Friday, July 1, 2011

Tatted Baby Bonnet Finished


It's finished! My darling little Tatted Baby Bonnet that I purchased from a local antique mall.  I agonized for several days on how to finish it. If you remember, the original had a row of gathered silk ribbon all along the front of it. I thought of making a row of shirred smocking, similar to that on my Smocked Pockets Tote Bag, that you can barely see along the top of the smocking. But as I thought about it, I decided not to put any extra trim on it so as not to detract from the lovely tatting. Then I had another bout of agonizing over how to attach the ribbons. At first I wanted to make rosettes, as you can see in this lovely bonnet by Jeannie Baumeister of Old Fashioned Baby. However, each rosette takes three yards of ribbon, and I only had five yards total. And I would still need some for the ties.


Then I remembered I had these lovely pearl beads that my sister, who makes wedding gowns in Maryville, Tennessee, gave me.  (That's pronounced Mar-vull, as my coworker from the same state tells me)


So I opted for a simple tie in which I turned under the edges, gathered with thread, stitched them to the bonnet and added three pearls to each. Sweet and simple.

It is now Friday morning, July 1, the beginning of my five days in a row off! I have lots of plans for stitching that I plan to share with you. I also have plans for cleaning, laundry, planting, etc., which, never fear, I will not share. It's going to be a hot weekend, getting to the low 90's by Sunday. But here in my corner of the world, the lows are still in the low 60's at night, and it is most decidedly not humid as it is in the Midwest and East. It's lovely weather all around, perfect for a long Fourth of July weekend.

Happy Stitching!

8 comments:

  1. Beautiful Cynthia! The little ribbon bows with the pearls are the perfect finish for your precious little bonnet! Nice job!

    We're enjoying mild and dry weather right now too and it is just heavenly! I know the hot and humid is not far away, but I'll take this as long as I can get it!

    MGM

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  2. You have done such a wonderful job of restoring this sweet bonnet! I adore it.
    There is a tutorial on my blog for making ribbon rosettes. They usually only take 9-10" of ribbon for each. Perhaps Jeannie's instructions included yardage for two rosettes and the bonnet streamers, too.
    Regardless, I love the sweet simplicity of the bow. The pearls add just the right finishing touch! Enjoy your long weekend and Happy 4th!

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  3. How sweet. I can just see a sweet cheeked baby in that. Great job on restoring it. I would have been a chicken to even try.

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  4. You did a lovely job. The little bows are so sweet, and add just a bit of interest without detracting at all from the tatting.

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  5. Thanks to everyone for such nice comments. It's so gratifying to see one's work being noticed and liked.

    Jan - you are so right about that rosette! What year did you take the class? I took it in Atlanta in 2004. We may have been in it together!

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  6. If it was the Sunday class making a bonnet out of an embroidered tea towel, we were in the same class! I was even class angel, helping to pass out kits and information. I had been making ribbon rosettes for bonnets and other baby garments long before then. I first learned how to make them from Sarah Howard Stone's book, and other heirloom sewing publications. I love ribbon rosettes of all types!

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  7. Its so beautiful and I love the beaded detail too. So very pretty

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