How to stretch a tight hat or baseball cap a little: a few simple ways

Hats can be a fun and stylish way to style an outfit. It happens that you already have a hat in your wardrobe, but it doesn’t fit your size. Don't be upset, this can be fixed! Don't spend a lot of money on a new hat right now. Instead, try a few less expensive products that will effectively stretch your headwear. If you have straw, fabric, or a baseball cap, you can use a hair dryer and water to expand your hat a little. You can also use a soccer ball and a bicycle tire pump, as well as wooden hat racks and steam. You can try using a balloon and some soapy water to expand your hat in just a few hours. First things first!

Fitting a Straw Hat

If you have a straw hat, you can apply steam to the inside of it. As tempting as it may be to extend your hat even further with pads, don't do it. You may warp, damage the material, or make the hat too big. Turn the handle counterclockwise to remove the hat from the blocks. Once the mechanism has released the hat, remove the headpiece so you can try it on. If you have reached the required level of expansion, then you did everything correctly; if one time was not enough for the desired stretch, then repeat this method again.

Fitting the headgear is quite simple. It is always important to be able to prepare for new circumstances and new situations. Especially when it comes to such an important element of our wardrobe as a hat. Often, your future acquaintances, your mood and, ultimately, your well-being depend on how you look in public. In this article, we looked at how you can stretch a hat at home, without resorting to special tools and specialists. However, if the material does not allow you to cope with the task, it is better not to be zealous, but to turn to professionals for help. After all, it’s better to spend a little time than to lose or damage your hat.

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Why does the cap shrink?

A cap purchased according to size, once wet, requires proper drying. It dries naturally without direct exposure to ultraviolet radiation and away from heating devices.

In order for the shape and size to remain the same, it is necessary to stuff the headdress tightly with crumpled newspaper and change it during the moistening process. In addition, it is possible, as an option, to stretch the product onto a blank and leave it until dry. It is necessary to ensure that the cap does not succumb to deformation. Improper adherence to storage rules can lead to changes in size and shape.

When should you turn to professionals?

You need to seek professional help either when no method has helped, or immediately, even before the start of all manipulations. This is up to the owner of the cap to decide.

In the salons where hats are sewn, there are special electric blanks and chemical compositions for stretching . The blanks change size, adjusting to the desired size. If you are determined to resort to the services of specialized salons, then be sure that in a couple of days you will receive the hat back in its original condition.

How to dry and store a leather cap

Items should only be dried on a blank or other object that fits the size of the headdress, otherwise the latter will stretch! Leather and fur caps are dried at room temperature under natural conditions, away from batteries, electrical appliances and sunlight! Otherwise, the item will also run true to size. Do not remove the garment from the blank until it is completely dry.

After the cap has dried, treat the surface with special leather care products. Creams, sprays and aerosols for leather shoes are suitable. Store your cap on an upside down jar or similar stand. Leave the product in a dark place with good ventilation, a closed closet works well, but do not put the hat in a plastic bag!

If your hat has a fur lining, place moth repellent nearby. Bags with the aroma of lavender, oregano, mint and wormwood or fresh orange peels work well. During long-term seasonal storage, periodically remove the cap and ventilate in natural conditions. How to properly store things, see the link.

Professional stretching

If the product is expensive and severely shrunk, then it is best to turn to professionals. Leather and fur workshops have devices that can stretch products. Specialists treat the material with softening compounds and slowly stretch the headgear, pulling it onto the block of the required size. They make sure that there are no tears in the skin and that the hat does not lose its shape.

Today, buying a winter hat is not a problem. There are all kinds of models on the market: knitted wool, knitted from synthetic yarn or natural fur (yes, yes, today you won’t surprise anyone with hats knitted from fur), earflaps, malakhai, berets made from mink, arctic fox, astrakhan fur, fox and so on .

The most discerning fashionista will find a headdress to suit her taste.

And no amount of persuasion from the “greens” will convince Russian fashionistas and fashionistas to give up beautiful, and most importantly, warm hats made of natural fur.

