embroidered trucker hat

We're taking the family camping later this month and I'm super excited.  I love camping, but I do not love how greasy my hair gets while camping (bangs don't help).  I normally wouldn't mind looking abhorrent in nature, but we'll be near a quaint little town that I adore for day excursions, so appearance counts.  I discovered that a hat would help, which is something that I oddly haven't owned up to this point. 

Our old tent finally bit the dust on our last trip, so we had to buy a replacement at Cabela's.  It was there that I saw this trucker hat for the low price of $5.  But it said Cabela's, which is lame.  I didn't want a Cabela's hat, but I DID want a hat that only cost $5.  I figured I could do something with it once I got rid of the Cabela's logo.

Admittedly, ripping the old lettering from the hat would have been much faster and easier with a seam ripper.  But I don't have one of those so I just used small scissors and a lot of patience.  If I ever do this again, I need to get a seam ripper.  I think they cost a whopping $3 or so.

After all evidence of the Cabela's logo was removed, I drew a design in pencil in its place.  I kinda doodled, but I was careful to make sure the design covered all the old lettering so nothing would show through.  A floral pattern lends itself well to this, because petals and leaves can go wherever you want them to.  Whereas a rainbow would have been rather limiting, for example.

I grabbed the strongest needle I owned and just went to town in colors that looked good with my red mesh and bill.  I used all six strands of embroidery floss, hoping that would mean fewer stitches.  I gotta say hats are STRONG, and I actually broke two needles while stitching.  Just snapped in half in my fingers.  I've never had that happen to me.

Turned out pretty good!  I'm glad I did this, but it SUUUUUCKED.  I developed some hard core callouses on my fingertips getting that big ass needle through the hat.  It had a mesh backing that would often catch the needle and spring it off to the side of where I wanted.  And the seam running vertically down the center was THICK, so the going was slow and tough.  But look!  So pretty!

 Rockin' it.  Imma be the prettiest old lady at the camp ground.