Brim-binding tutorial, with pictures, even

[tonyb]

There must be about as many variations on brim-binding technique as there are people binding brims. Art Fawcett was good enough to offer a detailed explanation of his method here several months ago. (It’s worth looking into, should you ever want to try it yourself.) Marc Kitter did the same, and there’s a sticky showing enough of how it’s done at J.W. Hats in Utah that a careful observer gets the gist of it.

I’ve now bound a few brim edges – the first one by hand, following Kittter’s method. (I’ve since removed that binding and redone it, by machine.) I figured I’d return the favor(s) done me by passing along a bit of what I’ve learned.

What you’ll need …

-- A hat in need of a bound edge. (In this case, it’s the raw-edged hat in my current avatar, a hat I made for my own use some time back.)

-- Grosgrain ribbon, in a cotton and rayon blend, in an appropriate color and width (there can be considerable variation in both regards, depending on your wishes, but those options are limited by what both you and the material are capable of doing).

-- A decent iron and ironing surface.

-- A pressing cloth.

-- A spray bottle filled with water.

-- Thread, in a color close to that of the ribbon, and another in a distinctly different hue.

-- A thin hand-sewing needle.

-- A ruler (not absolutely necessary, but it might come in handy).

-- A sewing machine (pretty much any old regular sewing machine will do).

-- A pair of scissors.



Start by cutting a length of ribbon three or four inches longer than the circumference of the brim edge. Fold the ribbon in half lengthwise and carefully iron it so that the fold will keep, being careful not to set the iron’s temperature so high that the ribbon is scorched or made shiny. (No pictures of this part because, well, I didn’t take any, and because I suspect most people can figure this out without visual aids.)

Thread that needle with the contrasting color thread.

Locate the rear center of the brim edge. Facing the rear of the hat, and moving left to right (you could do it in the opposite direction, I suppose), position the left end of the ribbon just a bit left of center and secure it to the brim by running the needle through the ribbon and felt a couple of times and knotting it. (This should keep it from moving.) Make those initial stitches just to the right of where your rear seam will be, leaving a little bit of it loose on the left so that it can later be folded under. Then, with your right hand, pull the ribbon to the right and hold it to the brim while you make your first basting stitch. Continue along in this fashion, making a basting stitch every inch and a half or so, pulling the ribbon fairly tightly as you go.

At this point, it will probably look something like this …

Yikes! But don’t despair. This pucker problem is easy enough to fix, provided you use ribbon with significant cotton content, and not that polyester stuff available at your local fabric store.

Once you’ve progressed with the basting back to the rear of the hat, (or almost that far, as you will be leaving the right side of the ribbon loose and overlong for now) thread that needle with the ribbon-colored thread and fold under that loose ribbon you left when you started. It may help to carefully cut it into a shallow V (thanks, Art), with the point of the V being the long end, so that when you fold it under it will be less likely to bunch or pucker. Hand stitch the folded-under end to the body.

Now press out as much of that pucker in the ribbon as you can, using the iron and the pressing cloth. Do this top and bottom, using care to flatten the ribbon, and not to iron any creases into it. This alone may be enough to flatten out the ribbon, but it probably won’t be, especially if you are attempting a fairly wide binding, as is the case with this hat. So it may be necessary to spray the ribbon with water, top and bottom (it might be best to do this over the sink, or outdoors) and then press it again. See to it that your ribbon is equally distributed on the top and bottom of the brim (this is where the ruler comes in). If it isn’t, you can still manipulate it a bit.

Now it oughta look something like this …

Set the hat aside to dry. Then finish the loose end of ribbon (what had been the right side of it, but is now the left as you face it, sorta like west becomes east if you go far enough) much as you did the other end. Trim it to length (careful, careful), fold it under and make it abut the finished end. Stitch it down with ribbon-colored thread, and make a few stitches securing the ends to each other.

The following assumes you know the basics of operating a regular old sewing machine. If you don’t, well, get someone who does to do it for you, or at least show you what you need to know (which isn’t all that much, truth be told).

