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2 inch ribbons

Vintage Betty

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indycop said:
That burgundy is gorgeous!:eusa_clap

Are you commenting on that burgundy > green ribbon? Yes, that's sweet stuff, and I'm hoping to use it before I die....must...use...it....before someone else get's their hands on it...(runs off to ponder the perfect hat to embellish it with)
 

Spats McGee

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Welcome to the Lounge, Tremolo! You're in good company here.

I don't want to hijack Tremolo's thread, but I have a question about ribbons, while we're on the subject. I have seen many references to "x ligne" ribbon, but I don't know what it means. What is the "ligne" of a ribbon? Are higher numbers better or worse, or does it make a differerence?
 

carter

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Ligne is from the French word for line. This term is used by French and Swiss watchmakers to measure the size of a watch movement. It is also used to measure the width of ribbon. In simplest terms, there are 12 ligne to an inch. 1 ligne = 1/12 inch.
 

duggap

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carter said:
Ligne is from the French word for line. This term is used by French and Swiss watchmakers to measure the size of a watch movement. It is also used to measure the width of ribbon. In simplest terms, there are 12 ligne to an inch. 1 ligne = 1/12 inch.
I didn't know that. Thanks.[huh]
 

Spats McGee

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Thanks, Carter. From the spelling, I figured it was French in origin. French, however, never was my strong suit, so I'd like to ask this follow-up question. What would the difference be (for example) between "23 ligne" ribbon and "18 ligne" ribbon?
 

carter

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It's just math.

Spats McGee said:
Thanks, Carter. From the spelling, I figured it was French in origin. French, however, never was my strong suit, so I'd like to ask this follow-up question. What would the difference be (for example) between "23 ligne" ribbon and "18 ligne" ribbon?
23 ligne would be 5/12" wider than 18 ligne.
 

Spats McGee

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Ahh, I see. For some reason, I was thinking of it like the weave count on a panama, that 18 ligne meant 18 somethings per ligne. Thanks again.
 

Delthayre

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For some reason I had taken to the silly idea that there were eleven ligne to an inch.

bendingoak said:
The photo's of most the ribbon shown are petersham ribbon not grosgrain.

Here is another curious point! What is the composition and qualities of Petersham ribbon as opposed to grosgrain ribbon?
 

Vintage Betty

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I've had a number of people contact me regarding ribbon. If you have contacted me, here's a few notes:

1) Some ribbons that are shown are no longer available. They were traded earlier this year.

2) If you have requested some ribbon from me, I *will* get back to you, but it will be a while. My ribbon is in storage and I have to pull -everything- out to look for ____________ (insert ribbon you wanted into that space).

Sorry for getting everyone excited. I will get back to you, but I have other pressing concerns at the moment that will delay me getting into the ribbon boxes for at least a couple weeks.

Thank you for your understanding.

Vintage Betty
 

Vintage Betty

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I googled Petersham ribbon as opposed to grosgrain ribbon and apparently, if I understand it correctly, Petersham bends around the hat brim more easily, following the contours of the hat or round surface.

Grosgrain apparently is less flexible, and will stiffin up around a contoured hat brim. Not sure if that's right, but that's what I took away from my quick search. [huh]
 

Brad Bowers

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Vintage Betty said:
I googled Petersham ribbon as opposed to grosgrain ribbon and apparently, if I understand it correctly, Petersham bends around the hat brim more easily, following the contours of the hat or round surface.

Grosgrain apparently is less flexible, and will stiffin up around a contoured hat brim. Not sure if that's right, but that's what I took away from my quick search. [huh]

All true! The main difference is that grosgrain for hatbands has a woven edge and Petersham does not, just those scalloped loops.

As to Delthayre's question on composition, they can be made of any number of different fibers. That's why a rayon/cotton blend is recommended over the polyester grosgrain for hatband.

Brad
 

Vintage Betty

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Brad Bowers said:
All true! The main difference is that grosgrain for hatbands has a woven edge and Petersham does not, just those scalloped loops.

As to Delthayre's question on composition, they can be made of any number of different fibers. That's why a rayon/cotton blend is recommended over the polyester grosgrain for hatband.

Brad

Thank you for the reply! So, if I understand you correctly...

Grosgrain for men's or women's hatbands = woven edge
Grosgrain for men's hatbands only = woven edge
Grosgrain for women's hatbands = scalloped edge, also known as Petersham.

*Materials can vary.

Why is a rayon/cotton recommended over a polyester grosgrain?
 

Brad Bowers

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Vintage Betty said:
Why is a rayon/cotton recommended over a polyester grosgrain?

Besides the fact that polyester is pure evil?;)

The rayon/cotton blend swirls better (to conform to the hat) than the polyester. It also looks better. Just talking modern ribbon here, comparing rayon/cotton ribbon that is specifically made for hatbands to the regular polyester ribbon, the rayon/cotton hatband has a much finer weave than the polyester. It also doesn't have that polyester sheen to it.

Vintage Betty said:
Thank you for the reply!

You're most welcome! Glad to be of service.

Brad
 

TopGumby

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Tremolo said:
Hello!

Lately I´m thinking about putting a wider ribbon, preferably 2 inch, on my hat. Does anyone here have a hat with a 2" ribbon? And one last question, do you know where I can get one? The widest ribbons I could find were 1 1/2".

Many Thanks!

I just aquired a dark gray Stetson Sovereign Twenty with a 2" black ribbon. It also has a 2" brim, so the ribbon is pretty dominant! In fact, I was toying with the idea of finding something narrower...
 

Vintage Betty

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Paging Mr. Bowers....

I came across some ribbon today, and scanned it quickly, hoping Mr. Bowers might educate us further....

So, based on your kind observations above, are these all Grosgrain with a woven edge? [huh]

(Sorry for the sheen. I can get rid of it, but the picture will be replaced with one that is twice the size. The white flakes are bits of the Victorian paper disintegrating)

ribbon_comparison_111808.JPG
 

Brad Bowers

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Vintage Betty said:
So, based on your kind observations above, are these all Grosgrain with a woven edge? [huh]

It's hard to tell from the picture, but the two on the right look like Petersham. The one on the left, though, might have a woven edge. I can't tell for sure.

Here's a photo for those who are unsure what we're talking about:

RibbonComparison.jpg


The top ribbon is 2-inch hatband, and has a woven edge. The bottom one is also 2-inch, but it's Petersham, with no woven edge. You can see the little scallops where the weave loops up and down. The weave is also slightly finer in the hatband than the Petersham, but that's only on what I have. There may be other Petershams just as fine.

Sorry for the blurry photo. I tried to take a better one, but the batteries ran down.

Brad
 

Vintage Betty

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You are quick! ;) And so helpful!

Here's another view of the same ribbon (but this photo is kinda crummy too, actually - maybe I should redo it?):

ribbon_comparison2_111808.JPG
 

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