One of my very first sewing projects after my little girl (almost 10 years ago…sniff…sniff) was born was making some little baby bonnets for her…they were always a simple sew and they were so cute for a special occasion. They are still a favorite sew of mine for baby gifts, since they are handmade and not something that most mamas would make for themselves. And the best part? THEY ONLY TAKE TWO FAT QUARTERS to make! Yep, 2 fat quarters and some ribbon and you have a darling little bonnet.
This size that I am giving the tutorial for today fits a baby about 3-12 months so they can get a lot of wear out of them.
Here’s what you need if you want to make one too:
*2 coordinating Fat Quarters cut to 9″ by 14″
*1.5 yards of ribbon cut into 3- 18 inch pieces
Step 1: Take the outside fabric for your bonnet and pin 2 of your 18″ pieces of ribbon to the bottom two corners about 1/2 inches off the bottom like the picture below.
Step 2: Place your lining rectangle on top of your main bonnet fabric with right sides together. Pin and stitch around three sides using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. The top (back of the bonnet) should be left open…we will use this open part to form the casing for the back ribbon later.
Step 3: Turn and press your bonnet right sides out. Then fold over the top 1/2 inch (towards the lining side) and stitch a casing for the back ribbon.
Step 4: Using your last 18 inch piece of ribbon and a large safety pin, thread your ribbon through the casing and pull tight to form the back half-circle of the baby bonnet.
And you are done! Happy sewing and happy baby bonnet making! We also have a ton more BABY TUTORIALS….everything from easy baby blankets, to baby quilts made from scraps to onesies and dolls….see you THERE!
~Elizabeth
Oops LOL I just made this for my baby and for some reason, read the 18″ as 13″. Oops. It works for the front ribbons, but not for the back, so I’m going to take the ribbon out and redo it. *sheepish* It does look really good on her, and for once, she’s not trying to rip it off like she does with everything else. Bonus! 😀
Thanks for the step-by-step. It really helped, since I’m really new at this. The only difficult part was working out the conversions to metric… (in the end, I didn’t bother and just used a measuring tape with inches on it. hehe)
I don’t understand how the first 2 ribbons are sewn onto the bonnet. Where and how. Are they for ties under the chin? Can you be more explicit. Thanks.
Hi Elizabeth. I LOVE this pattern and just made one. I love it so much I want to make more in a 12-18 and 18-24. Do you know what the measurements would be? Thank you!
Where do the white ties come in?
This is adorable! Can you tell me where to purchase that fabric, I LOVE it!!!!!
This is so cute! Would be adorable with a matching vintage pillowcase dress! Do you happen to know dimensions for a 3-12 month dress?
I am in LoVe! xoxo
Such a blessing to have people willing to share their talent! What a wonderful and easy bonnet! Love how it is reversible and front end can be turned up revealing underneath pattern. I would love to make more in 12-18 mo. and 18-24mo. sizes. Have you worked out the measurements for these sizes? Wondered if just adding an inch to both measurements would do it. Thank you!