How to Restore Shape To Cloth Hats

I am a hat-person, I guess.

Over the years, I have amassed a collection of cloth hats (you know, the kind with a brim all around, and a crisp, shaped top section).

Not the floppy, fisherman's style, but the kind that has a true shape when you first buy it, and keeps its shape pretty much up until the first time you wash it!

I have nearly a dozen of these cloth hats in various colors, and as they became soiled over a period of time and were put through the wash, I would normally end up sticking them into a closet and leaving them there.

They just didn't feel right anymore!

They would usually shrink just enough to be too tight, and they looked a bit unkempt, if you know what I mean!

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Hats
• Flower pots or other object to fit inside hats
• Spray starch
• Hair dryer

1. Gather up your hats:
   My hats stayed in the closet for years. One after another, piling up; of little use to anyone.
   
   Friends and family know I am a hat-person, so they often gave me new cloth hats of this type for birthday or holiday gifts...so I guess I opted for the brand-new look when I could.
   
   But, this time I gathered them up!
2. How to restore the shape:
   I asked my wife if she knew of any way to get the original shape back to all my floppy hats.
   
   She suggested trying a spray starch (she's a genius!), which she so kindly picked up for me while she was at the store another day.
   
   So, I decided to try it out.
   
   As I thought about it, it occurred to me that I might be able to add another step, to help my efforts be even more successful.
3. The search for the right shape:
   
   I found a stack of flower pots in our garage which just happened to fit snugly inside the cloth hats.
   
   I pulled each cloth hat over a flower pot, and the hats stretched just enough to fit nice and tight.
   
   Then, I sprayed the top part of the cloth hats with the spray starch.
   
   I let them sit for five to ten minutes, then I used a hair dryer on high heat to help "set" the starch in the cloth.
4. Check them out:
   
   I really was quite amazed at the results.
   
   All the cloth hats now had their original shape back!
   
   Oh, there were a few wrinkles here and there, and, of course, they did not REALLY look brand-new, but overall they do look quite good, if I do say so myself!
   
   As an added bonus, the flower pots were just large enough to stretch the fabric back out so the cloth hats once again fit comfortably, and I am even wearing them again!
   
   Give it a try.
   
   It really works!

Tips & Warnings

• Read and follow manufacturer's guidelines for safe use of tools, equipment and products.