Courage Cap Project

My involvement in the Courage Cap Project actually predated my internship. Because of my own experience with cancer, I was invited to provide perspective and soon became central to the project. At the time, our collaborator, James Orrigo, was struggling to find anyone willing to prototype the caps. To me, this seemed like a solvable problem; after all, I had run a bucket hat upcycling business out of my bedroom in my teens.

I volunteered to take on production. Using my resources at Wake Forest, I connected with Paul Whitaker at the WakerSpace, who immediately supported the project. From there, I developed the Courage Cap sewing pattern, utilizing InDesign and Illustrator to create a master template. With Paul’s feedback, I broke this template into five smaller booklets, each designed for different time commitments (ranging from one to five hours). This approach made the project far more accessible for students with limited availability.

Thanks to these efforts, a project that nearly came to a dead end earlier in the year is now scheduled to host its first workshops this fall. Beyond the design and prototyping work, I facilitated key communication between collaborators and created a system for scaling production, transforming an inspiring concept into a practical, sustainable initiative.

Courage Cap Pattern - Complete Project (5 hours).pdf

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