Unstitching a Horrible "Free Box" Cap to Create Something Beautiful
I received the above photo in my Instagram inbox, (thanks, Jody!) along with a bit of a nudge.
"Saw this just after reading your post on embroidering the jean shirt (so good!) & thought I remembered you had hydrangeas? Tuckernuck Hydrangea hat. Another possible project?"
So cute, here's a photo that better shows the detailed needlepoint-style embroidery of a hydrangea blossom. Here's a link to the listing, selling the cap for $45.
I was suddenly reminded me that I was already in possession of a ridiculous "free box" cap that I'll never wear, as it looks like the adult character is wearing a diaper.
I mean, c'mon . . . you see it too, right? Is he maybe also balding with an additional underbite?
However . . . I can unpick stitching like it's an Olympic sport!
It's a slow endeavor, as it's important to not accidentally destroy the backing fabric. Luckily, it can be done while watching important historical documentaries. (Please let me know if I'm intimidating you with my intellectual pursuits.) It's likely that the amount of time unpicking the stitches is a longer process than the later embroidery.
I'm not sure if my plan is to attempt an exact recreation of the Tuckernut design, but it would be a satisfying challenge either way. It's an easy enough stitch, the hard part would be keeping the stitches precisely the same size.
Luckily, I already own the simple supplies, (a baseball cap and thrifted embroidery floss) and I'm always on the lookout for fun projects.
Plus it'll give me an excuse with watch, umm . . . important historical documentaries.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
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Katy,, you can purchase "lost canvas" for needlepointing or cross stitching on an existing garment. Center your design, embroider, and then dampen the mesh and pull it out, one strand at a time. Pulling it out is a lot like your unpicking stitches - you should be a natural!
Yes! If you don’t want to purchase something special, you can also use a scrap of regular Aida (but stitch a little loose) and deconstruct the Aida to remove it once your design is set. Maybe go super low tech and try drawing yourself a grid with pencil or washable ink.
Ask your NG if anyone has a small piece of what is also known as “ waste canvas. Library for needlepoint or crossstitch books for designs. Think of possibilities for clothing embellishing.
When you wrote about an adult character in a diaper, I thought you were describing Trump! LOL! But he isn't bald, is he? (Or not quite bald...you never know what that terrible comb-over is hiding.)
Mr. Snuggles Dog had a frugal victory today (for me it was a frugal fail): I dropped a plate of BBQ beef tips on the kitchen floor, so he got my lunch. Gobbled it up in a flash!
Thank you for the laugh you just gave me!
Lol! I thought of Trump too! If Katy had orange embroidery floss she could give him an embroidery mullet that would complete the look.
Yes. Better that than a red MAGA hat!
The other day on the train I saw a little girl with a hat that had little floral designs on it and I couldn't tell if it was embroidered or if they were like iron on patches. Since I'm a stranger and she was probably 6-8 years old I tried not to stare too hard! It seems to be the hot new trend, way to go Katy!
1. We went to London to visit the Young V and A Museum as they had a Wallace and Gromit exhibit, however it was a ticketed exhibit and we were unaware that we needed advanced (and incredibly coveted) tickets and were unable to enter the exhibit. Luckily for us, the rest of the museum was free and had hands-on activities for kids. My kids are young enough that they didn't notice the severe lack of Wallace and Gromit in the rest of the museum, they were satisfied by a tour of the gift shop, a photo book area with props of their living room, and an overpriced cupcake with a Wallace and Gromit sticker slapped on it.
2. We then went to the British Museum and honestly I could probably spend an entire week there and not fully finish seeing everything. I was astonished that it was FREE! We did purchase a reusable bottle of water and another drink as it was HOT! but the proceeds are helping the museum so I felt less of a sting from it.
3. We brought our own snacks and swapped out to explore and sit with the kids.
4. We did splurge on meals while in London but the portions were so large that we were able to share 2-3 entrees for our family of 4. We took advantage of the free coffee packets in our hotel room as well, one of the only amenities our hotel offered, which was very needed after walking and carrying our kids around museums all day.
