Shrinking a Baseball Cap

January 10, 2005 1:27 PM

My head is an in-between size. I want to shrink a fitted New Era baseball cap very slightly, by maybe a sixteenth of an inch. Google only seems to tell me how to avoid doing so, and putting it in the dryer strikes me as overkill. Any tips from the local chapeau connoisseurs? Or should I just put off my next trip to the barber's?
posted by DrJohnEvans to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (6 answers total)

Is it wool or cotton?

I have no idea whether this would work, but you could try soaking the hat, putting it on and drying it on your head with a blowdryer. That would limit the shrinkage to the amount you need... in theory.
posted by me3dia at 1:31 PM on January 10, 2005

We bought a fitted Cubs cap for my father-in-law during a visit to Wrigley that turned out to be too large - my mother-in-law took some cotton batting and basically thickened the headband - in retrospect, that's probably even more overkill than the dryer.
posted by jalexei at 1:49 PM on January 10, 2005

Wear it in the shower next saturday morning. Wear it the rest of the day. It will fit very nicely.

The solution for the opposite problem-- cut the stiff plastic netting out of the front and you'll get some room.
posted by Mayor Curley at 3:46 PM on January 10, 2005

Soak it in hot water for a few seconds, shake off the excess and wear it on your head as it dries. I suppose a hair dryer might accelerate the process.

Used to do the same to fit berets on my head when I was in the military.
posted by furtive at 4:12 PM on January 10, 2005

I didn't even think to check the material. I did so, and unfortunately it's 100% polyester (it's a meshy batting practice cap), so none of the proposed solutions may work.

I'm planning on using it when running, so I may even prefer the extra sixteenth-inch. If not, I can resort to the cotton stuffing, and I may try the hot water for good measure.

Thanks for the ideas, all!
posted by DrJohnEvans at 7:14 PM on January 10, 2005

Don't shrink the hat, expand your head.

"Dr. John Evans, you certainly are one the wittiest and handsomest men I've met! How do you stay so trim and fit? And that cheesecake, my god, you must have studied at L'Acadamie to achieve such culinary prowess!"
posted by five fresh fish at 9:31 PM on January 10, 2005