Alley Kat Hat Co

[ManofKent]

Al - which felt did you go with? Mine's Pecan rabbit.

 

[Zombie_61]

Al - which felt did you go with? Mine's Pecan rabbit.

Mine is Whiskey rabbit. That Pecan color has really grown on me, so I might select that for the next hat I ask Tim to make for me...like I really need another brown hat. lol

On a semi-related note, I find it a little amusing the way our tastes change during our lives. There was a time not so long ago when I couldn't have cared less about hats; now my first custom hat is still on the block, and I'm already thinking about my second. :crazy:

 

[gear-guy]

Mine is Whiskey rabbit. That Pecan color has really grown on me, so I might select that for the next hat I ask Tim to make for me...like I really need another brown hat. lol

On a semi-related note, I find it a little amusing the way our tastes change during our lives. There was a time not so long ago when I couldn't have cared less about hats; now my first custom hat is still on the block, and I'm already thinking about my second. :crazy:

Same here, Now I have about 40 hats and caps, 2 custom and I am always looking. Getting expensive, but fun!

 

[Zombie_61]

I'll tell you, there's no grass growing under Tim's feet. Earlier this week he told me it would probably be today or tomorrow before my hat came off of the block. But a little over an hour ago he sent me a photo of my hat being flanged, and shortly thereafter followed that up with a photo of my hat with a rough dry crease and the ribbon we had discussed wrapped around the crown. The man has a gift because, a few minor tweaks aside, it looked exactly as I pictured it in my mind when we first began discussing my hat. Sure, I had expressed my thoughts about the hat to him, and it's not like we're reinventing the wheel here, but to see it go from a thought in my head to a physical reality...well, I think those of you who have ever had a custom hat made know what I'm talking about. Or maybe I'm just excited about my first custom hat.

 

[gear-guy]

You won't believe the hat when you get it, if you thought your hats were good wait until to touch and put his on. Get ready to order more.

 

[gear-guy]

My first black cherry from Tim and then bought one of his works for another lounger and there is no comparison between Tim's and my other hats, either in style or quality.

 

[Zombie_61]

You won't believe the hat when you get it, if you thought your hats were good wait until to touch and put his on. Get ready to order more.

Except for a few wool felt "western" hats I had when I was much younger, my experience with felt hats has been limited to the four Akubras I currently own because none of the men in my family wore hats. Not to take anything away from Akubra--they're quality hats for the price, but they're still mass-produced hats that I believe lack the "finesse" of those made by custom hatters. I'm sure the difference will be like night and day once Tim's hat is in my hands...and on my head.

Also, it's probably wise to get one (or more) of Tim's hats now, before he decides to become a full-time hat maker and is forced to raise his prices in order to make it financially feasible for him to do so.

By the way, your Black Cherry suits you very well!

 

[gear-guy]

Thanks, and yes after talking with Tim he will probably be raising his prices in the future. Even as a sideline job it is very labor intensive work. Time is money.

 

[Zombie_61]

...Even as a sideline job it is very labor intensive work...

Boy, you aren't kidding. A few hours ago Tim sent me a photo to show he had begun to sew the sweatband in, and less than an hour later sent another photo showing the job completed. When I complimented the precision of his hand stitching, he responded by saying it used to take him over three hours to install one sweat band. It's easy to look at the photos he provides and think, "That looks nice," but those photos don't really begin to illustrate the painstaking work he does and the time it takes to make his hats look that good.

And half an hour after I received the photo of the finished sweatband he sent me two photos of the ribbon and bow pinned into place, and asked if I was "cool with this look on the bow". I really think Tim and I have similar tastes, because he nailed both the color of the ribbon and the shape of the bow on the first try. Either that, or he's somehow downloading the mental images of my hat directly from my brain. At this rate he should have my hat finished by noon tomorrow. lol

But seriously, he did mention that I should see photos of my finished hat some time this week. :shocked: I'm astonished.

 

[ManofKent]

Gear-guy - the Black Cherry looks great.

 

[ManofKent]

Just had the (ouch) customs bill through the post, so my hat should be here soon. Getting excited

 

[Zombie_61]

Just had the (ouch) customs bill through the post, so my hat should be here soon. Getting excited

I don't blame you. Tim hasn't even finished my hat yet, and I'm already getting excited. lol

 

[1mach1]

Just had the (ouch) customs bill through the post, so my hat should be here soon. Getting excited

Can't wait to see pics of that one, Richard!

 

[ManofKent]

Aaaarrrggghh :frusty::frusty::frusty:

!*$%!!!*** Parcelfarce left a card through the door. Did they leave it with one of the two neighbours who were in? No. Did they leave it at the Faversham office so that I could pick it up tomorrow? No. It's currently on an inaccessible industrial Estate 40 miles away and I can't get it redelivered until sometime next week (after the Bank Holiday obviously). :frusty:

 

[gear-guy]

Aaaarrrggghh :frusty::frusty::frusty:

!*$%!!!*** Parcelfarce left a card through the door. Did they leave it with one of the two neighbours who were in? No. Did they leave it at the Faversham office so that I could pick it up tomorrow? No. It's currently on an inaccessible industrial Estate 40 miles away and I can't get it redelivered until sometime next week (after the Bank Holiday obviously). :frusty:

So sorry, and we yanks thought our postal service sucked!!!!

