Welder's Cap Tutorial

Vet2Be is welding again. He decided he needed a welding cap. They are kinda soft, backwards ball caps. The bill is worn to protect the back of the neck and they are made out of cotton so they don't burn easily.

They are supposed to be made out of 'unique' fabrics, because welders are very proud of their welding caps!

Taco, Vet2Be's good friend, is a welder, too. His mom, Sheepy, made him a cap and tried to use the pattern I used, but it was very difficult to follow. This tutorial is for her!

Ricochet and Away has a post about a welder's hat. The pattern I used can be found here. The instructions are found here.

All the photos in the following tutorial are mine. I did make two small adjustments so the cap would fit Vet2Be's head better. I'll note them in the tutorial.

You'll need either 1/2 yard of fabric OR two 1/4 yard pieces to make a reversible cap. I used some of Vet2Be's favorites.

You'll also need thread (duh!) and a small piece of flannel or thin batting for the bill. I used flannel because it provides a little bit of weight without too much bulk.

Print the pattern out so that the pattern is the correct size. You can either use your printer's scale function or you can re-size the pattern in a drawing program.

Fabric A: (Clockwise from left) cut one strip for the band that is the same as the head measurement plus 1/2" x 1 1/2" wide. The pattern says 2" wide, but 1 1/2" fit Vet2Be's head much better. Cut four Front/Back pieces, one bill, two Side pieces.

Fabric B: (Clockwise from left) cut one strip for the band that is the same as the head measurement plus 1/2" x 1 1/2" wide. Cut four Front/Back pieces. One bill from Fabric B and one bill from flannel or thin batting. Two Side pieces.

Sewing Directions
 
Bill

Place the bill pieces right sides together with the flannel on the top. Sew around the longer curved edge using a 1/4" seam.

Trim the flannel (or thin batting) close to the seam allowance to reduce bulk.

Turn right side out, press. Trim the raw edges of the bill so that they are even.

Pin around the edge of the bill as shown to keep the fabric from shifting while you are top stitching.

Top stitch close to the finished edge, then add as many top stitching lines as you like. Mine are about 1" apart.

 Crown
 Step 1

Stitch Fabric A side pieces together, right sides together, along the top (short) seam. Repeat for Fabric B. Press the seam open

 Step 2

Stitch a pair of Fabric A Front/Back sections, right sides together, from the bottom to the dot. Back stitch at the dot. Repeat with the other pair of Fabric A Front/Back sections and both Fabric B Front/Back sections.

Press the seams open. I shouldn't have placed my pieces so close together! The photo really shows four different sections if you look closely.

 Step 3

Place the Fabric A and Fabric B Side pieces wrong sides together and pin or secure so they don't shift while sewing.

Sandwich the Side (one A fabric and one B fabric) pieces (wrong sides together) with two of the Front/Back pieces (right sides together) matching the bottom of the crown and the end of the stitching (dot) with the stitching line on the Side piece. Wrong sides of Front/Back pieces face out, wrong sides of Side pieces face in.
Sew from bottom of crown to dot through all four layers.

 Step 4

Stitch the other side seam in the same manner.

Pull the Side section out from the Front/Back section and the seams should all be hidden. Press to set the seams.

Repeat Step 3 with the other two Front/Back sections.

The seam allowances will be encased in the crown of the cap. I trimmed about 1/4" along the bottom of the crown so that it would be even. It also made the cap fit Vet2Be better. I think his head is a little shorter over the top than the pattern allows for.

Band

Sew the short ends of Fabric A band, and Fabric B band. Press open.

Match the center of the bill with the seam of the band. Sandwich the bill between the two bands, matching the fabrics. Using 1/4" seam, sew the long edge in a complete circle. Pull out the bill and press. Press one of the fabrics under 1/4" along the raw edge. (The pressed line will help when you hand stitch the last seam to the crown.)

Match the seam of the band to the seam where two Front/Back pieces come together. Do not place the bill along one of the Side pieces! The cap won't fit correctly! The Side pieces need to be on the side of the head. Sew one raw edge of the band (not the side with the pressed edge) to the crown. Align the pressed raw edge of the band with the seam, covering the seam on the crown. Hand stitch or top stitch the band in place.

Fabric B on the outside.

Fabric A on the outside.

If there is a step that is unclear, please leave a comment and I'll do my best to clarify it.

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Molasses for Fertilizer?

This was one of the signs at the demonstration garden that we visited on Saturday.

I'd never heard of using dry molasses as fertilizer. Here are two links I found that have information:

Dirt Doctor

Bob Webster's Gardening

I haven't found any locally.... yet. Here's a link to a place to buy it online. I'm sure the shipping charge will make the cost higher than I'd like to pay so I'll keep looking and asking around here.

Kandy Kid Dried Molasses

If you've used dry molasses for fertilizer, please let me know how you liked it. Especially if you have used it on pasture where you have animals.

Visiting The Gardens

My Aunt and Uncle came to visit for a few days. It was wonderful to see them! She's never been to our home before and I was a little nervous that our house might not be clean enough for guests since I've spent so much time this summer doing things other than taking care of the house and yard this summer.

I spent quite a few days cleaning! It seemed as if every time I turned around there was more sheet rock dust to clean up!

We had a lovely time while they were here. We visited a local garden that was beautiful! Lucky for us the gardens were having a tomato tasting! In our state we don't have wine tasting (we might, but I don't know of any) but we have tomato tasting! Yum!

These are my favorites! I hope to find some seeds and grow some next year.

All the tomatoes are heirloom varieties. Here's the tasting table.

What the tomatoes look like before they are cut up for us to taste.

Here are photos of the gardens.

Dinner Has Arrived!

He came today! I know it will take him a while to grow, he's a Jersey beef. And he's been neutered and de-horned. Neutering adds to the growing time, too. Since there are lots of kids that visit the pasture a friendly beef is much better than a fast growing beef.