5. Our train left around 7:00am and because it crossed into other countries we had to be there an hour early to check in and get through customs. We walked since we weren't too far from the station and took some beautiful photos of the sun rising over the buildings. We were on the wrong side of the station for the coffee kiosk so we accidentally saved money there. We didn't want to have to carry coffees and push the kids' wagon AND carry our bags, so we talked ourselves out of buying a coffee when we arrived and reminded ourselves that we do in fact have coffee supplies at home.
The hat is very cute! Not the one that needs unpicking!
I had a scare this morning when I couldn't find my car. I knew where I had parked it last (though one fear flashing through my head was that I really didn't, and I was losing my marbles!) I walked all around the block but it really wasn't anywhere around.
Before I called the police, I texted my grandson. Yes, he did have it. I don't quite understand how he forgot to tell me he was borrowing it. That's never happened before, which is why it scared me so much. Anyway, I was very relieved. Borrowed, not stolen or towed, is a good thing. Much more frugal. Now to work on better communication.
I slept very poorly last night, mostly because I was hot, I think. I didn't have the air on because I didn't think the temperature or humidity warranted it. Now I realize, if I'm that uncomfortable, it's reason enough to turn it on. Duh.
I did a load of laundry today and found a quarter in the laundry room!
Laundered money! Just like the Mafia!
That looks kinda like the Little Caesar pizza guy! But, yeah, awful. A lovely embroidered flower will be a huge improvement.
We made a trip today to Ollie's Outlet for pet potty pads, as our youngest dog has had a spell of upset innards that used up our supply, and also bought cranberry juice, walnuts, mustard, and a small bag of Tootsie Pops as the fun item. All of those items were half what they'd cost in a regular retail outlet.
Made chili and corn muffins for my family for lunch today using pantry ingredients. Sewed some scrap fabric together to make dusting cloths.
As a fellow dog parent, I find the basted bones at Ollie's Outlet to be far cheaper than anywhere else, and Snuggles can't tell that I paid half price or less for them. In fact, he's outside chomping on one right now.
You can add hats to the list of items that are over-manufactured. There are so many branded hats that go out into the world, and I wonder what percentage get worn? Good for you for rescuing the diaper man hat. I can’t image which brand he represents.
Today, I tried a few garage sales. I came home with a bathroom waste can in the same color as your phone, some puffy hangers (the kind that don’t leave “corners” on your shirts) a bag of sewing elastic, and an LED nightlight. Each item cost a quarter.
I’m heading to a county fair later and am debating whether to eat at home or whether to eat at a food truck.
No one needs a baseball cap. They literally always erase about 10 IQ points from someone's appearance. Plus, balding men wear them indoors which is completely tacky and ignorant.
Need a hat? Find something less ugly and trashy than a baseball cap. Yes, a dog turd with a flower needlepointed on it is still a dog turd.
Surely even a fashion maven like you can appreciate that the design is a non-negotiable requirement for playing the game of baseball.
Although I have no interest in wearing them, my husband wears a cap to keep rain off his glasses, wind out of his hair, or sun off of his balding spot and out of his eyes. A proper hat, like a bowler or fedora or cowboy hat, would look stupid with sweats and a t-shirt, though he sometimes wears a flat cap.
Appearing to have a high IQ is not important to him, and fishing hats take more than ten points off. He does not wear them inside the house, only outside or in stores.
The dermatologist who diagnosed and the surgeon who removed the skin cancer from my face would disagree.
My husband plays golf. He wears a ball cap & most of the other golfers do too. I prefer a visor type cap as it is not so hot on your head. When you live in Texas you want to keep the glaring sun out of your eyes. I do think it looks foolish when men (or women) wear the ball cap with the bill going backwards. That look seems to lower the IQ quotient of the wearer IMHO.
harriet, I wish I could say this privately, but you come off really, really judgy, and it is an ugly look (apparently, as ugly as a baseball cap).
