the red bow tie

Just uploaded the cap-brimmed bonnets to the Etsy shop. There are only 12 of these ranging from 0-3 months up to 6-12 months. These bonnets have been reduced to $20 and are ready to ship. After the spring clearout sale made to order cap-brim bonnets will be $35.

If you would like to pick up locally don't forget to use the coupon code LOCALPICKUP at the checkout.

If you have already shopped the sale and you would like to combine shipping just send me a note and I will refund the duplicate shipping fees.

Happy shopping!

Super sorry about the slow posting on the SPRING CLEAROUT SALE! Historically I have used Instagram for sales but I was trying to be a bit more organized by using my Etsy shop and I was hitting a bit of a brick wall but good news, I think I have everything all figured out!

Head over to the etsy shop (www.etsy.com/ca/shop/theredbowtie) and check out the sale! All full brim are ready to ship and marked down to $20! Shipping is $5 in Canada and $12 to United States and multiple bonnets can fit in one envelope. If you would like to pick-up locally (Hamilton, On) just use the code LOCALPICKUP to waive delivery charge.

I will be adding Arbour Sunhats ($25), Brimless Bonnets ($20) and a handful of Cap-Brim Bonnets ($20) tomorrow evening and I will start to mail out orders on Tuesday. I will be able to combine orders made today and tomorrow by refunding any duplicate shipping fees.

Please head over to my Etsy shop and check out the sale. If you love the bonnets, sharing your love with friends would be greatly appreciated!

A small glimpse at some prints that will be available this Saturday!

It's been such a loooooonnnnng time! **Make sure you read to the end for an exciting announcement!**

Social media has never been my jam and I have always found it to be quite a chore so when life gets busy it is always the first thing to go! So sorry to everyone who has messaged and not heard back from me.

Life in a homeschooling, one vehicle, hockey playing, pneumonia getting, family has been a bit all consuming this past fall and winter. My kids (ages 13, 11 and 9) are growing and maturing and have become more independent in many ways. However, as they grow there is this sense of urgency that I am going to miss out on this phase of life which caused me to step back from sewing to sell. Now that hockey season is over, people are healthy and the weather is improving it feels like I have renewed time and energy to focus on this little business!

I look forward to getting back into the sewing room and creating beautiful things for your little ones but first I have to do a little spring cleaning to clear the clutter. The best way I can think of to clean out my workspace is a super sale, lower than any price I have ever allowed. Check back tomorrow for more details on the "SPRING CLEAROUT SALE" (starting Saturday April 15th)! If you are excited for the sale I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

I can not say how excited I am when I receive pictures of your littles in items sewn up by me!

Thanks for the photo what a sweet little one you have there!

The Arbor Sunhat is finally live on Etsy! The first listing available is this beautiful delicate chamomile floral print.

Several more prints will be introduced this week so keep your eyes on the Etsy shop!

This hat is a bit of a fabric hog and many of my prints are available in limited quantities so be sure you scoop your favorite up before it is gone.

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1212188678/wide-brim-sunhat-reversible-girls-hat

Select bunny bonnets on sale! These bonnets are ready-to-ship (or pick-up). If you are local to Hamilton you could certainly swing by and pick-up before Easter. If you require shipping you will not receive the package before Easter but honestly these bonnets are cute all year round!

Tomorrow I will be posting some ready-to-ship cheery brimmed bonnets, also on sale! Tag a friend who won't want to miss out!

Super excited about these Arbour Sunhats. Available in 0-3 months up to adult sizing.

The featured style boasts a wide front brim with a shorter back brim. Don't let the short brim in back fool you - there is still lots of sun coverage.

If you are looking for even more floppy brim coverage this hat is also available in uniform wide brim.

This style of hat will be available in much of the same fabrics as the classic bonnets. Please send me a message to set-up your order.

Short back brim style starting @ $40
Wide back brim style starting @ $45

These hats can be folded into an untracked oversized letter shipping packet for $4 Canadian shipping and $10 United States shipping. Tracking is available upon request on a quote by quote basis.

I had a lovely visit with the cutest little bunny (and her mama) today!

Bunny bonnets are available in the Etsy shop. If you don't see exactly what you want, feel free to message me directly - I have lots of fabric on hand!

Something new coming to the shop soon! Any guesses as to what it might be???

Bunnies are live! Go check them out in the Etsy shop. Order soon to receive before Easter.

As always, if you don't see what you want feel free to message me! I have lots of fabric on hand I'm sure to find something just for you!

Bunnies are hopping into the shop tomorrow!

I was feeling rather uninspired by today's writing prompt. After brainstorming what to write I decided I would release 2 new bonnets in the Etsy shop.

The numbers - 2 new releases today! How do you like fruit bonnets? Does it feel like summer to you?

Today's post prompt is "seasonal". Is my product seasonal? The answer is both yes and no.

Yes it is seasonal in the aspect that we live in Canada and different weights of material are required at different seasons in the year. Additionally people tend to choose brimless styles of bonnets for fall/winter and brimmed styles of bonnets for the warmer sunnier months.

