Okay, so, “Wanderer’s Straw Hat”—sounds kinda fancy, right? But honestly, it was just me messing around with some stuff I found in the garage. I wanted to make something, anything, really. And I’d been watching this show with a character who had this cool, beat-up straw hat, and I thought, “Why not?”
First, I had to find a straw hat. Not as easy as it sounds. Turns out, nobody in my family wears straw hats. I ended up digging through a box of old summer stuff and bingo! Found one tucked away, kinda squished, but hey, it was straw.
Next, I washed the thing. Seriously, it was dusty. Like, ancient-tomb-level dusty. I just used some warm water and a little bit of soap, gently scrubbed it, and then let it air dry outside. Took a while, but it looked a hundred times better.
Now for the “wanderer” part. I wanted it to look worn and weathered, not like I just bought it at a beach shop. So, I started by bending the brim a bit, making it uneven. I even scuffed it up with some sandpaper—lightly, though, I didn’t want to tear holes in it.
Adding Some Character
- I found some old leather strips in my dad’s toolbox. No idea what they were originally for, but they looked perfect. I cut them into different lengths and tied them around the base of the hat.
- Then, I had this old, tarnished coin. I think it was from a trip my grandpa took years ago. I punched a small hole in it with a nail and hammer (carefully!) and attached it to one of the leather strips with some twine.
- Finally, I frayed the edges of the brim a little more, just to make it look extra raggedy. I just used my fingers for this, pulling at the straw gently until some of it came loose.
And that’s pretty much it! It’s not perfect, but I think it looks pretty cool. Kind of gives off that “I’ve been traveling the world” vibe, even if I’ve mostly just been traveling from my couch to the fridge. It was a fun little project, and it didn’t cost me anything, which is always a bonus.
