Friday, July 5, 2013

DIY Monogrammed Baseball Cap


For the 4th of July, I was going to be spending a lot of time outdoors.  In years past, I have gotten a little bit of a tan during the sunny months, but this year I have decided to embrace the paste.  So, I needed some extra coverage, and a baseball hat fit the bill.

Sadly, the only baseball cap I had was one with Bud Light front and center.  No offense to Bud Light, but I'm just not a big beer drinker.  So, I needed a way to cover this up, and I came up with a monogrammed solution.

To make your own, you will need:
  • Baseball cap
  • Fabric
  • Straight pins
  • Contrasting embroidery floss and needle
  • Fabric paint and paint brush
  • Pinking shears
  • Monogram stencil (I'll tell you how to make your own!)
  • Exacto or other knife
First, cut out a piece of fabric big enough to cover the offending design (or, if you're lucky to have a plain hat, however big you want it to be!), with seam allowance on all sides.

Pin your seam in place and press with an iron.

Now, you'll make your monogram stencil.  I don't have pictures for any of this, so bear with me.

1) Open Microsoft Word and choose the "Insert Word Art" option.  There is a Word Art choice that peaks in the middle- select that (or whichever design strikes your fancy). 
2) Type your initials in the box (First, Last, Middle) and select your font.  I chose Algerian. 
3) Now, making sure your Word document is set to 100% view, size your monogram to fit your fabric.
4) Finally, select white as your "Shape Fill" color, and set your "Shadow Effects" color to white as well.  You should be left with an outline of your monogram.

Print it!

Then, carefully cut the letters away using a small, sharp knife.  If you have a letter like "B" make sure you leave a little connecting paper so that the insides of the "B" stay in place.

Place the stencil over the fabric and very carefully paint in the border of the monogram.

Remove the stencil and fill in/touch up any areas you need to.  Allow it to dry completely.

Then, using a running backstitch, simply stitch your painted fabric to the front of your cap. 

Ta da!  No more free advertising for beer! ;)

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July!  Have a great weekend!!

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