No it is not seasonal in prints. I try to choose classic prints usually staying within the realm of florals, stripes and solids. I would love for my bonnets to be passed down from child to child and I try to pick prints that will last the test of time.

I will gradually be releasing new florals and bunny bonnets this weekend but here is a look at the newest print in the shop. I've entitled it 'spring floral'. Pop on over to my shop (link in profile) to check out what else I have available.

This is where the magic happens - a little 8x10 room in the back of our garage. It may be small but it is all mine and in a busy homeschool house of five, individual space is scarce.

Prompt #10 for March Meet the Maker is "storage". Here is a little look at how I store my fabric, tools, supplies and finished projects! There is almost nothing I like more than tidying up after a big string of projects. After a big clean-up I like to sit in the organization and quietness for just a little bit before stepping back into the house and the chaos of life!

I struggled to pin point any one best decision I have made over the years in my little business venture. I struggled so much that I admit this was actually yesterday's post prompt. A younger earlier version of me, after missing yesterday's prompt, would have thrown in the towel and decided against posting anything else for . Follow the formula or don't do it at all.

That made me reflect on the evolution of my business - I started out with bow ties (a red bow tie inparticular) and accessories specifically for boys (inspired by my three boys). I think at this point the most important decision was just to start! It may sound silly but I can often get caught up in dreaming and never get to starting - so this was super important!

The next most important decision I made was giving myself permission to quit. Quit products that no longer brought me joy, quit brick and morter stores because I was overextended (this was a super hard decision as being in a store brought me lots of joy) and quit social media for sporadic periods of time because its just not my thing. Quitting doesn't mean failure and quitting doesn't mean things can't ever be reevaluated.

Starting and quitting - two super important decisions.

Today's post prompt for was

It is super hard for me to pick a favorite from my past work - I work really hard to present items in my shop that I really really love and am proud to have you purchase.

I took a little trip down memory lane (aka shop.theredbowtie Instagram feed) and came across this little set of hand embroidered bonnets which I had forgot how much I loved. They brought back memories of long afternoons at the park when my kids were younger.

My business has always ebbed and flowed with the life and needs of my children and I made these at a time when my children required more hands on time from me so I was not able to make it to my sewing machine as readily as I am now. I was able to learn a new skill in embroidery as we spent hours upon hours at the park.

These truly gave me an appreciation for slowing down!

Take a scroll through my Instagram feed - I'd love to know

Day 4 - 3 things...

See this bonnet, it is my newest little bonnet, just listed in my shop today. Did you know that even though my bonnets are listed a certain way (in this case floral paired with lilac) in most cases you have the ability to choose to make it your own?! This bonnet in particular, you get to choose 1 of 3 secondary colors- green, lilac or soft white. Pop on over to my Etsy shop (link in profile) to order yours!

Bonus "3 thing" I'm going to bring to your attention is these 3 precious guys that sales in my shop help support. Thank you for that!

Planning

Planning... a skill I wish I were better at! I'm sure if I were better at planning this post would be on day 3 instead of 12:45am day 4.

Procrastinating - I'm really good at that. I can totally procrastinate a project into non-existence (sort-of like 2021's fall bonnet line 😬).

Dreaming, I can do that, I can dream super big and it is sort of like planning. I am super good at seeing the steps in my head - but putting them on paper and final ex*****on not so much.

Circling back to planning I have lots planned (in my head). But perhaps what I first need to do is plan a homeschool course on planning and then for real life education purposes have one of my kids be my personal assistant so that they can follow me around and put all of my big plans on paper (for learning purposes of course 😁)... genius!

Day 2 - Brand Values

For each item I produce I strive for quality, reduction of waste and supporting the community around me.

Quality - Each item I sew I strive for quality, an item that will be durable enough and desirable to pass on to another generation.

Reduction of Waste - I try to source my materials in a manner that produces as little waste as possible. This includes using reclaimed and deadstock fabrics when possible, placing patterns in a manner which creates as little waste as possible and using what would otherwise be scrap discard material in meaningful ways.

Supporting the Community Around Me - When possible I souce fabrics locally. This does not mean fabrics our produced locally but I chose to support fabric resellers first in my Hamilton and geographically close surrounding area and then next in the broader Canadian community.

Our world already has an abundance of 'things'. I hope to produce something meaningful, cherisable and low impact.

I'mmmmmmm baaaaaaaaack!!!

If you've been around here any amount of time you will recognize that I have a love hate relationship with social media and I am prone to disappear from this account for large lengths of time, only to pop back here as if this is a perfectly normal way to run a business! 😬🤪😬🤣

Thanks for sticking with me, and thanks for sticking by my shop, regardless of my unorthodoxed use of social media! If you want to see what I've been up to on my most recent social media hiatus pop on over to and follow along there for a look at our homeschooling life with 3 rambunctious kids.