However, having purchased a hat and worn it for a season, next winter we are often surprised to realize that our favorite hat is too tight or even does not fit on our heads at all.

How is this possible, since we chose the right hat size and wore it? The thing is that fur is very sensitive to changes in humidity and ambient temperature.

When stored in a too dry and hot room, the leather, as they say, “shrinks”, and the item sewn from it becomes noticeably smaller.

If the headdress was first stored in a damp place and then in a dry place, the skin “shrinks.” Finally, simply incorrect, careless storage can deform the hat, especially if it initially had a “rigid” shape.

Do you really have to throw away another good thing? But products made from natural fur are not cheap, how can you stretch a fur hat so that you can wear it?

We must warn you right away: they know best how to stretch a hat in a specialized workshop. There, the skin will be treated with a special compound, after which the hat will be pulled onto a block to fit your head.

However, you can slightly increase the size of your hat at home. You need to act on the same principle as in the workshop, only instead of a special composition we use water and hot steam, and instead of a block, we use a five-liter jar or a suitable sized pan.

We moisten the inside of the headdress with water, you can hold it over a boiling kettle, then put it on a jar or pan and leave it until completely dry. Please note: the hat may take a couple of days to dry!

How to stretch a mink hat? Just like a hat made of any other fur: with the help of moisture and an improvised pad.

It is just important not to overdo it by pulling the hat onto a pad that is too large - the leather will simply burst, and the expensive hat will go to the landfill.

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A fur hat is very comfortable and easy to wear, but only if it fits your size. Over time, any fur product may lose its former attractiveness. Likewise, with prolonged use, a hat can change its shape and become smaller in size. If desired, you can stretch the fur hat, giving it new life.

• - fur hat;
• - tape measure;
• - a rounded object (pan, jar, wood block);
• - kettle;
• - burning water;
• - spray bottle.

First, determine the circumference of your own head using a measuring tape. You will need to choose a rounded object that closely matches the size of your head. This could be a glass jar, a lampshade or a saucepan. The hat should be pulled onto the chosen item with some effort. If you wish, you can make a wood template yourself by selecting a block of the required diameter.

Pour water into the kettle and bring it to a boil. Then open the lid of the kettle and hold the hat over the steam so that it gets inside the fur product. Keep the hat in such a “bath” for more than 5 minutes.

When the product is perfectly steamed, forcefully pull the hat onto the object prepared for stretching and leave until completely dry. The drying process will take several hours, after which the size of the hat will correspond to the block.

Use the more conventional method, which also allows you to stretch your fur hat without requiring steaming. To do this, before putting the hat on the blank, the product must be sprinkled on the inside with hot water using a spray bottle. Then the hat is pulled tightly onto the template and left to dry for a while. This operation may have to be done two or even three times, each time using a slightly larger blank.

If you are not convinced that the product will not become unusable after home processing, take the hat to a specialized workshop. Specialists have all the means for professional stretching of fur products, including chemical compounds and special blanks of various sizes. This way you can save your time and nerves.

So that the fur hat can retain its shape and size for a long time after such restoration, follow the rules for storing and caring for fur products. At the end of the winter period, dry the hat in the open air without exposing the fur to direct sunlight. From time to time, clean the hat from dirt, comb the fur with a wire comb or hair brush.

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Having bought an excellent fur hat, fashionable and stylish, and happily wearing it for the whole season, we send the product to spend the summer on the closet shelf in anticipation of new cold weather. But when the time comes to take it out from the mezzanine, we suddenly find out with horror: the winter hat has become deformed or simply become too small - so that it is no longer possible to wear it. Unpleasant discovery!

How does this happen and why does a winter hat, perfectly chosen in style and size, suddenly become completely unsuitable for wear? There can be many reasons.

Winter hats can change shape due to improper storage: fur products are extremely sensitive to temperature changes, and especially to changes in humidity. If in winter the apartment was well heated and therefore it was too hot there, and the air was very dry, it is not surprising that the hat shrank. The same thing can happen if the hat is repeatedly wet and then dried - this is not good for the fur. And simply improper storage could ruin an expensive headdress. Does this mean that the fur hat will have to be thrown away? Not at all. With some skill, you can stretch a winter hat and wear it for many more winters after that.

Universal methods to stretch a cap

• Before stretching a leather cap at home, select an item of a suitable size to which you want to stretch the headdress. This could be a pan, jar, hard ball or other hard round object;
• Hold the hat over steam or boiling water to warm it up and steam it. Then stretch the product onto the prepared object and leave to dry at room temperature;
• Before putting the hat on the item and stretching it, the headdress can be rinsed in cool water with a temperature of up to 40 degrees. First add three to four tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide 30% to the water. Rinse the cap in the prepared mixture, wring it out lightly and put it on a round and hard piece;
• Another stretching method is to use vinegar. To do this, mix warm water with two tablespoons of table vinegar and lightly moisten the headdress. Then place it on the prepared jar or other item. Leave to dry completely in a well-ventilated area to get rid of the unpleasant smell of vinegar;
• Steam your leather hat using an iron with a vertical steam function. To do this, hold the iron at a distance of 15-20 centimeters and during the procedure, stretch the material in the right directions. But be careful and don't get burned! After processing, pull the headdress onto the blank;
• The skin can be lightly ironed. To do this, place the product on an ironing board and cover the top with damp gauze or cotton cloth. Carefully iron the material, stretching the cap in the desired directions and pull it onto a jar, ball or pan. How to properly iron leather products, see here.

Softening fibers

This method is used in workshops to restore the elasticity of fibers. Stretching is done using certain compounds. At home, this option is possible in the presence of acetic acid or peroxide.

Wet a wool hat in an aqueous solution containing 1 tbsp. l. vinegar per 10 liters of water. And then pull it onto the balloon. After drying, the problem will be eliminated. Vinegar can also be replaced with peroxide.

How to properly clean a leather cap

To prevent the cap from shrinking or becoming deformed, it is important to choose the right product and organize proper care for this headdress. Before purchasing, carefully measure the circumference of the cap and compare it with the circumference of your head. Before long-term storage, clean the outside of the leather cap or hat with a damp sponge or cloth soaked in soapy water. Then wipe the surface with a cloth soaked in clean water and wipe dry.

To clean the fur inside a hat, take cornmeal and baking soda in approximately equal proportions and mix. This product will disinfect the lining, eliminate unpleasant odors and restore its former attractive appearance. Apply the prepared powder to the fur, leave for ten minutes, and remove the remaining residue with a soft brush. You can also use a soap solution to clean the lining.

If the skin is heavily soiled, treat the affected areas with a solution of ammonia. To do this, mix a glass of water and a tablespoon of ammonia, wipe the cap with the resulting mixture. If the leather has become dull and has lost its former color, shine and gloss, wipe the surface with fresh orange peel or lemon juice. Do not use gasoline or acetone, or aggressive agents, for cleaning!

To clean dark colored leather, you can take damp coffee grounds, wrap them in wool or flannel cloth and polish the cap. For light and white products, use milk. After treatment, be sure to remove the product with a dry soft cloth. For more information on which caps can be washed and how to do it correctly, read the article “How to wash a baseball cap.”

Reasons for resizing

Having bought an expensive headdress, we expect to wear it for several years. Fur hats are very beautiful and warm; in cold climates it is difficult to live without them. In addition, natural material is highly valued, fur products are considered prestigious, they take a long time to choose and try on in front of the mirror.

Having bought a hat strictly according to size, you need to take proper care of it. If fur or leather gets wet, dry it at room temperature. Do not use a hot hair dryer or heater for drying. To ensure that the dimensions do not change, stuff newspaper into the middle or make a special blank.

If you store the hat in a too hot and dry room, it will dry out and decrease in size. High dryness in the closet can cause the leather to crack, become stiff, and the fur to become dull. Choose a cool, dark place for storage, periodically remove and inspect the product, make sure that there are no moths.

Methods of stretching at home

To restore the size of your headdress at home, there are 3 ways:

• mechanical stretching;
• influence of high temperatures and moisture;
• a complex technique that includes elements of the first two.

