Baby Hats

I set up the sewing machine yesterday to make a couple of sun hats to take down to the kids in Manhattan Beach. I began with an Oliver + S bucket hat for The Grandson.

I made him the smallest version of this hat last winter and he's worn it a fair bit. He lives in a beach town, so a little sun protection for the old noggin is a good thing.

It's gotten a bit small for him now that he's one whole year old, so this time I sized up to the Small (12-24 months).

This is a free pattern, and a very nice one too. It includes sizes Extra Small (6-12 month) through Large (6-8 years), so it will keep your kid's head covered until they're halfway through primary school. Plus, it's a great project for using up scraps of fun fabric.

I hope you're not too creeped out by seeing my hat model in full frontal mode. Believe me, the hat looks a lot cuter on a cheeky baby.

I used a Cotton and Steel cotton lawn called "Owl and Cactus." He has a cactus theme going on in his nursery, so I pick up every piece of cactus paraphernalia I see.

Fabric print close up. Cute, yes?

The Grandson wears his current version with the brim turned up jauntily.

Like so. See, it does look a lot cuter on a cheeky baby.

My exciting news is that I am about to become the grandmother of a girl baby. She's due towards the end of September and I can hardly wait. It's been all boy babies in my family. This is my first shot at crafting things for a girl, so there will be some pink overload going on for the first few months.

Since she will also be basking in that Southern California sun, she will be requiring a sun hat year round. This is the Baby Sunbonnet from Purl Soho, another free pattern. It comes in sizes 0-24 months.

Side view

Prepare to be super creeped out by this next shot. I thought about drawing on some eyes and a smiley mouth, but that would probably be even worse.

Scariest hat model ever

I used a girly pink flowered cotton lawn for this one.

Rear view

Baby things can be a bit fiddly to sew because of all the little pieces and opposing curves. This hat was very easy to put together though.

Lining shot

I lined it with a light cotton lawn in ivory.

I highly recommend both these patterns. They go together easily and both sites include great instructions. Plus, free.

My pattern reviews are on PatternReview.com: Bucket Hat and Sunbonnet.