DIY-Newborn Girls Hospital Hat-Happy Birthday

​Several years ago, my sister and our two best friends decided to do a 39-mile walk for breast cancer. To participate, we had to each raise 1500.00 dollars.  My daughter was four, and I had made her DIY hats and bows to match almost every outfit in her closet. I had the supplies, and I'd become pretty efficient at whipping these pretties up for her, so I decided to make them and do custom orders to help raise my admission to the walk. 

My daughter is now 14, and I have no control over dressing her; she likes to insert her style opinions to me now. I was re-organizing my art studio and found an entire tote of beanies and hats. I also unveiled a whole box of yo-yo's made from vintage fabrics, a shoebox of hankies gifted to me by someone, and an entire bag of vintage broaches and baubles. 

My "Squirrel" tendencies kicked in, and I promptly abandoned my organizing to craft. These are some samples of my creations on my first go around. I gave a few as gifts, and then I decided to sell the others at our shop. These are such a unique gift. And mama's love making them part of their newborn photos or going home outfits. 

I continue to make custom special orders, just because they are so fun to make. If this kind of DIY project isn't for you, I'm happy to whip one up for that new baby girl in your life. Just send us a message or comment below to connect with me. 

​If you are up for the challenge, here is the supply list to help you design your own. 

NEWBORN HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAT!

• Beanie or crocheted hat Your local Hobby Lobby or Michaels will likely have them, or you can buy them at the link below on Amazon. 
• Glue Gun: Everyone asks about my cordless glue gun, so here it is. Best investment I've made when it comes to crafting. Love, Love, Love
• Embroidery Floss
• Needle
• Ribbon
• Wire snips-If you are using jewelry or broaches, I remove all the sharp pieces and pins before using them. 
• Vintage items such as hankies, jewelry, buttons, fabric
• Miscellaneous embellishments. I had the birthday cake and happy birthday buttons in my scrapbook stash, and they added such a sweet pop of color and whimsy I had to use them.

Let me break this down to make it REALLY easy for you.
First, make your bow. Consider the size first. Remember, this is for an infant, so it shouldn't be too large. To learn how to make the perfect bow, we love the FREE tutorials from Hairbow Supplies, ETC. You can find over 50 tutorials on their website here. 

I create my infant bows using as much embroidery floss versus hot glue as I can. This requires a bit of sewing to attach each layer of your bow, and if sewing is not your thing, hot-glue will work too. 

I assemble all my baubles and, before attaching them by layering them up to get an idea of what my design looks like and where I may want to add something more. Once I get the finished look, I began sewing or hot-gluing them layer by layer. 

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Finally, my secret trick is to attach the completed bow to an alligator clip or an extra small hair clip. This adds versatility. Your creation can be worn as a stand-alone hair clip for years to come or attached to another hat. These clip easily into the crocheted hats, as you can see in the photo. For beanies, I sew or hot-glue a piece of gross-grain ribbon to the cap and then attach the bow/clip. 

It's really that easy! 

​I also wanted to share how I used vintage quilt pieces to make a pinwheel hat. As you dig through what you have at home, auctions, thrift shops, and garage sales, my suggestion is if you find it pretty, grab it, just like these pieces. I am not a quilter, but I love 40's fabrics, and I knew I would find a use for them someday. 

We love, love, love to hear from you and see what you have been up to. Leave us a comment and share your creations below. Happy Crafting!

Cheers!
Angela