With the machine threaded with the ribbon-colored thread and set for a straight, fairly wide stitch, start at the rear binding seam and S-L-O-W-L-Y work your way around the hat (you may wish to crank the machine by hand, just to be on the safe side), seeing to it that the needle penetrates the ribbon near its edge, but not too near it. Finish up by reversing the machine for a few stitches.


Trim off the excess thread ends and then remove the basting stitches.

You should end up with something akin to this …

There are undoubtedly better ways to do this, but this method works pretty well. I’ll refine this as I go along, but I feel sufficiently adept that I’ll now bind edges on hats other than the ones I expect to wear myself.

 

[feltfan]

I love it when you guys who have real ability (thinking of
fishmeok here, too) try to explain these things as though
I could ever do that...

Looks very good.

 

[tonyb]

Oh, I bet you could do it. It had me intimidated, too, until I saw how Marc Kitter does it, and Art disclosed a few of his tricks. The first time it took me something like four or five hours to do a decidedly less than stellar job. Now it takes me an hour or two to do a passable job, and that's taking time to change the radio station and to make some coffee and a sandwich and whatnot.

An early challenge for me was learning how to properly set up and operate the sewing machine. Once I had that down, it all went a heck of a lot smoother. I still have to remind myself that it's a whole lot easier for a person to learn to read if he learns his ABCs first.

What I found most surprising was how readily the ribbon flattened out with pressing. I thought it might be asking it to do quite a bit, but no, it usually does what I wish it to do without putting up much of a fuss.

Now I have to teach myself how to use that sweatband sewing machine I just acquired.

 

[toobacat]

That looks really nice Tony. Do you have any pictures of the sweatband sewing machine?

 

[Mark G]

Nice job Tony. :eusa_clap

It's nice to see the process demystified.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

tonyb, You're a gentleman and a scholar. Thanks, and a tip of the hat to you! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Brad Bowers]

Nice looking bound edge, Tony. Interesting take on the process, too. Glad to see you putting your sewing machine to use. Man, that must be nice! I've used Art's method, which is a bit different, and had good success with it.

For anyone that wants to try at home, without a machine, I use a stitch awl, which works rather well, as I can get nice, even stitches, though not quite as nice as a machine stitch.

Good job, Tony!

Brad

 

[handlebar bart]

Tony, that is wonderful. The progression of the bound edge process is real neat to see, but is also cool to see the progression of the hatters skills as well. :eusa_clap

 

[Wil Tam]

VERY NICE JOB!! (YES, I'M SHOUTING!)

I'm excited for you .. so are you ready to make that hat that I wanted you to make a while back?

I'll PM you later .. & figure out if I can afford your stellar work :eusa_doh:

also did you make yourself a logo yet?

very nice indeed! :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

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Now playing: Ella Fitzgerald - I'm Just A Lucky So & So
via FoxyTunes

 

[bolthead]

Thanks Tony.....

This should be a "Sticky".

Great job on the tutorial.....:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap




PS. Brad I'm interested in hearing more about this "stitch awl" product, can you pm me?

 

[tonyb]

Nice job Tony. :eusa_clap

It's nice to see the process demystified.

Well, Mark, I recall being encouraged by seeing how you bound the brim edge on that Open Road-like lid you made for yourself a few months back. I'm guessing you followed Art's method more closely than I did (which was wise of you, no doubt). Did you close the loop before you sewed the ribbon to the brim?

And J.T., I don't mind passing along what I've learned. If not for people like Art and Marc and Steve, I doubt I'd be doing this at all. Among the beauties of this online age (it ain't all beautiful, but that's a subject for another day) is that information is so readily available (not that all that information is reliable, but that's another matter for another day). Has it been so long since you've worn a bow tie that you've forgotten how to tie the darned thing? Go online. There's more video tutorials than you'll ever use. Wanna see how hats are made? Snoop around on the 'net. Me, I think it's all to the better if more people know how to make and refurbish hats. Tell as many people who wish to know and we'll still have far fewer hatters than I wish we had.