My partner wears them all the time, and I don't think he looks 10 IQ pts less, most of the population no longer sees men wearing hats indoor as tacky or ignorant.
Please don't assume that you have a monopoly on good taste.
I'm not so sure judgy but not quite enough factual reason to her post. I get from where she's coming. The style of caps is not limited to baseball sad to say. It has been co-opted for what I call the make america white again movement. If you are supporting your baseball team, then fine. If not, might be best to just wear it around the house.
I have one - decades old race car (read now considered maga/mawa). Useful weeding the garden but not much else.
I agree. My husband never goes out the door without a cap.
He is bald, skin cancer is not sustainable
My husband has quite an assortment of baseball caps - many are not in circulation but he has several that he wears all the time. They seem to multiply like rabbits. That said, I don’t have any moral high ground to criticize because my shoe collection seems to multiply too despite donating and giving many away because comfort is my new priority.
It took me a long time not cringe when people wore baseball caps inside. I was raised to believe hats of any sort were to be removed when inside.
I think I’ll wear a baseball cap today — in honor of Harriett! 😉
Rotflmao!
Harriet, you are living in the far distant past. The hat and cap rule for men faded away about the same time as the rule for women to wear dresses, gloves, high heels and dressy hats to church, or even when going shopping (usually downtown at stores where they had elevator operators call out the floor number, instead letting people press the elevator buttons themselves). Both rules are archaic and seem rather silly in today's world. I wonder, do you still use a rotary dial phone?
Rose, I'm fully aware that this is you just using a different name.
Well, then you need to stitch a Rose on your hat and wear it with pride!
I thought she sounded familiar!
Katy, I have been thinking the exact same thing!
I love that Tuckernuck hat. I embroidered a NY Yankees design using French knots on a navy wool hat. I made a second one for a friend whose hubby played for them in the '90's.
I'm curious how difficult the tight canvas will be to needle by hand. The wool was like butter.
I bought a canvas and leather bag that had a monogram, it is now unstitched and picked cleaned.
Picked more peaches today for the freezer. Made a gallon jug of countertop pickles. The cucumbers after being washed and scrubbed still smell smoky from last week's wildfire. They don't taste off, so the strong dill, vinegar, garlic brine will kill the smoky bouquet.
Or, perhaps, your smoky dills will be a novelty item … not that I am at all in favor of the wildfires! Just remembering the smokey grapes from 2020.
I am looking forward to seeing the design you choose for your soon-to-be plain hat, Katy! I'm with others who are suggesting using a dissolvable pattern, however you could also use water soluble pen to draw a grid, couldn't you? In any case, it will be fun and functional.
1. Thrift Store Buddy gifted me 6 turquoise outdoor chair cushions from her store. They were dirty and the store decided it wasn't worth the time of the volunteers to attempt to clean them, considering they would only sell for $3 or so each. Yes please!
TSB and her fellow volunteers were suggesting putting them in a big tub and mushing them around, but I have scissors and know how to use them - so I unpicked the (conveniently long-spaced) stitching on one edge, pulled out the cushion innards, then machine washed and line dried all 6 cushions (and my very dirty Tilley hat since I finally remembered to throw it in a load). The cushions were re-stuffed and machine sewed closed while my GB slept. They look GREAT! (The Tilley hat just looks a lot less dirty).
2. Had a glorious adventure with my TSB – we drove to a town about an hour and a quarter away, and spent 6 hours at the 40th Sooke Fine Art Show. It was seniors day, so we got tea in fine china (with a scone with jam and whipped cream) as part of our admission ($12), parking was free, my little no AC car sips gas, and the Art was vastly engaging. Not always to our taste, but we knew what we liked. We each saw a friend who had a piece accepted to the show; I got a grand visit in with my friend (from highschool) during an inproptue coffee break, TSB saw multiple other of her friends and we, of course, yammered away with all of the other art-keen humans who were out for a good time.
