Sun Bonnet

My little chubby cheeked girl needed another option for when we go outside, and so I recently made her a sun bonnet using the PDF bonnet pattern from Christy at Little Betty.

Christy's in Sydney Australia and blogs here at Little Betty.

She has an etsy shop where she sells actual bonnets, or you can buy her PDF pattern to make one yourself.

 Having a bonnet has kind of a vintage vibe, but still seems current to me, and most important--it keeps the sun off baby's face!

The pattern is clear and easy to follow.  I was able to make Ellie's in less than an hour.  The hardest part for me was ironing the curve.  I also made the 6-12 month size so she has room to grow, so it's a little big to start out.  I used the turquoise and red print from Bliss by Bonnie and Camille for Moda fabrics.  The lining was a red print scrap from Ellie's quilt.  If you follow the pattern, this bonnet can be totally reversible.  

But I made a variation on the straps by adding a button closure, so mine isn't reversible.

Ellaria has huge cheeks.

Like the pilot on Star Wars.  

{My dad came to visit us for the 4th of July and Star Wars was on TV and he said: "Look there's Ellie!  I thought it was pretty funny}

But we think Ellie is a lot cuter of course.

Ellaria is also chubby, so basically when I give her a bath, I pretty much floss her neck roll with a washcloth to get it clean.  So having a ribbon tie under her chin would be uncomfortable for my chubby girl.  So I was trying to think of options with less bulk while she's a little baby, and came up with a button and elastic closure. I sewed elastic cord in a big loop in place of one of the ribbons, then on the opposite side of the bonnet, I added a large wooden button.  I kept the elastic cord loop pretty large so it's loose enough it's not digging in her neck rolls, but still holds the bonnet on.

So far we've loved it!  I plan on making her another bonnet after she grows out of this one....maybe her cheeks won't be so huge by then and she'll be able to have the ribbon ties so it can be reversible!

And if you can believe it,  Christy is offering Running With Scissors readers a big discount!

Her etsy shop: Little Betty Designs

You can use the code: SCISSOR25 to receive 25% off your purchase (not including shipping).  

Offer available through July 18, next Monday!

If you're not in the mood to sew one yourself, you can purchase a bonnet like this cute one: