Summer Hat!

**Admittedly, this post is more about gratuitous pictures of a baby in an inflatable pool than it is about the project... but come on, that kid-- and those toes! Ohmygoodness, I melt.

The other day I was at walmart (groan) with my husband (double groan) (not about the husband-- we like him, but about the husband at walmart because our bill triples everytime he is there with me. urg.) And we were on our way to the paper towel aisle when we passed that dangerously colorful seasonal aisle and Z was all-- OOOOH! And I was all, NOOOO! And we ended up in the aisle and an inflatable pool ended up in our cart because apparently we have no will power.
Anywho... Sam was going swimming. He has trunks, and a sun shirt, sandals, sunglasses... everything except something to cover that bald little head of his. The kid is going to need a hat, I said to myself. It was 9:00 p.m. and Sam was just put down to sleep, and the day of swimming was tomorrow... so I plopped myself in front of the computer hoping I could make something happen... and within 10 minutes I was in front of my sewing machine going to town.

I found a free online Oliver+S (LOVE!!!) pattern for a bucket hat. Apparently this pattern was released online when they were introducing their book, Little things to Sew (which is totally already on my wish list, in case you were wondering.) and I am even more in love with Oliver+S than I was before. Adorable classic designs, beautiful pictures, easy to follow instructions... yay! Anyway, enough free advertising for Oliver+S (I was not enticed or compensated in any way for this review. I am just an over-enthusiastic blogger. Oliver+S has no idea who I am. It would be awesome if they did though...)

So I dug through my stash (yay, stash-busting!) and within an hour and a half I had a sun hat for my little man's bald-y head. I used lightweight cotton, blue on top and large green plaid on the inside. Green contrasting stitching on the outside of the hat tied the two together oh-so-nicely. (It's also reversible, which is way fun!)

After playing in the hot sun for a while, I took the hat and dunked it in the water and plopped it back on the boy's head. He laughed as the water ran down his face, I bet he enjoyed the coolness. The fabric dried quickly enough that I did it a again a little while later and it didn't take long to dry after we were out of the water, so it was the perfect sun hat for pool day!

 

Perfect for splashing in the water.

Perfect for playing with toys.

And perfect for lounging about poolside, even in the sun.

 Oh goodness! Look at those wrinkled piggies! It's time to get out!

It was a pretty quick and easy project, but one that could easily be customized... add decorative buttons, add a pocket on the side, or a big flower for a girl. Pattern sizing goes from 6month-8years, so there is sure to be a size to fit your favorite kiddo this summer. Make one! Make a bunch! It's a fun summer project, and looks dang cute on the little man-- if I do say so myself.