Sun hats

It's finally getting warm and sunny in Wisconsin, which means it's sun protection season for us pale people. While sunscreen is de rigueur for spending more than a few minutes outside, you may have noticed my obsession with another sun protection method - hats. I'll readily admit that this is partly an excuse to occasionally get new hats like this beauty.

The real challenge is the kiddo, who inherited my super pale skin coloring. He needs sun protection but doesn't always consent to wearing a hat. For some reason, the cuter the hat, the more likely he is to take it off. Let's not discuss his reaction to the first hat I sewed for him (which I still have to show you), but at least he seems to like the second.

A bucket hat is classic for a little boy. This pattern comes out of the book Sewn Hats (which I've used few times now) and the fabric is what I found in my stash that had enough yardage and wasn't flowery.

I made a few modifications, including:

• I used a heavyweight interfacing for the brim.
• I lined the inside of the crown instead of adding an interfacing and using the recommended bias tape seam finishing.
• I added a chin strap just in case kiddo didn't like to keep this hat on his head.

Happily, kiddo likes to wear this hat and has even brought it to me and asked for help with putting it on! So now I can worry a bit less about having a toddler with sunburn. Whew.