How To: Make a Custom Fly Bonnet with Embroidered Design Without Crochet

As much as I love my Custom Fly Bonnet, I wanted to make a fancier one. So when I found this Black Diamond Fly Veil in Nilla’s colors, I grabbed it.

The first step to customizing it? Adding a minion to the base.

1. Find a pattern. I bought a cute minion cross-stitch pattern from Etsy. You could add your breed logo, barn logo, flag, or any other image here instead.

2. You’ll need cross-stitch waste canvas to add this to your bonnet. Center the waste canvas on your bottom diamond and stitch a center row to get it attached.

3. Finish your cross-stitch design.

4. Remove the waste canvas. First cut off the extra and then use tweezers to pull the strings from beneath your stitching.

5. At this point you have a customized fly bonnet. If you don’t want to do the ears, you could actually stop here.

Since I have to replace the ears anyway, I’m going to further customize the bonnet with fabric in Nilla’s color.

For the first few steps, check my previous How To Make a Custom Fly Bonnet post.

You’ll need to remove the ears with a seam ripper, open up the ear fabric, and trace it onto your new fabric. Add extra inches if you’re making it for a mule like I am. Then sew the ear together down the long side.

For my previous bonnet, I sewed the ears on by hand. I really liked the way the ear fabric for this bonnet was hemmed in so I decided to replicate that this time around.

1. Pin the ear fabric inside the mesh ear hole. The extra fabric should be on the underside of the bonnet. Line up the ear seam with the mesh seam.

5. You’ll have to sew along your previously stitched line. This should be only a mm from the edge.

6. Flip it rightsize out and your hemmed edge will be unseen on the underside of the bonnet.

7. Repeat with the other ear.