The Making of An Easter Parade Bonnet — Prepping The Hat

The Making of An Easter Parade Bonnet  — Prepping The Hat

My niece would be decorating the hat, but I wanted to make it an enjoyable experience for her.  I also wanted to protect the hat so it could be used after the parade.

I went off to one of my favorite stores — The Dollar Store.  There, I not only looked for bunnies, but for something with which I could cover the crown of the hat.  That’s when I spotted bowl covers.  These thin plastic circle had elastic at the edge and would cover the top of the at nicely.  It would protect the pink ribbon and flowers around the top of the hat. 

The Dollar Store bunnies would be far too large for the hat.  So, I would have to find those somewhere else.  I was not having a good time at finding smaller bunnies at local stores.  What I did find at The Dollar Store was egg ornaments.  Glittered egg ornaments that would add sparkle to the hat.  Had to pick them up.

Next stop was a party store and that’s where I found bunny cup-cake toppers.  That would be great for my niece to use in the Styrofoam.  They were the perfect size and met the required “bunnies circling around the hat” request.

I worried that using Easter “grass” could dye the hat, so I found green material that was perfect for the crown of the hat.  The material had that great Spring green color that I love.  I was please when my niece looked at the fabric and announced, “This will be the grass, right, Aunt Carol?”  I couldn’t believe that she “got” the idea behind using the fabric before I could say a word.

I sewed the plastic and fabric to the hat since I haven’t taught my niece to sew yet.  That comes this summer.  Once the Styrofoam was glued to the fabric on the hat, it was time for my niece to decorate the hat.

Tomorrow:  Finishing The Hat