This pattern was inspired by Ancestor Hitty’s antique sunbonnet in the Stockbridge Library Museum. I have created a replica of the fabric, but any lightweight cotton fabric will work. You can purchase Hitty’s Sunbonnet fabric in my Spoonflower store, Designs by Frendi, and an 8” swatch is large enough to make two bonnets. I recommend making a trial bonnet with practice fabric before you cut out the custom printed fabric.
Click here to download Hitty’s Sunbonnet Pattern!
The original bonnet was quilted. This pattern uses lightweight fusible interfacing instead, to get the stiffness in the brim without the extra bulk.
Measure your Hitty’s head to see whether you need the Large or Small version. If your doll’s head measures more than 3” from side to side and 2 1/4” from front to back, use the Large version.
Hitty’s Sunbonnet Instructions
Materials
Cotton fabric
Lightweight fusible interfacing
4mm wide ribbon
Fray Block (or Fray Check)
CUTTING OUT THE SUNBONNET
Cut out the pattern pieces and pin to your fabric of choice. I like to use silk pins because they don’t snag the fabric or leave large holes. Cut the Sunbonnet Back and Sunbonnet Brim from cotton fabric. Cut the Sunbonnet Brim Facing from lightweight fusible interfacing. Clip red pattern lines to dots and apply a small amount of Fray Block to the cut edges if fabric tends to ravel.
FUSING THE FACING TO BRIM
Make a crease down the middle of the Sunbonnet Brim. With the WRONG SIDE of your Sunbonnet Brim facing up, position the facing piece with the rough side down, so that it will fuse to the fabric, in the area shown on the pattern.
Use a steam iron and a damp cotton pressing cloth over the fabric when fusing, and hold the iron in place for the recommended length of time, or about 10 seconds. Wait for the fused piece to cool before continuing.
MARKINGS
On WRONG SIDE of fabric, mark Center notches on Brim and Back pieces. Mark small dots. I use an ordinary graphite pencil for marking, unless the fabric is too dark. In that case, I use tailor’s tacks for marking.
MACHINE SEWING TECHNIQUES
Most of my tutorials so far have used hand sewing techniques. Of course, you can hand sew the sunbonnet as well, but I will give instructions for machine sewing when it makes sense to do so. For machine sewing, use 1/4” seams. If your machine allows it, you can adjust the needle position to be 1/4” from the edge of the presser foot. This makes it easier to get a consistent seam width.
GATHERING TOP EDGE OF BONNET BACK
Set your machine stitch length to a long gathering stitch. Make your gathers just under 1/4” from the edge. Machine gather the top, rounded edge of Back piece between dots.
With RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER, align center notch of Back piece with center notch of Brim (the edge WITHOUT INTERFACING). Pin pieces together at center notch. Adjust gathers on either side of notch so that the edge of brim overlaps the clipped edge of Back by 1/4” (see diagram).
Add more pins to secure gathers. I usually put the pins in perpendicular to the edge, which makes them easier to remove. Believe me, I have broken enough needles to know it’s best to remove them when sewing!
ATTACHING BRIM TO BACK
If you are hand sewing, use a double knotted thread for strength. On a machine, set your stitch length back to normal. With the Brim piece on the bottom and the gathered side of the Back piece on top, start at the clipped edge and sew seam, removing pins as you go. Your seam should be just next to the gathers, so they will be hidden in the seam allowance.
Press seam towards brim and trim seam allowance to 1/8”. On the opposite side, fold over 1/4” of brim and press to make a finished edge.
FINISHING BRIM
Fold Brim along long edge with RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER. Sew short edges of brim together next to facing.
Trim seam allowance to 1/8” and turn Brim right side out. Use a point turner to get a nice, crisp corner. With a single strand of knotted thread, hand sew Brim edge closed, making sure to hide gathers inside Brim.
FINISHING EDGES OF BONNET
Fold over 1/4” along unfinished edges of bonnet Back. Hem all along the edge, taking tiny stitches so they won’t show on the right side.
GATHERING BONNET NECKLINE
TIP: Use wet fingers to dampen the fabric in the area where you will be gathering. The wet fabric will become more flexible, making gathering easier.
Using a double knotted thread, hand gather the Back of bonnet, about 3/4” from the finished edge. The exact spacing will depend on your particular doll, so you should try the bonnet on her first. The gathers should be just under her hair near the neck. Pull up the gathering threads until the width of the back is 2” to 2 1/4” long. Again, check your doll for the best width. Secure gathering threads with a knot.
RIBBON TIES
Ancestor Hitty’s original sunbonnet had ties made from the same fabric as the bonnet. This works best with a very thin fabric. If you have a heavier fabric, the ties will be too stiff. For this reason, I chose to use ribbon ties. They are much easier to use, because no sewing is required. I found 4mm wide silk ribbon from SandysLace on Etsy. The silk ribbon has a luxurious feel, and it ties into a nice bow. However, if you can’t find silk ribbon, you can use 1/8” wide satin ribbon from a craft store.
Cut two 4.5” long pieces of 4mm wide ribbon. Use Fray Block on the cut ends of ribbon to prevent fraying. After it dries, fold one end of each ribbon over about 1/4” and attach to sides of bonnet at the point marked by an “X” on the pattern. Use 3 to 4 small stitches to secure the ribbons, then tie off thread.
Now you’re done! Here are Hitty Mabel wearing the large sunbonnet with red ribbon ties and Michael Langton Hitty wearing the small sunbonnet with white ribbon ties.
VARIATION: CROCHETED TIES
If you like to crochet, you can make cute little ties using only a chain stitch. Just make sure to crochet a chain at least 4.5” long, and weave in ends when finished. Then attach the ties to sides of bonnet at the spots marked with an “X”. Here is Hitty Kelsey in a sunbonnet with crocheted ties. I used size 10 cotton crochet thread and a size 6 (1.8 mm) steel hook.
