Scrap Happy Bonnet – April 2021
Bright!
After many soggy spring days, the sun came out, and the William’s Bon Chrétien Pear tree decided to bloom!
Henrietta frolicked in the sunny tree among the blossoms, but it was so bright that…
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Mystery Linen
…she requested I make sunbonnet!
This piece of cotton diaper weave cloth was never a nappy. “Diaper” in weaving terminology just means a small repeating pattern over the surface of the cloth. I wonder if it used to be a tray cloth, or possibly a guest towel, or maybe an antimacassar?
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Pinafore!
Whatever it was, after I cut one end off I made it into a pinafore for Henrietta, and then – Hooray! I had a genuine scrap to work with (as opposed to a perfectly useful antimacassar).
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Measure
First I measured Henrietta’s head – over the crown from shoulder to shoulder…
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Cut
…then cut out a rectangle of cloth…the head measurement is the tatted edge, the long edge is about one and a half times that length.
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Bind
I folded over the raw edges and stitched some cotton tape over.
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Fold
Then with a minimal amount of folding and stitching….
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Prairie Bonnet
…I ended up with a “Prairie Bonnet” for Henrietta…
(Based on Folkwear Pattern #213)
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Shade!
… and now she is happy, shady, not squinting, and won’t get sunburned!
ScrapHappy is a group of bloggers using up scraps of anything – no new materials…Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible, and posts come out once a month on the 15th! If you like the idea and want to join the group, contact Kate or Gun through their blogs (links below).
Here are the links for other ScrapHappy people – headed by Kate and Gun, who devised and run the group:
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Quimper Hittys 
What a sensible Hitty Miss Henrietta is, to know she should stay out of the bright sunshine with her colouring. That is a really beautiful bonnet, a perfect use of the last of the fabric and frivolité (a much nicer name than tatting!). She looks so pretty!
Miss Henrietta thanks you very much, and is grateful to you for teaching her the alternate name – frivolité – it’s very descriptive! We weren’t expecting to need a sunbonnet in April – so we were glad to have this genuine scrap to snip, stitch and fold!
It’s the name they use in Holland, France and Italy to my personal knowledge, not sure about anywhere else. So much prettier!
adorable. I know I use that word often when commenting on your posts, but it’s coz the Hittys and their garments and accessories really are. Thank you for making them and sharing them
Aw, thanks so much…you are very welcome, I am happy to share!
That’s adorable 🥰 as always 💝
It is fun to dig through the scrap bag, and this was a perfect use for the other end of the frivolité cloth!
Oh, so cute! Thanks so very much for your tutorial in how you made this sweet little (folky !) bonnet for the very pretty Henrietta.
Henrietta was glad to have a new bonnet, and glad to share the method. I made one of these for my oldest child about 25 years ago, and always thought it was so easy and pretty…perfect for Hitty!
I love these bonnets, and they’re especially pretty with the tatting.
It’s such a simple design, cute and easy – I especially like the flap at the back of the neck, it keeps her cool!
Love this! Thanks for sharing the steps. I noted the pattern #, but is it for dolls or real people? I ask because I’m always looking for life-size historical pattern sources. Love this little pinafore and bonnet. And that fine tatting….oh, it’s to drool over!
This is a pattern for human children, though Folkwear patterns are mainly adult-sized. The pinafore and Bonnet were fun to make, the tatting a perfect little edge for these little garments.
That is just the cutest bonnet, but I really love the pinafore.
Thanks so much! the pleated pinafore is one of my favourite Hitty patterns, and perfect to make out of a short length of cloth with a pretty edge.
just lovely!
Thanks! We were happy to indulge Henrietta’s very reasonable request.
Miss Henrietta will be able to keep nice & cool this summer, and avoid too much freckling ^^
Freckles run in the human family – we don’t mind them too much, but we do believe it’s important to be protected from the UV of the sun as much as possible!
I love the prairie bonnet and it will stop her getting freckles – although they can look quite charming.
Thanks I like the simple design – almost origami with cloth…we think freckles are charming too, to tell the truth!
Love, love, love your dolls! Lucky them to have you to make things for them.
Thank you so much, Nancy – they are good friends and companions to me – I love them too!
Henrietta will enjoy her sun bonnet, she will need it as many more sunny days are on the way. The lace is so pretty framing her lovely face.
I expect we’ll see more sun, and feel more heat than usual – 24 degrees down the hill from you today, and almost no wind! I sincerely hope it is not a harbinger of a boiling hot summer.
what a darling pinny and such a sweet bonnet. You are such a creative genius!!
Thank you! We think the next bonnet will incorporate some improvements, but this one is pretty sweet, I’ll admit!
So cute and so perfect for Henrietta!
Thank you! It is always fun to make something nice for the dolls out of an unused scrap.