Getting Started
Okay, so I decided to work on this little project, focusing on the theme ‘baseball light blue’. Didn’t really know exactly what that meant at first, just liked the sound of it. Ended up deciding to give an old baseball cap a new look.
First step was digging around to find a suitable cap. Found a plain white one in the back of my closet, barely worn. Perfect starting point. Then, I needed the color. Light blue. Had to make a trip to the craft store for supplies.
Gathering the Goods
At the store, I looked at fabric dyes and paints. Dye seemed like a lot of hassle for just one cap, big pot of water and all that. Figured fabric paint would give me more control anyway. So, I picked up:
- A bottle of light blue fabric paint.
- Some painter’s tape (the blue kind).
- A couple of cheap brushes, different sizes.
Got back home, ready to actually start doing something.
Prepping the Cap
Before painting, I wiped the cap down with a slightly damp cloth. Just to get any dust off it. Let it air dry completely. While waiting, I thought about the design. Solid blue? Nah, maybe leave some white. Decided to paint the main parts light blue but keep the brim and the little top button white. Also wanted the back strap to stay as it was.
Took the painter’s tape and carefully masked off the edges of the brim. Pressed it down real good so paint wouldn’t bleed under. Taped around the little button on top and covered the adjustment strap too. Preparation is key, right? Didn’t want sloppy edges.
Applying the Paint
Spread out some old newspaper on my work table. Gave the fabric paint a good shake, then squeezed a blob onto a paper plate. Grabbed a medium brush and started applying the light blue paint onto the fabric sections. Went slow, tried to keep the coat even. The fabric really soaked it up first time round, looked a bit uneven.
Definitely needed a second coat. I let the first coat dry for a couple of hours. Just left it sitting there. Then I went back over it all with a second layer of the light blue paint. Focused on getting a nice, solid color this time, smoothing out brush marks as best I could.
Finishing Up
This time I let it dry for much longer, probably left it overnight just to be super sure it was set. The next day, it felt completely dry to the touch. Time for the reveal! I slowly and carefully peeled off all the painter’s tape. The lines between the blue and white parts looked pretty decent, I was happy with that.
Checked it all over. Found a tiny spot near the brim where the paint didn’t quite reach the tape line, so I used a tiny brush to touch that up carefully. The paint instructions mentioned heat setting it to make it permanent. Usually ironing or tumble drying. I don’t trust my dryer not to mess things up, so I used the iron. Put a thin cloth over the painted part and ironed it section by section, following the time and temperature on the paint bottle. Had to be careful around the plastic strap.
The Result
And that’s it, really. Stood back and had a look. Got myself a ‘baseball light blue’ cap now. The light blue panels with the white brim look pretty cool, I think. It’s not factory-perfect, you can tell it’s hand-done if you look close, but it was a good practice session. Took an old thing and made it into something I’d actually wear again. Job done.
