Little boy bucket hats

After living in California for nearly 7 years, I still haven't quite gotten used to cloudless days nearly all year round. As a matter of fact, you can find an ice scraper in my car (man, was I prepared the one day we had frost!), but not one of those super handy windshield shade thingys that everyone around here seems to have.  I only just started carrying sunglasses everywhere.  As a non-native, I'm not great about getting sunscreen on my kids (kids need Vitamin D, right? :) and we didn't train my eldest to tolerate hats from an early age.  This time around, though, I'm trying to get a hat on the little one as often as I can so he'll actually keep it on (you know, without straps, velcro, ties or glue).  

Enter the bucket hat (courtesy of Little Things to Sew by Oliver + S).  Oh so adorable and ridiculously easy and quick to sew up.  Plus, it takes a shockingly small amount of fabric, so any cute scraps have the potential to make an sweet little sun shade.   I first made one for my (almost) 2 year old.  The size small fit perfectly.

After reading a blog post about a variation on the hat construction, I obviously had to make another.  My (almost) 7 year old was the lucky recipient.  Large worked well for him (and almost fit me!)  

For the brim, I interfaced both the inside and outside pieces, and I'm happy I did.  And I love the parallel lines of stitching all around--it totally makes the hats!

Fabric: Alexander Henry 2D Zoo (front) and Michael Miller Backyard Baby (back)

Fabric: Michael Miller Dotty Dot (front) and orange kona cotton (back)

With these cuties my the little guys can be protected from the sun, and I can begin my assimilation to California culture.  Now, I just need a windshield shade...