution Day" at her school this Wednesday. I went to my sewing room and in less than 2 hours, I whipped it up! And...Let me tell you, I'm NO seamstress! I'm so so pumped!! :) I was super nervous starting it since I didn't have an actual physical pattern. :)

Riana Everly said...

I have been searching for something like this for a few days now, ever since my daughter informed me she needed a bonnet for her Pioneers unit at school. All the other sites I found made no sense, and I am a somewhat-experienced sewer. This worked, and worked beautifully. Thank you.

Mike, The Papa said...

Thanks for taking the guess work out of making a bonnet. My granddaughters are going to be thrilled for Christmas! blessings.

Unknown said...

Thank you for this! Enjoyed making it and love the results.

Maurine Huffines said...

You did an excellent job. I have bought and made many bonnet patterns but yours is the Best !!!
Maurine

Ernie's Mum said...

Thankyou so much for this easy to follow tutorial. What a cute hat.

Leenu said...

Hi, this was so adorable I just had to make one myself. Here is the blog post I made about it http://ticklishfingers.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-summer-bonnet.html
Thank you so much for the great instructions :)

lil aries said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Thank you for the tutorial! I found it on pinterest and it seemed like the easiest of all the ones I looked through to follow the instructions for a beginner sewer like me. I made one this afternoon for my 20 month old... just made it a bit smaller. She wore it to the festival and everyone had to compliment it! Nice, easy to follow instructions!

Carrie, The Modern Housewife said...

We used your tutorial for our little house on the prairie party. super-duper thanks!!!

Carrie, The Modern Housewife said...

if interested, here's our results...http://lifewiththebrocks.blogspot.com/2013/07/prairie-bonnets.html

Blessed momma! said...

Thanks so much for the wonderful tutorial. I just made three of these in about 45 minutes, from cutting to finishing! I have about 5 more to make for our homeschool co-op class. I ended up serging instead of turning and hemming to attach the brim to the back. (i don't iron, ever) they came out absolutely wonderful! Thanks again!

Laurie said...

I lined my bonnet and added lace to the inside of the brim. Very easy instructions. THANKS for doing all the work!

Anonymous said...

What measurements would you use for a 2 yr. old girl?

Jill said...

*Note* This is sized for a very young girl. I made one according to the pattern given, and it is way too small for my 11-year-old. Fortunately, we've got enough fabric and we've got our process down now, so I'm going to do a repeat in a larger size tomorrow.

I'm going to add 2" to the length of the brim pattern, which will make the brim 4" longer overall (due to the fold) and I'm going to add at least 1" to the width of the brim pattern. I'm going add 2" in length to the cap part and at least another inch in width, which will give me 2" in width due to the fold. I'm thinking that will get us closer to an adult sized bonnet, which is probably what she needs.

Jill said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Pam said...

This is just precious! I have a new grand baby girl arriving in July and would love to make a lot of these pretty little bonnets for her.
Thank you for posting this. your tutorial looks easy to follow.
Pam
scrap-n-sewgranny.blogspot.com

Jess said...

Thanks! http://jesscarleton.blogspot.com/2015/06/prairie-girl.html

Rosie said...

What size does these measurements fit? I need for about a 1 to 2 year old size.

jaq02 said...

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I just made one of these to try it out. Two more to do. And aprons. And now if I can only figure out how to make a simple dress.

Unknown said...

Newbie here...so are the measurements for the folded pieces? Or unfolded? I'm trying to figure out how to scale this up to an adult size.

Unknown said...

Thank you so much! This bonnet turned out so beautifully. I felt intimidated by the instructions but I read them several times and as I did them one by one, they were very simple to understand. Thank you so much! My daughter can't wait for Halloween for her Laura Ingalls costume!

Kate said...

Hoping to make this for my grand daughter who is studying the origins of our state (Nebraska) this year in school. she is on her way over to be measured for a prairie costume. I was so intimidated by the bonnet, but I think I can do this!! she has 3 sisters, so I may be busy!
Thank ou for sharing.

Unknown said...

Worked out perfect! Thank you. The only change I made was instead of hemming the back of the crown, I sewed a channel for 1/4" elastic. I ran elastic the whole length of the back, although not too tight. It gathered it all up nice and tight in the back and and remedied the 'floppy' parts. Size was perfect for a 7 year old. Thanks again!

Unknown said...

Me salvaron el día!!!!! tengo mucha prisa por hacer un gorro asi

Unknown said...

Thanks for the very clear instruction, I made one for my daughter who had to sing in Victorian costume recently and it was a hit! The only alteration I made was adding 4 darts (6 cm long) along the back before hemming, to make it tuck in at the back and avoid the gaping problem. I also converted the measurements to metric, so in case anyone needs those: brim 23 x 9 cm, cap 36 x 18 cm (folded in both cases). That fit my 6-year-old perfectly, with some growth room.

Indiana Grandma said...

I found your pattern and will adapt it for my 2 year old granddaughter. This will be when she goes out to play and not get too much sun on her face. Thanks for posting the pattern and the instructions.

SheriStrydhorst said...

What a wonderful pattern and set of instructions. My daughter had Pioneer Day at school and needed a bonnet. Super easy! I did not have interfacing but used window screen instead. It worked great. Thanks!

whisperingsage said...

BEautiful! My mother made several of these for herself when she worked outside. She always like a sunbrim. And I hadn't cared for them myself until recently when the hospital cut my hair for unknown reasons, I hadn't cut it since I was 13. So I need something until it grows to a respectable length 1 Corinthians 11. And hubby found a blue one at a thrift shop but got to thinking, Mama made these. I could haveore. And the time may have come as the world is getting more evil and taking more pride in being evil, that it may be time to distinguish myself as part of the peculiar people. Deuteronomy 14:2.

Carmen said...

Thank you so much for the pattern and tutorial. I've just made two of these and decided to post one of them on my blog. I also did a bit of a tutorial with it as I put it together a bit differently, but I sure appreciate your help and I hope people will stop by and thank you for the pattern once I've posted it. Have a great day!

Unknown said...

Thank youfor this pattern, I am not the best sewer but managed to do this in an hour and a half, did it as a hat for little bo peep costume, and trimmed with lace it looked fab and got great comments, nice easy pattern and instructions.

Unknown said...

Thanks from yet another thankful person. Saw this just in time to make one-along with an apron- for my daughter to dress in a period costume for an upcoming trip to Sutter's Fort in Sacramento, CA. She will be a 49ers wagon trip woman with her classroom of kids. I added a couple inches to make bigger for a grown up, at the suggestion of one of your comment people, and it is perfect. Added a gathered neck ruffle as well. Thanks again!

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Unknown said...

I may have missed this in the comments, but how do I know if this will fit my child's head? Is there a sizing chart or something?

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Unknown said...

Thank you! I've did it for my girl's Halloween! She loves it! Thanks to your explainations and pictures, it wasn't too difficult! :)

Unknown said...

EXCELLENT tutorial!!!! This is a very forgiving pattern and easy to modify--even for someone who doesn't sew a whole lot! I made a smaller crown and a wider brim and added a white band on the brim. (Attempting to copy the Toy Story Little Bo Peep bonnet). I would add an elastic casing to the neck line of the crown if I did it again. Thank you a million times!! :)

Alicia said...

This is a great tutorial, but it would be really helpful if you posted the exact size of the entire unfolded pieces as the beginning because I bought the wrong amount because I didn't notice it was folded and then I cut the brim pieces 7x9 instead of 18x3.5 because I didn't realize it was folded different than the other piece.

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Jenyford smith said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
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