I thought I would re-engage on this account through prompts. Realistically I will probably make 3 or 4 posts 😂 but every year I have high hopes! - I give myself props for this post as I already almost missed March 1st and I was already going to throw in the towel!

Today's prompt is 'You and your work' - I think I hit the mark with the above picture that took me 20 tries to awkwardly hold a beautifully handcrafted bonnet with only one eye slightly twitchy (go ahead and have another look at that picture, the twitchy eye will be all you can see now 😁).

Anyway... if you are new here, my name is Melissa and I sew bonnets! Welcome to this space, I look forward to 30 more posts in March!

A sneak peek at fox bonnets for fall. I will also have bear eared bonnets available. Any other animal bonnet requests??? I'm always up for the challenge of creating something new!

I'm just working on sourcing an economical shipping method for these thicker eared bonnets and I'm hoping to have them available in the shop mid-September!

New styles headed into the shop for September!

Make sure you are following this account for some upcoming exciting announcements this week with regards to an end of summer ready to ship bonnet sale!

If you have been wondering what I've been up to this summer and why I have been so quiet over here check out my personal account for some fun family updates!

Guess who's back in stock!? ⁣
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This little floral was available early this spring but quickly sold out! I was able to get my hands on some more of this fabric while finally fabric shopping in person this past weekend now that Ontario is starting to open up little by little! ⁣
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My favorite thing about this floral is just how versatile it is for pairing with a coordinating reverse fabric. This print somehow manages to be subtle yet packs in so many colours. ⁣
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What colour would you pair this floral with?⁣
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Another late night post for my night owl peeps! ⁣
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If you are looking for a bonnet and you can't wait for a custom order then check our new ready-to-ship page .theredbowtie.readytoship Lots of unique, last chance prints as well as some from the current collection. Check back often as I have more items to add! ⁣
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A couple reasons to shop ready-to-ship:⁣
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🌿 Normally when you order bonnets from me, it takes approximately a week before your bonnet makes it to the post office as each of these orders are made ecspecially for you! With ready-to-ship bonnets they are as the name indicates ready-to-ship! Your order will be dropped off at the post office the day after you order! ⁣
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🌿 In general most bonnets on the ready-to-ship page are posted at a discount $28 vs the regular price of $32.50⁣
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You get your bonnet quicker and you get a bit of a deal! Head over to .theredbowtie.readytoship to check out what's in stock!⁣
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Another late night post for my night owl peeps! ⁣
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If you are looking for a bonnet and you can't wait for a custom order then check our new ready-to-ship page .theredbowtie.readytoship Lots of unique, last chance prints as well as some from the current collection. Check back often as I have more items to add! ⁣
⁣
A couple reasons to shop ready-to-ship:⁣
⁣
🌿 Normally when you order bonnets from me, it takes approximately a week before your bonnet makes it to the post office as each of these orders are made ecspecially for you! With ready-to-ship bonnets they are as the name indicates ready-to-ship! Your order will be dropped off at the post office the day after you order! ⁣
⁣
🌿 In general most bonnets on the ready-to-ship page are posted at a discount $28 vs the regular price of $32.50⁣
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You get your bonnet quicker and you get a bit of a deal! Head over to .theredbowtie.readytoship to check out what's in stock!⁣
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I know I am doing Instagram all wrong (inconsistent posting, minimal hashtags, off-peak traffic) but this lady is gonna post when this lady has time to post and if that just so happens to be 11:23pm Thursday night than so be it!!!⁣
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Hello night owls and moms who will be getting up to feed babies shortly, can I get a hands up in the comments to see who my people are??? Lucky for you, you will be the first to hear the news - a ready to ship bonnet sale is on the close horizon! Don't cheer too loudly, everyone is asleep in your house and worse yet, you might wake the baby, but be quietly excited, perform that happy dance in your mind!⁣
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I'm thinking that I will be doing this sale as a series of individual Instagram posts on a separate account setup specifically for the sale of ready to ship items so that I can keep things better organized but let me know if you have a better idea I'd love to hear it! (Whew that was a long sentence, or was it a run on? Who really knows or cares, its 11:23pm 🤷🏼‍♀️)⁣
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Often when sewing up your orders I will come to the last little bit of fabric and take creative licensing and sew it up in the largest size possible and line it with the fabric of my choosing. I would then use this stock for festivals and ready-to-ship sales. I'm going to try something a little different and start listing these little bonnets in my Etsy Shop. ⁣
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What are the benefits to you for choosing these bonnets rather than one of my other listings? ⁣
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🌿These bonnets are ready to ship and will be dropped in the mail the day after your order. My other listings are made to order, which means it may be up to a week after your order before your bonnet makes it to my mail bag.⁣
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🌿These bonnets are available for a slight discount. $30 each, a nice lovely round number if I do say so myself!⁣
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🌿Because these are already sewn up there is no stress picking a second coordinating colour, I've already done that for you!⁣
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What are you waiting for? Go check out my new "LAST ONES ready to ship" section in the Etsy shop.⁣
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