I have to admit, I went out in late Spring and bought a sunhat because I was way behind in projects and just didn’t squeeze this one in. I will bet though that there are a few other moms and maybe some dads that find themselves looking for a Sunhat in July when all of the cute ones are sold out. Here is a quick tutorial for making your own.

First download the Baby Sunhat Pattern for Free! This pattern is for small, medium or large hats. Click the Tweet & Get It button below!

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Next, use the pattern to cut out the brim and top pieces. You will need 12 pieces for the top, I suggest cutting 6 on the fold of the fabric to save a little time. The brim MUST be cut on the fold, you will need to cut 2 out of fabric and one out of interfacing.

Once the pieces are cut out with RIGHT sides of fabric together stitch 3 of the top pieces together. You will have a total of 4 of these, the photo shows 2.

Now, take two of the 3 piece sections and with right sides all the way around the outer edge so when you turn it inside out you end up with a bowl shape. Do the same thing on the other two 3 piece sections so you have 2 ‘bowls’.

With WRONG sides of bowls together, match center and seams and baste (loosely stitch) raw edges together.

Now, apply fusible interfacing to WRONG side of brim, following manufacturer’s directions. Stitch center back seam of brim.

Stitch center back seam of the other brim piece. With RIGHT sides together, stitch facing to brim, matching centers, leaving inner edges open, trim inside seam. Turn brim right side out and press. Add a topstitch around the outer edge of the brim. Baste inside raw edges together. I apologize for not having a photo here, basically you should end up with a lifesaver looking brim with the inside part of the circle raw and loosely stitched. See the photo in the next step to get an image of what the brim should look like.

On outside, pin brim to hat matching centers. Stitch along seam line over previous stitching.

Try the hat on your little one if possible and use a fabric pen to place a dot where you want each tie. it should be slightly in front of their ear. Cut ribbon for hat ties, on OUTSIDE, center ends of ties over small dots that you made. Stitch ribbons or ties onto hat.

On OUTSIDE, pin band, I used grosgrain ribbon 5/8″, over lower edge of hat (over brim), turning over and lapping one end at center back. Stitch close to edge of band. Trim seam under band.

Turn hat right side out and put a topstitch right above the brim seam, this will stitch the other side of the band in place. Now send that baby out into the hot smoldering sun, make yourself a cold bevie and relax!! Just kidding, you actually should use the UVA protected fabric if you plan on using this for blocking the sun. I just think HE (yes he!) looks cute. So adorable it won’t even bother me when the moms at the playground ask me how old SHE is

Do you want to hide some junk and need a pretty way to do it? These fabric boxes are the ticket! I live in an old house and nothing ever fits (or works) quite right so when I go to do a project I find that goods off the shelf never fit quite right. After spending hours online trying to find bins that would fit my shelves I decided it would be faster to just make them. Here is how I did it!

Items Needed: Cardboard Boxes, Fabric, Glue Gun, Tacky Spray, Handles of your own choosing, Scissors, Fabric Pen, Power drill
Fabric Tips: Be careful with patterns they are tough to match up and you will need extra fabric if the pattern is complicated. I can’t seem to get enough gingham in my life right now and as a bonus the straight lines make cutting easier! A second note is you may want to consider oilcloth or a fabric that can be wiped clean. I think I am going to cry when my little one puts his dirty spaghetti soaked hands all over these.

1.) Get some cardboard boxes, if you need a specific size you can’t find try www.boxjedi.com (see note in playroom reorg post).
2.) Get some fabric (this step is the most fun!) How much do you need? It depends on the size of the box. I used 4 yards and got 6 boxes out of it.
3.) Measure the short end of each box and cut a piece of fabric 3 inches longer and wider than the box. Iron flat (I know you want to skip this step but don’t you will regret it). Go outside with your tacky spray and spray each end then press the fabric onto each end covering the edges.

4.) Measure the length of each box and around each box. Add 2 inches to each measurement and cut a piece of fabric.

5.) Iron the fabric and sew a 1 inch seam on the ends that will meet the edge you already covered. The piece should be slightly slimmer than the box which is ok because the covered edges hang over just a bit. Cover the outside of the box with tacky spray and press the fabric on.

6.) Measure where you want the handles and use a fabric pen to mark the spot. Using a power drill carefully drill a small hole in each spot. I started with small holes and increased the size as needed. Attach your handles. Be creative use vintage knobs, grommets, or peruse your local hardware store for creative solutions. I wanted grommets but my box was too thick so I used finishing washers (which retail for about $.20 each….easy and cheap!). I hot glued them over the holes and used a safety-pin to thread some grosgrain ribbon through.

7.) Measure the inside including the ends and cut a piece of fabric 1 inch longer on each side. Sew a 1/2 inch seam on each end. Err on the shorter side for this piece of fabric. If it is a little small it will be ok but if it is too big it will look messy. Tacky spray this sucker onto the inside of the box and you are done! Now go hide your junk!

I turned a former library type room into a playroom and always struggled with making use out of the narrow shelf space. I decided to tackle this project early on as I find myself spending countless hours in the room. The shelfs were becoming a dumping ground for odds and ends that didn’t have a home…lotion bottles, laptop chargers, old yarn from a craft project long ago abandoned. So many miscellaneous items had taken up permanent residence in my cell…err I mean the playroom.

The project centered around these fabric boxes that I made myself because I couldn’t find anything just the right size. I wanted to maximize every square inch of space on the 4 larger shelves so I bought cardboard boxes from www.boxjedi.com . You can order any size box, with a lid without, various thicknesses, etc. This is not a commercial for boxjedi, any box will work but if you need a custom size boxjedi will make it. If you chose to go that route let me know because I ran into some snags that would be easily avoidable if I had a little guidance.

Stay tuned for a tutorial on the fabric boxes!