Handkerchief Baby Bonnet

This is a gift that I enjoy making for baby showers.  Whenever I'm invited to a wedding, I take an antique handkerchief for the bride to carry.  After the ceremony, she gives it back to me and I seal it up in an envelope with her name and the date of the wedding on the front.

When she has a baby, I take the handkerchief and, with a few basting stitches, add some lace and a couple of ribbons for ties and give it to her at her baby shower.  This is the poem that goes with the bonnet.

THE MAGIC HANKY             

I’m just a little handkerchief,
Quite square as you can see,
But with a stitch or two, Linda made
A bonnet out of me.

I’ll be worn home from the hospital, or
On the christening day;
Then neatly pressed and folded
I’ll be carefully packed away.

On her wedding day a bride must have
Traditionally, something old
Good luck, good health, and happiness
It brings her, so it’s told.

Then what could be more pleasant
Than to unpack little me,
To snip a stitch or two and find
Her handkerchief I’ll be.

And if I’m first worn by a boy,
He’ll surely someday wed;
Then he can give his lovely bride
The hanky once worn on his head.  

These are fairly simple to make.  I just fold the hanky in half and then I baste the lace trim on the folded edge.  Measure off two pieces of ribbon long enough for the ties and tack them onto the corners of the folded edge.  Then, using a large basting stitch, gather the opposite side of the hanky and pull tight to gather.
The hankies I like best for this are ones that have some type of embroidery on them.  It adds a lot to the appearance of the bonnet. 

This is the card I made to go with the bonnet.