Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
Support the Team in Style with a DIY Bandana Bow Trucker Hat
During fall football, baseball or whatever sport season you love, we encourage you to show your team spirit and cheer on your favorite team with this fun and easy DIY! Learn how to customize a sporty trucker hat and make a cute bandana bow for the perfect game-day look. This step-by-step guide will help you create affordable, spirited accessories to show your team pride.
DIY Sporty Trucker Hat for Game Day
My Inspiration
When I was a cheerleader from ages 8-17, I could always feel the excitement of game day. I loved showing off team spirit by wearing my cheer uniform to school, wearing fun paw print faux tattoos on my face, wearing big bows in my hair and going to the game, of course!
Now that I’m an adult, I show my team spirt instead with unique DIY game day accessories. This cute DIY sporty trucker hat and a DIY bandana bow is inspired by game day vibes and can be part of your cute “cheer uniform” for supporting your favorite team.
The former cheerleader in me loves this hat!
Texas or Tennessee?
My analytics on my website show I have a lot of readers in Texas so this tutorial is dedicated to you and your support of my creativity. I know the orange may be too bright, but it’s what I could find so before you get into specifics, thank you! Cheers to Tennessee too, as I love many cities in TN like Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge (Dollywood ya’ll!) and Nashville.
My husband’s name is Tommy, so the T is also for him and his love of Friday Night Lights (which takes place in Texas!). “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose” is a quote we both love from the movie. You can make a hat like mine in any color for any team you’d like!
Bandana Bow DIY Hat
Styling Your DIY Trucker Hat and Bandana Bow
Get my Team Spirit inspired game day look in my Amazon Shop here.
Some more outfit ideas to pair with the sport DIY hat and bow combo include:
I love my Joe’s Jeans and this SUPER CUTE women’s Tennessee shirt from Amazon, $21
Try these cute overalls (I have and love them, Amazon, $35) and the same women’s Texas shirt from Amazon, $21 (it comes in many states)
I have this ruffle white skirt with shorts underneath (Amazon, $15) and it would pair with the two shirts above too!
I’d wear all the outfits with my Adidas Court Sneakers (Amazon, $60), as they are really comfy!
DIY Hat Charms for Game Day Fun!
My Game Day Speckles
For the photos in this tutorial, I am wearing Fazit Game Day Speckles. Read all about my love of Fazit glittery freckles and more in this article. The Game Day Speckles were only released to Walmart stores at the time of writing this, but they have so many other cute glittery face glitter that lasts ALL DAY, even over makeup! Shop Fazit via my Walmart Shop here.
They make some in game day colors and you can see my green Fazit game day speckles in my 1-minute video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Why DIY Team Spirit Accessories Are Perfect for Game Day
Making your own hat allows you to have affordable game day fashion and team spirit, and customization shows off your personal creativity. You can make one hat for yourself, one for your whole family, friends, or your tailgating pals, or your entire cheer squad for the cutest photo shoot ever!
Texas Football DIY Hat Craft
Materials You’ll Need
For the trucker hat (or you could use any hat) customization and bandana bow, you’ll need the following items:
Hat (I chose a tan one from Hobby Lobby, but Amazon has a copy here)
Gold Metallic Acrylic Paint (Amazon or via Walmart-it really glitter in the sun!)
Letter Patch (I choose “T” and got a set of three 2.76” x 3.27” from Amazon)
Charms (Mine came in a kit and is from Amazon)
Scissors
Hot glue gun (I love this cordless charging one from Amazon)
Craft brushes (Amazon)
Optional: Needle and thread (for attaching the bow if you don’t want to glue it on)
Check out my 1-minute video tutorial for this project on my TikTok now or coming soon here and to my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden!
How to Make a DIY Sporty Trucker Hat and Bandana Bow for Game Day
Here’s our step-by-step guide for a DIY Sporty trucker hat and the optional bandana bow. I made mine a bit “distressed” so if it doesn’t look “perfect”, that’s what I was aiming for.
Painting the hat
I first dipped a craft brush into some gold paint and lightly brushed it onto the bill of the hat. It requires little to no paint skills…just brush some strokes on and leave it!
The gold paint went with the gold on the patch well
I also painted some along the top sides of the hat. I set it aside to let it dry.
Cutting the bandana
While the hat dried, I cut the bandana in half. I did not worry about any “rough cuts’ or measurements as I wanted this to have a bit of a distressed look.
Braiding the bandana strands
I cut one of the halves into four long strands (setting aside the 4th for the bow), knotted three of them together and did a tight braid, knotting them at the end together again. I had to measure a bit to make sure my braid would fit across the hat, and it was a little long, so I did have to cut a little off the ends before finishing and knotting the braid.
Folding the bow
With the other half of the bandana, I folded it into a long rectangle, cut about an inch off of each end (I wanted my bow to be small) and folded the ends towards the center and pinched it.
Forming the bandana bow
I used the 4th strand (from the braid strands or you could use a piece from what you cut off the bow) to tie it around the center of the bow, trimming the ends. I added some small cuts along the edges of the bow and used my fingers to pull some strands out to add to the distressed look.
Stitching the bow onto the hat from the inside
I used a needle and thread to attach the bow to the back of the hat. I stitched it on from the inside so you wouldn’t see the stitches when wearing the hat. You could use hot glue if you don’t need this to last.
Adding the charms
I added some of the charms to the braid, twisting them into the braids to hold them on well. The “good luck” cross and angel wing charm is a nod to my cheer coach in high school that always put a guardian angel pin on my shoe before a competition so I wouldn’t fall out of the mounts. It seemed to work because I didn’t fall in any competitions!
Gluing on the braid
When the paint was dry, I hot glued the braid to the front of the hat, along the bill.
Gluing on the letter patch
While my letter patch was iron on, I chose to simply hot glue it onto the front of the hat. You can optionally iron it on, but it was a bit awkward when I attempted it, so hot glue worked better for me.
This DIY sporty hat with a bandana bow was really fun to make and I encourage you to try the project with your favorite team and share your creations on your social accounts! If you tag me using @carolynsbloomingcreations or @carolynjbraden, I’ll see it! Or tell me about it in the comments below.
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Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.