How Do People Usually Decorate Grab Cap And Cut The Hole In The Middle?

Hi all!

Equally you may or may not know, I have an Etsy shop chosen MidwestMermaidArt where I sell custom fabricated graduation caps as well every bit other types of art from time to time. Correct now is PRIME graduation cap decorating season, and you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you how many orders I took on this semester! I come home from work and...work on graduation caps. Every unmarried mean solar day. Merely I love creating and being able to have a successful side business doing so!

I'm making this post both an instructional tool for my clients who need to attach my graduation cap decoration themselves, and too every bit a freebie for those who are decorating their own graduation caps. I have no problem giving away my tips and tricks, considering I know in that location isn't plenty fourth dimension in the world for me to decorate anybody's caps anyways! If I know the best way to practice something, why non share it?

I'll first by proverb that the best way to decorate your graduation cap is to...

NOT DECORATE DIRECTLY ON YOUR GRADUATION CAP.

I mean, you caaaaaan do information technology, but I would strongly propose confronting information technology. I've decorated more than fifty caps at this point and still wouldn't trust myself to decorate directly onto the surface of a cap. Trust me, it's a risky move and you'll thank yourself later if you lot do it a dissimilar way!

I always decorate onto a thin piece of cardboard (much like you would detect on the inside of a new calendar or bankroll a new poster). I measure the piece of paper-thin to perfectly fit the cap, and then use an Exacto pocketknife to make certain I am cutting a push button pigsty that fits over the button on the cap. (Spoiler Alert: The push is rarely directly in the centre of the cap. Some cap-making companies are better at placing the button in the middle than others. I might provide more than direction well-nigh this part of the procedure eventually!)

There are so many things I could requite advice on in terms of choosing your theme, decorating caps, etc, many of which you lot tin can find if yous follow my MidwestMermaidArt Instagram account. This mail service is just almost one topic:

HOW TO ATTACH YOUR

GRADUATION CAP Ornamentation!

Tools y'all volition need:

- Tacky Gum (whatever arts and crafts store)

- a paintbrush (I like to use one with apartment bristles)

- a linen dish towel (not terrycloth, it will leave fuzzies)

- eight-10 binder clips

Have all your supplies in forepart of y'all before yous begin! Set your cardboard graduation cap ornamentation off to the side, prepare to be attached.

I use Tacky Glue to brand a pattern like this on the peak of the cap. It doesn't necessarily have to look exactly like this, merely make sure you at least accept a decent amount of glue around the edges and around the button.

Utilize your paintbrush to spread out the mucilage, making sure you take an even blanket over the surface of the cap. Use your brush to smooth out the gum specifically around the edges and around the button. The reason I exercise this step is to avoid mucilage seeping out around the edges.

During this step, pay very close attention to which corner of your cap is supposed to face the front when you are wearing it. Hint: look at the fabric part of the cap that fits on your head. Generally there is one pointy tip (indicating the front end) and so some elastic OR at to the lowest degree a less pointy tip (indicating the back). Before y'all put your decorated piece on elevation of the cap, make sure y'all're putting it on in the right direction! Then press it onto the cap with your hands and pop the button through the cut hole. Check out the cap from the front and back and slide it around according to how information technology fits best!

Once the cap is set up perfectly in position, I take my linen dish towel and wrap it around the sides on the front of the cap. I then have the binder clips and place them nearly importantly at each corner, but then around the sides if at that place are spots that it might lift. I utilize a towel because if I do not, information technology tends to exit marks where the binder clips are. The towel protects this from happening. I like to employ this type of towel because if I use a terrycloth ane, sometimes mucilage seeps out the sides of the cap and fuzzies from the terrycloth will get stuck. You can improvise on what blazon of towel you utilise, I'k sure y'all could fifty-fifty put folded upwardly paper towel under each folder clip. Once your clips are on, it's time to leave the wrapped upwardly cap in a safe infinite for at least an 60 minutes! Y'all can be the estimate of when it seems dry plenty for the sides of the decoration non to lift off the cap.

To me, a cap looks finished when it has a gem or some kind of other embellishment covering the button. It's also very helpful because if you lot're decorating onto cardboard, it's pretty thick. Your push may no longer be fully exposed plenty for you lot to fit your tassel on. If you lot attach a jewel, you'll be sure that your tassel will exist able to slide on and off.

Place the cap off to the side on a completely horizontal surface. If your cap is on an angle, the gem could slide right off. This can take a while to dry, and then just let it exist! I like to give information technology all day to dry out before I start messing with the cap over again.

Another additional step: If the cap is black, I like to color whatever visible sides of the paper-thin with a black mark. This isn't necessary, but I think it finishes it off nicely!

And yous're done! Congrats, grad!