This essay is for someone with minimal sewing skills. If you’re not too good at sewing, find someone who is and ask him or her all those basic sewing questions.

Materials

• 1 yard of fabric (your choice)
• Batting (amount needed depends on how thick you want it to be)
• Sewing machine (or you can do it by hand, it's not that hard)
• Scissors, thread, needles, pins, ... (all that sewing stuff)
• Cords or a strap and buckle (for under the chin)

Pattern

Adjusting the pattern
My pattern was made to fit my head, so you might need to adjust it a bit to fit your head exactly. I find that the easiest way to do this is to use the pattern to make a simple unpadded cap from a cheap fabric and see where it might be too tight or too loose. Don’t forget to leave some room because there will be a little shrinkage. If you decide that your head is just as misshapen as mine, you can skip that step and move right to the padded cap.

Construction
Once you have the pattern set, trace it onto your fabric four times. Then cut out all four identical pieces and remember to leave your half-inch for seam allowance. Take two of these pieces and stitch them together along the pattern lines you marked, remembering to leave the bottom open for stuffing. Now stuff with as much batting as you want, just keep in mind that you will have to stitch through it all. Close the bottom edge and repeat on the other two pieces.

You now have two pillow-like pads that need quilting to keep the stuffing in place. This is the part that I’m glad I did on a sewing machine. Decide how far apart you want the stitches and mark them with chalk or something else that will come out. The closer they are the more shrinkage you will get.

After they are both padded and quilted you can put them together. Attach them along your half-inch of extra fabric along the curve, while leaving the front and bottom open (I hope everyone already knew that.)

Now if you turn it inside out you will have a nice arming cap with unfinished edges along the face opening and bottom edge. This can be remedied by folding them in and stitching to keep it there.

Your cap is only missing some way of securing it underneath your chin. If you are good with leather you can put a little strap and buckle from one point to the other, or if you are like me (lazy), you can attach two cords from the points.

You now have a nice piece of padded armour. Go make your friends jealous and show it off. Just remember it makes hearing things a bit harder.