I love summer. Unfortunately, now my daughter is at primary school, summer also comes with the dreaded dress down days in exchange for tombola prizes or raffle prizes for the summer fete. Emotional blackmail for the parents, I feel. Anyway, for once I decided to make an effort. Or, if u want the real reason I decided to sew these hats, we were broke and couldn’t afford an appropriate, travel related prize.
As luck would have it, I had just picked up a bundle of cotton prints (mainly small-ish pieces) from a local Facebook selling page. I dragged out appropriate prints to make two hats- one for a girl, one for a boy; and found the free Oliver and S Bucket hat pattern that I printed ages ago and never got round to making.
This is the result. I was up until 1am the night before dress-down day in order to complete these.
Of course, having seen these cool hats and not being able to keep them, my 2 littles wanted hats of their own.
And then my Mum, messaging me from Spain where she’s on holiday, having spied the hats on my Facebook page, wanted one of her own. Well, if I was making adult sizes I wanted to get in on the action too. So, I printed out the pattern again but scaled to 110% so as to fit our adult size heads, and got sewing again. For the grown up versions I used some vintage 50’s cotton print I picked up about 3 months ago and had been hoarding and stroking, trying to find a way I could use this, slightly waxed cotton, in a garment for myself. Reluctantly I decided it would be perfect for this hat. Is anyone else reluctant to part with gorgeous pieces of fabric? I don’t mind using them for myself but I’m worringly selfish about using my special pieces for other people. This time I bit the bullet and this is the result.
The top I’m wearing in these pics is my first version of the Silk Woven tee pattern from the Great British Sewing Bee Fashion with Fabric book. I used a fabulous dahlia print cotton I bought at the Knitting and Stitching show last year.
I love these hats but, having made 6 in just over a week, I think I’ll move on to something else now. All that top-stitching on the brims made my eyes go funny.
Sewcial Warrior 
I have a similar pattern that I haven’t yet tried I think I may have to have a go now, yours look so cute and I love the fabric of the adult hats.
Go for it Catherine. They’re addictive. But watch out- i’ve had several requests for more hats from other people now they’ve seen them. My family and friends would have me making bucket hats for the next million years if they had their way.