The drive there and back was a much needed travel time where TSB was NOT driving me to a medical intervention, for once, and we solved a few world and personal problems and shared some of the unfolding life events that we hadn't managed to talk about during our less frequent times together. My heart was SO full at the end of the day.
3. My gardening buddy came by after having been away for a couple of weeks – while I was at the art show. I left her a big bag of harvested produce (tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, beans) and she left me a couple Japanese turnips. I think she harvested potatoes, too, but will need to ask to be sure, if I don't go check it out myself before I talk with her.
She watered the big greenhouse which is great, as that job presses on me so I don't actually do the greenhouse work ( tying up and pruning, weeding, etc) if I have to water.
4. We have had a number of days/nights of intermittent rain which has really reduced the amount of watering required in the field and raised beds. I've been on top of keeping my hanging baskets watered (using egg washing water or veggie rinsing water, you folk have all helped remind me) however I have some blocks of pots that are under trees so I've had to get the hose out to keep those plants in good form. Having most of my 'garden' in pots has meant I can move things around – some Canna lilies have come into bloom so are now on my front steps, I have some dahlias that were very slow to move into flower and they finally have been moved from a more 'nursery' style location to pride of place. As other plants finish blooming they are rotated back to the nursery. This pot moving keeps my front steps interesting and varied, to me.
5. I successfully fobbed off a bag of zucchini on my weight lifting trainer. She loves them so will be on regular receiving rotation, for sure.
The cucumbers aren't defeating me, either – I put one quart jar of homemade yogurt into a cheesecloth lined sieve for a couple of hours, grated the cucumbers, added some dill and mint and have some lovely tzatziki.
I've been successful with picking my tomatoes prior to them being fully ripe, and letting them ripen in a cardboard box in my kitchen. I'm suddenly quite rich in tomatoes so will be asking friends if they want to share. It is glorious to have the abundance!
I gave away 3 cucumbers and 2 baskets of tomatoes today.
I've set aside 2 swaddle blankets for the pregnancy care center, and sorted waste textile for the textile recycle box.
Put unwanted fabric in the bag for the craft/fabric thrift store.
I bought a super cute blouse at the Salvation Army sale. Paid $2.99. Removed the sleeves, shortened them and replaced gathering with pleats. So much nicer. Now I need to take it in a bit, and shorten it. I love these makeovers, it's an exercise in creativity for me.
So wish I'd had better attention for sewing as a young adult. My mom, and sister could make anything.
I'm a gardener!!!
Same! My mother especially could sew anything...clothes, household decor, even fitted couch and chair covers with piping no less. My sister sewed clothes and all the curtains in her house. Sewing never grabbed me although I even took it in jr. high for a year to no avail. I can mend but I can't say I get enjoyment out of it besides the satisfaction I have saved another item of clothing from the donate pile.
What do you use for removing threading? I have a stitch remover but it seems blunt. Wondering if I can sharpen it somehow. I like to remove belt loops. I’m short waisted so belt loops get a “hard on”, folding up and can be seen under t-shirts. Any special tool or technique?
A seam ripper is what you'd use. They will get dull over time, but a replacement is not expensive. As far as I know, they cannot be sharpened.
My seam ripper isn't sharp enough, plus I feel like I can do a more precise job with my embroidery scissors, so that's mostly what I use.
Katy, I'm sure you can make that hat look great with the new stitching. I hope you'll show us the finished product. Baseball hats and visors sure saved my eyes while delivering mail in the bright sun. A must for many occupations plus hikers, walkers and beachcombers.
That baseball cap is adorable, but I'm with you on not paying $45 American dollars (plus tax and shipping) for another baseball cap to be manufactured.
1. Made a batch of the cornmeal pancakes and will be making more. Delicious!
2. Sold another batch of the knockoff Amazon brand canning jars I bought a few years ago. My mom passed down a few boxes of Mason, Ball, and Kerr jars so I got rid of the others. Most of the knockoffs hadn't even been used, so goes to show I didn't NEED to support Smeff Smezos after all.
