How to Sew a DIY Bonnet for the Ultimate Handmaid's Tale Costume

Tools and materials:

• Rotary cutter (or scissors)
• Paper
• White fabric
• Ribbon
• Safety pin
• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• White felt
• Glue gun

1. Make a template

First, you can download my DIY Handmaid's Tale bonnet pattern. As you can see, my dimensions were 32cm (12.5 inches) by 27cm (10.6 inches). Connect the two sides together with a curved line.

2. Cut out the fabric

Place your template on top of your white fabric folded in half, and proceed to cut it out. I ended up leaving an extra seam allowance on all of the sides.

3. Sew the curved side

Place the right sides of the fabric together and sew the curved side.

4. Sew a hem

Next, make a hem on the parts that will go around your face. I folded my sides twice to make the hem a bit sturdier and neater.

5. Sew the bottom

Lastly, fold the bottom, leaving enough space to fit a piece of ribbon through and sew.

6. Insert the ribbon

Use a safety pin to pull the ribbon through the casing. Make sure the ribbon is big enough to make a bow.

7. Burn the edges

Burn the edges to keep them from fraying.

8. Cut out the wings

For the wing parts, I’m using felt. Start by cutting the shape. I didn’t want mine to be all that big, so these were my measurements.

9. Attach to the bonnet

Then, put the bonnet on and mark where you want the wing parts to sit. Using a glue gun, I glued mine in four places, one on each side, at the top of my head, and also in the middle. Let the glue cool, and that is it!

The Handmaid's Tale costume tutorial

Here we have our Handmaid’s Tale costume DIY! The bonnet was straightforward to make, and I’m really happy with the end result. I’ve paired it with a red cape, and I feel just like I’m in the Republic of Gilead (kidding!).

Halloween costumes are so much fun; what should I make next?