Easter 2021 – Hen child bonnet

For Easter, I wanted to sew something I had not done before and that wasn’t a home decor project. I looked in my sewing books and found a hen bonnet pattern for children. I thought it would be great for a child going on an Easter egg hunt !

So I printed the pattern of the « bonnet poulette » in the book Wild things to sew and wear by Molly Goodall. As I was not sure who I would give the bonnet as a gift, I decided to make the bigger size. I draw the pattern on tracing paper and traced the pieces on fabric using a washable marker and the pattern weights I make in my Etsy shop. I didn’t forget to trace the notches. I had the fabric in my stash : an old thin cotton white bedsheet and yellow cotton for the lining and small decorative parts.

After cutting the fabrics, I started with the funniest part : the chicken head. I sewed the parts together and added two yellow buttons for the eyes.

Then I made the most repetitive part of the project : overcasting the « feather » bands with a decorative yellow thread straight stitch. The band had also to be gathered. I simply used my gathering foot with a straight stitch and put the settings for thread tension on high. With a gathering foot, you just have to care to to pull on the fabric in front of the foot or on its sides, because it prevents the gathers from forming.

When the 9 feather bands are ready, they can be sewn to the bonnet along the sewing lines indicated on the pattern. I started from the bottom of the hat to the top so as to have no problem of sewing different feather lines together by accident.

After that, I prepared the small feet and sewed them to the bottom of the hat, matching the feet notches with the bonnet notches.

Then I placed the hat and the lining together right side on right side and sew a line along the bottom.

I also understiched this part to help the hat stay in shape : I simply sewed the seam allowances to the lining.

I cut bias in the white fabric to make the ties. I first sew it on the inside.

Then I folded the bias band on itself and on the outside of the bonnet and sewed it.

Eventually, I just had to sew the chicken head appliqué with a narrow zigzag stitch.

And here is the final result, ready to be worn by a little girl or boy !

The hat is a little too big for my neighbour kids, so for now, it will stay on my cowicorn’s head, until I can gift it to an older friend’s child (with lockdown starting again, who knows when it will happen …)