Tuesday, April 15, 2014

"In your Easter bonnet . . ."



Last weekend at the farm, while Mike was outside hard at work on his spring chores, I was focused on making an Easter bonnet “with frills upon it” for granddaughter Emmy’s American Girl doll.

I finished the dress last week from a pattern I purchased through Pixie Faire called “Jennifer and Kate” from Jelly Bean Soup Designs. The pattern is simple and the design flattering to the doll's rather blocky shape. I used scraps of cotton fabric for the bodice. The ruffled skirt is an eyelet border. I loved that the bodice is lined and all seams enclosed.
 
(I requested and received a picture of Emmy's Easter dress (right) so that I would have some idea as to style. I would love to have more nearly matched the fabric and colors but couldn't find that in this limited market.)

Well, after I finished the dress, it had to have a bonnet. I get these ideas, and then nothing is right but that I follow through. Sometimes I forget that these are issues only within myself. Is that what it means to be obsessive?

Anyway, I couldn’t find a hat pattern that fit my conception of a little girl’s Easter bonnet in my rather extensive pattern collection. What came to mind were the thread hats that my mother crocheted as Christmas decorations. What would happen, I asked myself, if I used one of those patterns with cotton yarn (such as we use for crocheting dishcloths) and a bigger hook?

Mother’s collection of thread ornament patterns is stored at the farm, so as soon as I could get to it, I sought them out. Yes – there it was – a fine example of a frilly bonnet. (This instruction pamphlet is “Victorian Accents” from Annie’s Attic, 1993.) I grabbed my cotton yarn and a size F hook and started to crochet. I had to know if this idea was going to work. I crocheted now and then and it didn’t take long, as projects go. By Saturday morning I had finished the bonnet.
 
Come Monday, the dress, the bonnet, and a pair of shoes and socks were addressed to Emmy and mailed from Gramma’s Scrap Bin.

Oh – I could write a sonnet
About this Easter bonnet . . . KW



4 comments:

drMolly, the BeanQueen said...

OK, where's the sonnet??

;~)

Just kidding. The dress & bonnet are really cute. Good work Kathy.

Chris said...

What a great Easter outfit! The dress is adorable and she'll just love the hat. Well done! And shoes and socks, too! (My love of shoes extends to my dolls, so I heartily approve of adding to Emmy's doll's footwear.)

Kathy said...

Thanks for the compliments. Much as I might sing about sonnets, I don't write them.

I order shoes, socks, visors, leggings, etc., from Nancy's Notions and use them to accessorize the outfits. It's essential to have the right shoes. We all know that.

Hallie said...

Wonderful! Fun fabric and cute little bonnets!