I need to wear a protective cap. Somehow I frequently bump my head on cabinet doors and tree branches or chicken house door frame, leaving scratches, divots and scabs which make people think I've been beaten . Baseball caps are too stiff and uncomfortable, and the middle button or rivet acts like a ball-peen hammer if I hit my head on a tree branch, which I will do. I took apart an old, worn and unlined cadet cap to make a pattern. I like having a liner with a quilted inside top for protection. The best fabric for the shell is from upcycled chinos or Dockers trousers. Denim is too heavy and stiff, and my sewing machine can't handle it. Upcycled chino fabric is better than new - softer and more pliable, thoroughly pre-shrunk, but still thick, strong and protective. I've also used upcycled duck fabric or canvas. For the liner, I like a soft cotton shirt fabric. Flannel or corduroy work nicely. Those are better than something slippery, since the hat is less likely to fly off, and soft cotton fabrics are more absorbent. I made new templates for the sides, 1/4 inch longer and 1/2 inch higher to fit my own head size. I continue to use the original top and bill for templates. I use a heavy interfacing for the bill, which is not so stiff. It's more comfortable and doesn't have the stiff hard edge that causes the bill to fray and wear out so quickly in the laundry. The same templates work for both outer shell and liner. Here is the template arrangement on remnants from an old pair of blue chinos. The rest of those pants was already used for a different project. This time, I used my vintage Morse sewing machine to see how that would go. It was quite nice. The stitches are not quite as even and tight as the newer machine but it sewed over thicker seams without skipping. For practice, I upcycled a Trader Joe's canvas grocery tote for the outer shell, and a soft old cotton shirt remnant for liner. I used heavy denim thread, which I had lying around. liner The inside has a quilted top to protect my head. Here is the other one, made from a remnant from Dockers pants. In the photo, I included the original project from those, a grocery tote. I used regular cotton sewing machine thread for this cap. I don't usually add a pocket to grocery totes, but wanted to practice buttons and button holes and pockets, so there it is. The tote has the same height, width, depth as a large paper grocery bag, and uses up most of the fabric from a large pair of Dockers. With enough left over to make the cap. I like these caps better than anything I have found in a store. They are much more comfortable, protective as I need them, as near-endlessly machine washable and dryable as any other clothing. The main challenge has been a good fit, which I think I have managed now. The original cap had a hat band, which I didn't include because I don't think it adds anything. My tailor skills are not perfect - the stitching isn't as straight and even as something from a factory. That's fine. I'm also happy not having any logo or advertising on my head. The cost is minimal - the trousers were $3 on half-off sale at thrift store, it didn't use much thread, and the liner was also remnant from a thrift store shirt that mostly went for other projects. New caps aren't cheap any more, and by making my own I can have a few spares for almost no cost.
@mart, thank you. I always knew how. It's something to do with my hands. I'm more limited in what heavy things I can do now, and sewing is a creative thing to do. I try to keep it practical and frugal. I also like the vintage machines.
Thank you Eileen! Happy 2/2/22 day! But not Tuesday Today I was cleaning out the scrap bag and found the top part of a pair of pants that I had used in a different project. I took it apart and made a garden tool holster. I wear suspenders, so a belt hook would not work. Instead, I sewed it to my garden pants. I can always make another for other pants, and the holster is just clothing so it's machine washable. Now the scissors or pruners won't poke holes in pockets (or my skin) and I wont lose them by sitting them down somewhere. It took about an hour. It's rainy and chilly. So I want to stay indoors. Making stuff does save a lot of money. I can also have things exactly how I want them.
Is there no end to your inventiveness? I do hope not. I love your latest project as it not only looks good but is so practical into the bargain.
Sewing your own cadet cap using upcycled fabrics sounds like such a cool and practical project. It's awesome that you're able to customize the fit and materials to suit your needs. Plus, upcycling chinos or Dockers trousers for the shell and using soft cotton shirt fabric for the liner sounds like a great combination for comfort and protection. Kudos to your creativity and resourcefulness! By the way, speaking of hats, I recently stumbled upon a website called that offers custom hats. They have a variety of options to choose from if you ever feel like exploring different styles. It's always exciting to discover new hat possibilities, isn't it?
