Beautiful bonnets are a must at every Easter parade. Decorate yours with what you've got on hand — streamers, paints, ribbons, flowers — and use your imagination.

Materials for both bonnets
Tracing paper
Pencil
Cardboard
Scissors
Acrylic paint and spray paint
Paintbrushes
Stencils (optional)
Coloured paper
Stencil brush (optional)
Paper doilies
Small paper patty cake cases
Artificial flowers
Glue gun and glue sticks
Stapler
Streamers
Ribbon

Instructions for making both hats

METHOD
Print our bonnet and hat outlines at the desired size, or alternatively, print out and enlarge on a photocopier to desired size. Trace the pattern pieces onto coloured cardboard and cut out.

Click here for oval hat pattern

Click here for bonnet pattern


PAINTING
Paint the hat and bonnet with washes of acrylic paints or spray and spatter them lightly with spray paints. Use a number of different coloured paints to create great effects.

DECORATING
Paint or spray a number of paper doilies and patty cake cases in the colours of your choice. Work stencils on separate strips and pieces of coloured paper, using the paint colours you desire. You can use the colours in our photographs as a guide, or create your own colour scheme.
Remove artificial flowers from their stems or cut off the stems just below the petals.

To make up the bonnet (pictured)
Glue a number of doilies around the inside of the outer edge of the bonnet, then cut around them to create a scalloped effect. Glue a stencilled strip across the centre right side of the bonnet. Bring the straight edges of the bonnet together (this forms the back of the bonnet), checking the fit on your child and adjust, if necessary, to make the hat smaller or larger. Glue or staple these edges together (where they meet at the base) to secure. Glue a painted doily over the opening at the back to conceal it completely.

Fold and fan other doilies and attach where desired. Attach patty cake cases and stencilled pieces of paper; flowers can be glued in the centre of the cake cases or doily fans. Staple matching lengths of ribbon to each inner side of the bonnet, to form ties.




To make up the oval hat
Cut around the edge of the hat piece using pinking shears. Place a length of ribbon across the centre of the inside of the hat, allowing enough ribbon so the ties extend on both sides. Staple ribbon in place at the edges to secure.
Try the hat on your child and decide where to position the decorations. With the hat lying flat, glue doilies, stencils and lengths of streamers and ribbon onto the hat. Secure ribbons with staples also. You may like to create extra effects with paint, so paint and allow the hat to dry before attaching other decorations.