There are a variety of methods for stretching caps. Each of them is quite simple and does not require complex preparations or expensive investments.

Universal ways to stretch a cap:

• Before stretching a leather baseball cap at home, select an item of appropriate size to which you want to stretch the product. It is a pan, a jar, a ball or any other hard round object.
• You need to hold the baseball cap over steam or boiling water so that it is properly steamed. Next, the headdress is pulled over the prepared item and left to dry at room temperature.
• Before putting the cap on an object and stretching it, it can be rinsed in chilled water with temperatures up to 40 degrees. Add 3-4 tbsp to the water in advance. l. hydrogen peroxide 30%. The headdress is rinsed in the prepared composition, lightly wrung out and put on a round and hard piece.
• Another stretching technique is to use vinegar. For these purposes, warm water is mixed with 2 tbsp. l. table vinegar, where the baseball cap is slightly wetted. Next, it is put on the prepared jar or other object. Leave until completely dry in a thoroughly ventilated area to eliminate the unpleasant aroma.
• The baseball cap is steamed using an iron with a steam function. For these purposes, the iron is held at a distance of 20 cm and during the procedure the product is stretched in the desired direction. However, care should be taken to prevent burns. At the end of processing, the baseball cap is pulled onto the blank.
• The material of the product may be slightly ironed. For these purposes, the headdress is placed on an ironing board and covered with wet gauze or cotton cloth. The cap is carefully ironed and stretched in the desired direction. At the end it is pulled onto a jar, ball or pan.

Leather

Leather is a delicate and capricious material that deforms during active interaction with moisture. If the storage rules are not properly followed, it easily becomes wrinkled, and if used improperly, it is erased. To prevent such consequences, proper care of leather caps is required. There are other stretching techniques, but in the end they must return to the jar we are familiar with.

Using a steamer:

• the device is placed at a distance of 15–20 cm from the headdress;
• processed with steam, the material is somewhat stretched;
• the jar is then used to dry the product.

Ironing with an iron:

• take cotton fabric and moisten it;
• the cap is laid out on the board;
• carefully iron the areas that need to be stretched through the damp flap, pulling them in the required direction (the iron should operate at the minimum setting);
• Place the baseball cap on a jar or pan until it dries completely.

By steam:

• heat the cap over steam, steam it, hold it for 5 minutes;
• put on the blank for drying.

All methods require caution so as not to spoil the appearance of the product or cause burns to yourself. You need to be extremely careful and follow safety rules.

From fabric

The methods recommended for leather caps can also be applied to fabric. However, there are others that are designed to change the arrangement of the fibers, adding mobility to them for subsequent changes in size.

With hydrogen peroxide:

• water at room temperature is drawn into the basin;
• add 4 tbsp. l. facilities;
• a baseball cap is rinsed and wrung out;
• goes to dry.

Using vinegar:

• dissolve 2 tbsp in warm water. l. facilities;
• Parts of the cap where exposure is needed are slightly moistened;
• The headdress is placed on the blank.

How to increase the size of a fur hat

You can stretch a hat at home only if it shrinks slightly. If a new product was purchased one size smaller or stretching is required by a couple of sizes, then it is best to use the services of specialized workshops. In particular, you can contact a fur sewing studio.

You need to stretch the fur product very carefully so as not to damage the seams and the integrity of the skin. For the stretching procedure, you will need a spray bottle, a kettle with boiling water, as well as a three-liter jar or a round object of a suitable size on which you will need to put a hat.

To increase the size of a fur hat, you need to hold it over hot steam for about five minutes or sprinkle it generously with hot water from a spray bottle. After this, the cap must be pulled onto a clean jar or container of a suitable size. The fur product should remain on the jar for a couple of days until it is completely dry.

To increase your hat by a couple of sizes, you can carefully repeat the procedure several times. To do this, each time you need to pull the cap onto a container with a slightly larger diameter.

There are other, more radical methods of increasing the size of a fur hat by cutting the flesh. However, such stretching methods can damage the fur product.

