try it tuesday: bonnet 2.0

well, i did it again.  here i am posting try it tuesday on wednesday.  guess that might happen more then i would like but i will just do what i can do when i can do it.  know what i mean?  

bonnet 2.0

i came across this bonnet tutorial from made by petchy (who also has a few other *awesome* tutorials that you will probably see me attempt!) and thought i would give it a try.  i liked the fact that it was sized bigger (2-4t) so both the girls could wear it.   and as i said, i will post my project whether it turned out or not and this one went fairly well.  i had to change it from the pattern just a wee bit, but i will get there.....

after printing out the pattern from made by petchy i had to resize it.... one would think that would be easy but it took me a while to get it right... so after a few tries and a few papers put in the recycler, i finally found the right size (which for me was at 150%). after i taped the pattern together, i got cutting. 

step two was pinning and sewing each side.  as i said, i am very new to sewing and it was a bit tricky to pin on a curve, but by the fourth seam i had it figured out.


once both the sides were sewn it was time to sew the two sides together.  so with right sides facing, i lined up the edges, pinned, and sewed.  i left a couple of inches at the bottom of the bonnet in order to turn right side out after sewing. 

 and this is where i had to veer off the pattern a bit.  not sure what i did when cutting (maybe it was because it was waaay past my bedtime or after a glass of wine) but my fabric got all wonky around the "brim" of the bonnet.  one side was a lot longer then the other.  you will notice on the bonnet that petchy made there is an adorable little brim.  yeah, mine doesn't have that.  instead i sewed across the brim to make a straight seam and then snipped off the extra fabric.

 before turning i used the pinking sheers around the edges.....







and then for some reason, well actually i do know the reason.... and then my beautiful 3-year-old daughter took my camera hostage so i don't have any photos of the rest of my project in action but it looks pretty identical to bonnet 1.0.   the only difference before sewing on the bias tape was that i top stitched around the bonnet to give it a finished look and to close off the opening ..... 

and i just might, just maybe, attempt bonnet 3.0 for next week's try it tuesday.  would that be crazy?  a bit boring with yet another bonnet?  but prudent baby posted a tutorial that looks awesome.   plus, i am a total sucker for ruffles.


until next time.....           

             

try it tuesday: bonnet 1.0

every tuesday i am going to try to post a tutorial... either one by me or one that has inspired me.... whether i am happy with the outcome or not.  and while i do realize that today is wednesday (although i have been known to lose track of the days), i had a bit too much on my plate to get a post done yesterday.

so without further ado, welcome to my first (of hopefully many) try it tuesday!

bonnet 1.0

while in a mommy&me class on monday i came across this picture which inspired me to make a bonnet. and with most things i find out in the world that inspire me, i grabbed my phone and snapped a photo.  i am a visual learner (and short term memory ... aka mom brain... doesn't help much these days), so i tend to rip, snap, keep, store, post pictures everywhere throughout my life.

that same day after we got home from our class i found an email from prudent baby with a hooded towel tutorial that included a hood template.  it was perfect... the shape of a bonnet.  it was like the world heard my wish to make a bonnet and provided a way (way to go world!)!  so, here is a little play by play of what i did*.....

1.  using the hood template from prudent baby, i cut 2 pieces of the main bonnet fabric and 2 pieces of the lining.  then using 45" wide fabric, i cut approx 2" off the end to use to make the bias tape.







2.  i then i got my bias tape all set and put that aside for later.  (you can also use ready made bias tape).  right sides together, i pinned the 2 pieces the the main fabric together and the 2 pieces of the lining together.  i then sewed both the inner and outer pieces.

3.  with the inner and outer sides of the bonnet sewn together, i ironed the seams open (my mom would be so proud!).   i then pinned the inner and outer pieces together -again, right sides together - taking my time to make sure the seams were lined up.

4.   i then sewed the BOTTOM of the bonnet.  after i did that, i flipped the pieces over so that wrong sides were together and the bottom of the bonnet had a nice finish.   i took my time to smooth the fabric out and make sure the seams were lined up.   i pressed with an iron.

5.   i grabbed my ready to go bias tape and folded it in half, strongly pressing on the fold marking the halfway point.  i used that mark to line up my tape at the top of the bonnet so that the tape would have equal length on both sides.  i then pinned the bias tap around the front of the bonnet.  once the bias tape was pinned in place, i did a finishing stitch around the bias tape being sure to fold in the ends of the tape for a clean, finished look.



and voila!  an easy-peasy bonnet.  from start to finish it would take about 30-40 minutes.... however, being that none of my kids napped yesterday it took me a wee bit longer.

next week for try it tuesday i am going to attempt bonnet 2.0.... while this one turned out great and does the job of a bonnet, i am going to try out another bonnet at a suggestion of a friend.  same idea, just different template.  should be super cute.  stay tuned.

until next time....

             

* a little disclaimer that i am *very* new to sewing.  sure, i made a killer pillow in home ec back in the junior high days, but let's just say it has been a few years since then.  i have been back sewing just for a few months and only in my spare time, which can be hard to come by.  i will always do my best to explain what i have done, but i may mix up technical words or not use the best, most up to date technique.  i am always open to helpful suggestions and other ideas.  there is a learning curve to everything and i am just starting down that curve.  thanks!