This post is part of the Vintage May series hosted by Craftiness Is Not Optional and Skirt As Top.
I am thrilled to apart of Vintage May this year. I usually lean toward modern aesthetics, but I believe that everything modern has a touch of the past.
I love the charm of vintage clothing because it’s reminder of life when it was simpler. When laundry was hung on the line, when phone dials spun, when life seemed as slow as a sip of lemonade and babies wore crisp white bonnets:
I almost re-made THIS baby sun bonnet I made last year, but decided to add more vintage flair to it with a sweet, white eyelet fabric and a gathered back.
Even with the changes, it’s as simple or maybe even simpler than the original.
Today, I’m going to share a pattern for making a 12-18 month bonnet. The back is adjustable, so this may even fit all the way up to age 2.
You’ll need:
1/2 yard of fabric (I used a white eyelet fabric)
1/4 yard of very firm and thick interfacing
3/4 yard coordinating ribbon
matching thread
1. Print the free brim pattern HERE.
Please note that this brim is for size 12-18 months.
** It is also the brim I used to make this bonnet and hasn’t been tested further than that. In fact, you may notice some of my stitches are not as crisp, because I had to unpick and rework the brim to get it just right. The brim pattern I’ve included is my revised version.
2. Cut your brim pieces on the fold. You need two of your fabric and one of your interfacing.
3. Sew your fabric and interfacing together like so:
Put two of your fabric pieces together and then your interfacing on the bottom. Pin around the rounded edge and sew with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
4. Cut notches around the curved edges so that it will lie flat when you turn it right side out. Not pictured: also trim those notches down to about 1/8 of an inch.
5. Turn it right sides out, you will see how the interfacing gets sandwiched in the middle. Press it with a hot iron and top stitch close to the edge of the brim.
6. Cut a 16×16 inch square. Roll two parallel edges under twice about 1/4 inch each time, press with an iron and hem.
7. Fold it in half raw end to raw end, pin up the folded edge and sew a chasing about 5/8 inch wide. Remember to back stitch when you start and stop.
8. Sew the two hemmed edges together, you can sandwich the raw ends of your chin ties here about an inch from the edge if you desire. (I didn’t)
9. Fold the raw edges of the main hat piece under about 1/2 an inch and press with an iron. Pin in the brim, following the curve and making sure the top and underside edges are as even as possible. Top stitch the brim in place. Add a second parallel line of stitching to secure it and to make sure you caught all the layers.
10. Using a safety pin, thread the piece of ribbon through the casing. Tie the ribbon in a bow and cinch the casing closed. Trim the ends of the ribbon and add Fray Check to the raw edges.
If you haven’t already added ties, add more ribbon or strips of fabric pressed inward and in half and sewn (like double fold bias tape but it’s not cut on the bias). Sew the straps on with an “X” at each corner of the bonnet.
This is just a basic tutorial. You could mix it up in a million ways.
Adapt this to a smaller baby bonnet by measuring around the baby’s face from one side of her chin over her head and to the other side…adjust the measurements and the brim accordingly.
Make it reversible by using two different fabrics.
Add lace to the brim to add more vintage flair…I chose to keep it simple, because we really plan on using this bonnet, so I didn’t want to make it too frilly.
As you can see from Natalie’s ruddy cheeks, this bonnet will definitely come in handy this summer. She burned after 10-15 minutes in the sun without a hat earlier in the day. Poor fair skin baby.
I originally made this romper for Vintage May, but at the last minute decided it wasn’t vintage enough. I plan on sharing that tutorial with you tomorrow!
I made the romper a little large so she could grow into it. It seems I also made it for a baby with chubbier thighs as well. 😉
See more great vintage inspiration from Craftiness is Not Optional HERE and Skirt As Top HERE!
Also, be sure to stop by Mad Mim to see Miriam transform a mu mu into something magnificent. (She is a must read and one of my fave bloggers as well!)
Thanks for letting me play Jess and Kristin!
*Please note that the pattern and tutorial is for personal use only.
I love the bonnet. So cute, and Natalie is adorable.
It’s adorable, Delia! True story: my mom made my sisters and I all white eyelet bonnets that we wore when we rode in my dad’s convertible VW bug in the 80s. MEMORIES. 😀
Thanks so much for joining us for Vintage May!!
Ah, Delia. You never disappoint, this is so adorable! And AS ALWAYS, your photography is so beautiful! Posting partners forever!!
How cute! I wish I could get my daughter to wear anything on her head!
Delia, you make the cutest stuff- love the bonnet, love the romper… and the sandals 🙂
cute hat delia!
amazing, Delia! I love it, and Natalie looks soo adorable wearing it. 🙂 Thanks for joining us!
So excited! I had a sweet bonnet for my daughter last summer and was so sad that she doesn't fit into it anymore. I have to make a new one!
Aww, she is so darling! Love the pure white bonnet.
So cute!!!!
This is so adorable Delia!!!
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i will visit again
This is wonderful! She looks like such a little peanut in it! I can't believe she wasn't trying to rip it off the whole time! Great job momma!
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Do you have a print version of the instructions?
I apologize, but I do not.
I’m just making this bonnet, but having trouble understanding how the casing is done. Do you fold over the end and make a casing that way. Thanks for any help!
Good question. So you hem two parallel edges of the square of fabric. Then iron under the un-hemmed edges. Fold the square in half, with ironed under ends together. Sew along the folded edge with a 1″ seam allowance. This forms the casing.
Does that help? If not, please let me know and I’ll try to clarify a different way.
Delia…I sew a lot, but I’m just not understanding how the casing is going to be formed at the end…the rest is clear. Do you have a bonnet you could show me the casing on, so I have a better visual. Thank you…appreciate your help! If I were making a casing…I would be folding up the end, then sewing it, so there was an opening/casing for the tie.
I’m sorry. I must not be explaining it well for you. Can you see the pictures in the post? They show the finished bonnet. The casing is formed at the fold rather than folding up an end. Thus that square of fabric I mentioned previously is both the outer part of the hat and the lining. Does that make sense? Hopefully the tutorial pictures can help bring clarity as well. Let me know if you have further questions.
I’m not seeing any pictures , just an icon of a page and padlock, and when I click on the “print the brim pattern here” it just takes me to a new google page…what am I doing wrong…?
Hi Estelle, I’m sorry you’re having trouble viewing the post. I am not sure what the issue is. I can see it on my end. Do you have an ad blocker? Sometimes that will prevent all photos from being shown.
Really easy and quick to make. I made mine 15″ for a 3 month old but next time would stick to the 16″ instead as it could have been a bit wider around the face. I didn’t have heavy interfacing and it still worked with a light weight version. I did copy and paste the website into a word doc so that I could have the pictures and instructions side by side, to make it easier (I’m no seamstress!). Such a gorgeous bonnet!
So glad you liked the pattern! 🙂
Hey, so I printed the bonnet brim but where is the rest of it. I see more advertisements and am afraid to just click on any of these ad to print pdf, etc.
The pattern is only for the brim because the other piece is just a square. I felt it would be a waste of paper to have people just print out a square.
The measurements for that square are provided in the instructions, but for your convenience it is 16 x 16 inches. It will get folded over and then cinched on the folded side which is what will create the rest of the bonnet. I hope that helps.
P.S. None of my patterns are linked through an ad. The link to download will always be clearly announced and marked/linked within the body of the text of the post and will never have anything blinking or flashing.