How to stretch a hat?

If a hat is made of fur or wool, sooner or later the owner will be faced with the question of how to stretch the hat? We ask you not to fall into despair. Everything is solved simply and easily. Consider:

• Causes of headgear deformation.
• Ways to correct the situation.

If you know the reasons, then a person will not allow the situation to repeat itself, so it is worth talking about them at least briefly. A fur hat is extremely sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity.

If a person buys a hat, wears it for a season, and then stuffs it somewhere where he himself does not look until the next winter, the hat will become deformed, because, like any expensive thing, you need to take care of it.

A fur hat is also harmed by:

1. Temperature changes.
2. Changes in humidity.

If the room where the hat is located was well heated and the air was dry, then the hat decreases in size, and when the owner takes it out, he cannot recognize last year’s new thing. To prevent such an incident from happening again, a person must ask the seller everything about the conditions for storing a fur hat and strictly follow the instructions received.

Fur hat. How to stretch it?

You can fix the header:

1. By someone else's hands. This means: going to a special studio, complaining to the craftsmen about your bitter fate, complaining that on the eve of the season, your beloved hat has fallen into disrepair. If a person is satisfied with the price, then he puts the fur product in the hands of professionals, and after 1, 2 or 7 days he picks it up like new. Quickly and without unnecessary worries. But it may also be that there is no money or that the person is terribly afraid of strangers and does not trust them.
2. With my own hands. For a suspicious subject or a person without funds, there are methods that will help stretch the cap at home.

The fur hat was deformed. How to stretch it? There is nothing unexpected or extremely complicated in the method.

You will need:

• Hot steam.
• Jar.
• Dark and cool place.

Soak the deformed cap with hot steam. Place a kettle or pan on the fire, pour in water and wait until it boils. Then we quickly pull the cap onto the neck of a three or five liter jar. We place the structure in a dark, cool place. We wait 3-4 days. We wear it.

How to stretch a wool hat?

Fur is not the only material from which a hat can be made. Hats are also made from wool. And some people prefer this fabric for financial or taste reasons. Despite all the luxury, there are people in the world who are indifferent to fur. So how do you stretch a wool hat?

• Lightly wet the top and neck of a three-liter jar with cold or cool water. Pull the hat over the neck. Secure the hat in place so that it does not come off, using clothespins, for example. Wait for the hat to dry.
• If the first method does not bring the desired result, try washing it with cool water (no more than 30 degrees Celsius) with the addition of vinegar (a tablespoon is enough for a small basin). Then take the jar again and put a cap on its neck. Wait for it to dry.
• If the previous method did not help, the last resort remains - hot steam. You need to act like this: take the iron and, without touching the fabric, release the steam, not forgetting to pull the hat in all directions. To reduce the effects of heat, use gauze.

If the item does not shrink too much, then the question of how to stretch a woolen hat is by no means idle.

Precautions when handling woolen items

Not only hats, but also sweaters and other wool products are reduced in size. Therefore, we will mention the general rules for washing woolen items.

• Wool has a capricious character. It is better if the housewife washes it separately, without mixing it with other fabrics.
• As can be seen from the above methods for stretching a hat, wool does not like hot weather. It is better to wash it in cool water. If the housewife prefers to both wash and rinse, then the water temperature should be the same in both cases. Discrepancies are detrimental to the fabric.
• The temperature “setting” for wool is very delicate: the water should be no lower than 20 and no higher than 30 degrees. If higher, the tissue will shrink, and if lower, it will become stiff.
• The preferred method of cleaning fur is hand washing, but if this is not possible or you are too lazy, then you should carefully choose the washing machine mode. Use a delicate wash that does not wring, because any kind of twisting is detrimental to wool.
• Regular powder is not suitable in this case; special products are used.
• The wool should be dried either on a hanger or on a terry towel (if you don’t have a terry towel, a regular one will do). Under no circumstances should you throw a woolen item over a rope like laundry; such handling will create creases that damage the fabric.

Source: https://sunmag.me/sovety/30-01-2014-kak-rastyanut-shapku.html