3. Asked about an end table in a deserted hallway at work. Was told it was going to be trashed and it would be doing our maintenance department a favor if it I took it home. !!! It's solid wood with MCM styling and so heavy it might actually be midcentury. Ross had a $6 package of furniture fix markers and crayons and it looks beyootiful in my living room. Now to sell the old one.
4. Breakfast was a cantaloupe I grew from saved seeds from a grocery store fruit. It was still warm from the sun. Literally enjoying the fruits of my labor and my water bill.
5. Continuing to put free stuff on the curb. It warmed my heart to see a sheet I'd put out in a free box last week being used in a neighbor's gardening project. It was a yucky polyester sheet but it's not in the landfill.
Bonus: free entertainment from my orange boycat. I wasn't aware of the orange cat reputation when I picked him from the litter but he's very much the stereotype. He got confused while bathing and started kicking himself in the face. I reached over to gave him a quarter turn and that seems to have reset him. Now he's happily chewing on a marker. My silly pets are worth every penny!
Unpicking stitches is also the perfect time to listen to audiobooks or podcasts!
A few frugal wins for the week:
Cousin B's birthday party was Wednesday. She wanted a home-cooked meal & an evening of card & board games. Aunt D & I made her favorite "pigs in a blanket" (aka cabbage rolls) with mashed potatoes & her stepdaughter baked a delicious cake. We overestimated how many people were going to eat the piggies, so there were plenty of leftovers. (Spaghetti was the alternative meal & most of the family ate that instead) I brought home 2 generous servings, Aunt D took some, & B had plenty left to enjoy later. They taste better the next day anyway! We killed the cake, so no leftovers there.
Cousin K & her husband came over to help me fix my bed frame. They have chickens, so they also brought me some eggs! And her mom sent me a quart bag of grape tomatoes, 4 zucchini, & 3 cucumbers.
I lucked out on NetGalley and received 5 free advance copy ebooks. All mysteries of varying tropes, so I'm set for a bit. Especially looking forward to Hank Philippi Ryan's "Mother, Daughter, Sister, Stranger" as I LOVE her books.
Even though I don't need more books, I may go to the local library $5 bag book sale tomorrow. Unless it's still storming, in which case I'll make a donation to the library online, stay home, and read what I have! Or cross stitch something - your stitchy adventures have me wanting to get crafty again & I uncovered a huge box of craft supplies while unpacking yesterday.
Is it my imagination or does "Diaper Man" in the original cap design have a pool of urine (or worse) beneath his diaper?
Just like Trump?!?!?!
I think he's supposed to be wear a towel, which makes the puddle on the ground be shower water. But yes -- I also think it looks like a puddle of urine!
Currently working my guts out to pay my house off, and feeling very tired and stressed. Came here for the inspiration and honestly to relax a little - thank you - just what I needed, to read through all your posts and enjoy reading about your sustainable life. I know once my mortgage is gone, I can let the foot off the gas a bit and focus more on some of these things.
Me too! Owe under $29, but wish it disappeared faster.
Then I can retire!
I love the hat and the upcycle creativity required for the planned makeover! Plus, in our PNW climate, a ball cap is sometimes a must! I love my hooded rain jacket, but hated the hood falling over my eyes. A ball cap is the perfect solution. It keeps the hood in place and the bill on the ball cap offers that much more protection from the rain. Also, I need to be super careful about my skin … pre-skin cancer lesions abound! Anything that adds protection to my face from the sun is a plus in my mind!
Can’t wait to see the finished product!
