Save my old ball cap.

January 6, 2006 7:48 AM

I have an old ball cap that I love. I've had it for about eight years, and now it's getting too tight to wear, which makes me woe-begotten. Any tips/magic/old recipes to make an old hat stretch out a bit without destroying it? I don't want to replace it.
posted by xmutex to clothing, beauty, & fashion (6 comments total)

Find something round-ish enough to simulate your noggin, wet the hat and s t r e t c h it over your head-model until it dries. It might just fit after that. Is the hat made from standard hat-material?
posted by Makebusy7 at 8:05 AM on January 6, 2006

And this wouldn't have anything to do with the Red Sox, now, would it?
posted by matildaben at 8:10 AM on January 6, 2006

Hats dry quickly enough to just put it on wet and wear it until it dries (especially since your head is, likely, quite warm). I've done this once or twice, since my head is a little too big for a once-shrunken size M hat, but too small for an unshrunken one. So I sometimes have to shrink-and-stretch.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:54 AM on January 6, 2006

You could get a hat stretcher. I came across a bunch of them on eBay while looking for fedoras yesterday.
posted by d-no at 3:09 PM on January 6, 2006

From neweracap.com:
"What happens is the sweatband does its job and collects any moisture when you are wearing the cap. Without a head to hold its shape and size, it will shrink as it dries. For starters, grab your cap from the rear of the cap, place it over your knee and give a good hard yank. You will hear some popping noises. That's O.K. Stop pulling after you hear a couple of these noises. If you pull too hard and too long, you could rip a seam. We DON'T want that!! What you are actually doing is breaking the sizing, which is a stiff plastic strap that we sew into the cap for shape and size maintenance."
Suppose it depends on the brand.
posted by michaelkuznet at 4:46 PM on January 6, 2006

Sorry I can't help, but: woebegone.
posted by gleuschk at 4:09 AM on January 9, 2006