 

[ManofKent]

So sorry, and we yanks thought our postal service sucked!!!!

I've yet to work out why some international parcels are delivered by Royal Mail and why some are delivered by Parcelforce. I have next to no problems with RoyalMail but Parcelfarce...

 

[Rogera]

Aaaarrrggghh :frusty::frusty::frusty:

!*$%!!!*** Parcelfarce left a card through the door. Did they leave it with one of the two neighbours who were in? No. Did they leave it at the Faversham office so that I could pick it up tomorrow? No. It's currently on an inaccessible industrial Estate 40 miles away and I can't get it redelivered until sometime next week (after the Bank Holiday obviously). :frusty:

I feel your pain Richard. I always seem to miss my arrivals on a Friday when there is a following holiday Monday making for a very looooong weekend.

 

[Zombie_61]

So sorry, and we yanks thought our postal service sucked!!!!

It does.

I'm sorry to hear about the delay Richard, but at least you know your hat made it to the U.K..

 

[Zombie_61]

Ladies and Gentlemen, Señoras y Señores, meine Damen und Herren, Mesdames et Messieurs, it is my great pleasure to present to you...

Cane's Creations Hat Number 36:

And now for the usual stats:

Felt: Rabbit
Felt color: Whiskey
Ribbon: "Likely 1940s-era" (according to Tim) Grosgrain
Ribbon color: Dark Coffee (according to Tim's vendor)
Ribbon width: 1-1/2"
Crown height (as shaped): 4-3/8" at the front, 4-1/2" at the peak, 4" at the rear
Crown height (open): I have no idea because I don't wear my hats open crown, so I asked Tim to use whichever open crown height would give him enough material to work with to shape the crown.
Brim width: 2-3/4"

And here's a shot of the liner:

The colors in that photo aren't particularly accurate. In person the liner isn't as pink as it appears, and I'd say it's more of a "mocha" color. And the color of the sweatband is similar to that of "flesh" colored bandages, except it's more subdued. I didn't have a preference for the liner and/or sweatband colors, so I left that to Tim knowing he'd get it right. And he did; those colors aren't something I would ever have thought of on my own, but they work very well with the Whiskey felt.

Speaking of the sweatband, here's a shot of the stitching:

I've included this photo for two reasons. First, because Tim stitches his sweatbands by hand and, as you can see, his work is clean and precise. Second, because the color of the liner in this photo is a truer representation of the actual color.

And now, for the obligatory head shots:

The color of the felt in the top photo is fairly accurate for direct sunlight. As usual, I was surprised by the actual color of the felt--I had only seen it in photos here on The Lounge, and it tends to photograph much lighter and with a golden/yellowish hue. What is it with hat felt anyway? Why does the color rarely (if ever) photograph accurately? To be clear, although this was quite a bit darker than the color I was expecting, I like it just as much. In direct sunlight it's a rich, warm brown, and the felt fibers reflect light with a variety of slightly lighter colors; it's really a beautiful felt!

And, while I'm on the subject, the felt is very soft like a comfortable old blanket (but thinner). By comparison, my Akubras are as stiff as a sheet of plywood. But, as soft as it is, the felt holds it's shape well. I've never handled a vintage fedora, but I can't imagine it being much different. And since the leather sweatband is also nice and soft, the hat conformed to my head almost immediately. It's very comfortable to wear, and I don't think the fit could have been better if Tim had built the hat around my head while I was sitting in his house.

The color of the ribbon was Tim's first, and only, suggestion. As I've stated earlier in this thread, I think Tim and I have similar tastes. When he sent me a photo of that ribbon next to the Whiskey felt I thought it was a perfect match, so there was no need to look any further. And, as you would expect from a quality hatter, there are no visible stitches attaching the ribbon to the crown.

I did make two minor alterations to the hat when I received it. First, I tightened the front pinch a little. Second, I "snapped" the front of the brim down a little further than it was, just to make the hat more "me". I like the brims on my hats to have a lot of shape, and Tim definitely came through on that request--the brim has a wonderful amount of curl, just the way I like it! That said, any imperfections in the pinch or on the front of the brim are the results of my ham-fisted handling.

It has been said before in this thread, but it bears repeating--Tim is a great person to work with! He communicates with his customers regularly throughout the process to keep them advised about the progress of their hats, complete with a number of photos, and will discuss details until he has a full understanding of what the customer wants if necessary. And even though I received updates almost daily, the process from start to finish was very relaxed with no pressure whatsoever to make any on-the-spot decisions. As for the quality of his work, allow me to reiterate: Clean and precise hand-stitching, hidden stitching attaching the ribbon and bow to the crown, wonderfully soft felt that holds it's shape well, and a perfect fit. Tim made exactly the hat I wanted, and I couldn't be happier with the quality of the hat or the quality of the service I received from him.

As usual, opinions, comments, and/or questions are welcome and appreciated!

 

[mikespens]

Congrats Al, it looks great on and off your head. Very impressed with Tim's craft.