1. Went to the Lakes region of NH last week to see my niece and her little baby. Brought a bunch of things I had made a quilt and sweater for the baby, reversible booties, and a little teddy bear sweater vest with some books for my grand nephew. While I was up there, I grabbed the 10 bins (most of them were the under the bed size) of photos and memorabilia that we had packed up from my mother‘s apartment 11 years ago. The original plan was all of us to get together and go through the photos, which we haven’t done. I’ve brought them home, and I’ve spent the better part of the last week going through the treasures in those bins. Silk rimmed greeting cards from 1883, a Scientific America newspaper from 1866, and so many beautiful things. I must have 400 postcards, some from my grandfather to my grandmother in WWI. I have been separating by family member so each person gets their specific photos. But some stuff I’m keeping for myself because they can’t be separated.
2. An old coworker swung by the other day and dropped off some giant zucchini from his garden. I finally shredded it, and got 11 1/2 cups of shredded zucchini. I shared some with my neighbor and made some zucchini bread/muffins.
3. I volunteered today for the Pan Mass Challenge and fed about 3500 riders. (The PMC raises money for Dana Farber for cancer research, equipment, and to help defray medical costs for treatment). I brought home one of the almost brand new jars of Teddie peanut butter as well as some peaches and plums. I’ll also volunteer tomorrow but in a different location. I’m sure I’ll bring home some more fruit tomorrow.
4. Last Thursday, I drove over the border into Maine to visit my oldest friend. We’ve known each other since we were in diapers. She is on her fourth round of cancer treatments. She will never be cured, but the treatment plan she’s on has prevented her tumors from increasing. We drove up to Nubble Lighthouse. I took her out to lunch and we had a lovely visit. Mixed in with my mother’s things, was a letter with pictures that her grandparents sent to my mother. So I gave that to her, as they passed back in the 1980s.
5. This month starts early voting in my town and I’m waiting to hear from the town clerk to see what my shifts will be for early voting. (I’m an election worker) it’s a little extra fun money for me. And town hall is only about 3/4 of a mile, so if it’s a nice day, I can walk.
FYI:
I applied for my second pension and received paperwork which included a piece of paper for my husband to sign in front of a notary. I called the company. (I stopped working for them in 2001) to inform them that my husband had passed 10 years ago.I also asked them why he would need to authorize me to receive my pension. She said it’s the law. So I asked, if he were alive and a jerk, he could actually prevent me from receiving my pension? She said yes. I then asked if a husband was able to prevent a wife from ever receiving their pension, for a company she worked for, money that is due to her, that she deserves. They said yes. It’s because he was listed as a beneficiary, which they technically can’t remove. They can just change the percentage to zero. I thanked her for her help, and immediately after hanging up, I sent messages to both of my senators. One of the things I mentioned in my note was “I was not his property“. One senator‘s office, contacted me within hours of my email. I am able to collect my pension when I wanted to, but if I was in an abusive situation and needed that money to flee, he could potentially have withheld from me. He wouldn’t have, because he wasn’t a jerk. But I just wanted to warn those out there who might have a pension coming to them. One of the things I mentioned was that it isn’t fair that you need your spouses permission to receive your funding. And I feel that the laws need to change. Also, the pension is not thousands of dollars a month. We’re only talking a few hundred.
This would be something to investigate further. I believe that when a person signs up for a pension, a spouse is automatically included as a beneficiary, unless that spouse waives those rights.
This would be to keep a person from signing up for a pension and keeping it all from the spouse.
But I need his permission, he could technically have kept me from it. Even though the spouse also benefits from that pension coming in and it’s not like he would’ve gotten money had I passed prior to the pension being available. It just annoyed me that he had to give me permission to get my pension.
One of my senators officers called me within a few hours of my sending a letter. They wanted to make sure that I didn’t have a problem getting it, because if so, there were things they could do to help. but it’s not a problem I’m still gonna get it. I’m just thinking about other people whose pensions might not be paid out, because their husbands don’t want them to get that extra money.
What would make your project easier is a bit of waste canvas. You stitch over it to get the stitches even and then pull it out. I used to buy it at fabric depot. Now I would have to buy it on line or maybe the Mill Ends store. I am not sure if I have any currently I haven’t used any in several years or I would pass it on. You would only need such a small piece. Maybe you can ask for some on your buy nothing group.