As to the sweatband machine, toobacat ... Sure, I expect I'll put up a picture of it pretty soon. It's a brand-spankin'-new machine, but it looks like it was made 70 or more years ago and left in storage all that time. It's a Taiwanese-made direct copy of an old Singer model that's next to impossible to find a working example of these days. Those who have one aren't inclined to part with it, and the only one I've seen that wasn't being regularly used by its owner was missing necessary parts. Mine seems to be a sturdy, well-made machine. Sure hope so, anyway, seeing how it put such a large dent in the budget.

Brad also hipped me to the stitch awl, bolthead. They're available at Harbor Freight Tools for just a few bucks. (Careful in that place, though. You'll likely head out the door with a couple of gizmos you never before realized your fundamental happiness so heavily relied upon.)

 

[Wil Tam]

found it!

is this Stitchitawl the one you're talking about

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Now playing: Ella Fitzgerald - A-Tisket, A-Tasket
via FoxyTunes

 

[Brad Bowers]

Yes, that's a stitch awl. There are several makes, and they all work on the same principle. It's basically a hand-held sewing machine.

Stitch awls are designed for work on heavy leather or canvas, so you need to buy sewing machine needles to replace the ones that come with it. I buy Singer 70/9 needles and they work great. Just try not to put any lateral pressure on them while sewing, or they'll break easily.

I use a stitch awl for sewing on sweatbands, and have used it for edge binding. Since you're only coming in from one side with the needle, it's really easy to keep nice even stitches. It takes a bit of work to make sure you keep all the stitches tight once you first start learning, but then it becomes second nature.

Sorry to hijack your great thread, Tony!

Please post some photos of your machine when you can.

Brad

 

[zetwal]

Thanks for these excellent tips and photos -

 

[bolthead]

Yes, that's a stitch awl. There are several makes, and they all work on the same principle. It's basically a hand-held sewing machine.

Stitch awls are designed for work on heavy leather or canvas, so you need to buy sewing machine needles to replace the ones that come with it. I buy Singer 70/9 needles and they work great. Just try not to put any lateral pressure on them while sewing, or they'll break easily.

I use a stitch awl for sewing on sweatbands, and have used it for edge binding. Since you're only coming in from one side with the needle, it's really easy to keep nice even stitches. It takes a bit of work to make sure you keep all the stitches tight once you first start learning, but then it becomes second nature.

Sorry to hijack your great thread, Tony!

Please post some photos of your machine when you can.

Brad

Thanks Brad.....:eusa_clap

 

[Mark G]

Tony, I used the closed loop that Art suggested and it worked well for me.

I got a little less pucker initially but your end result looks great. The rayon ribbon seems to be pretty forgiving.

 

[bolthead]

Tony, I used the closed loop that Art suggested and it worked well for me.

I got a little less pucker initially but your end result looks great. The rayon ribbon seems to be pretty forgiving.

Can someone possibly post a picture of this "Closed loop method"? That would be great.....thanks.

 

[Tango Yankee]

Hey, Tony,

Good on ya for sharing this technique! Much appreciated! :eusa_clap

And I second Bolthead's request....

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Mark G]

Here's Art's explanation:

Art Fawcett
Bartender

Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Eagle Point, Or.
Posts: 2,230

hi Spatterdash..boy, you're asking alot in your request. I've never taken pics of the process but there are two ways.
For the pro that uses the Singer 108-20 that has the binding attatchment with it it's a reasonably simple matter. Just fold the ribbon into the predetermined ribbon width setting, sew the single stitch all the way around, then remove it from the machine , fold the end of the ribbon in as clean a manner as capable, and finish sewing. I know one hatter that can do it in less that 10 minutes.
The second method isn't so easy but imho produces a more "vintage" rear seam. Oh, there actually IS a machine specifically designed to stitch the rear seam from the outside.

Ok, method #2. You've already got a good start. Take your hat, brim curled up all the way around, place it on your surface. Measure the ribbon by actually following the brim edge, cut it where it meets the ribbon end. Making sure the ribbon isn't twisted, sew the rear seam approx 1/4" from the ends using the tightest stitch your regular machine is capable of. You now have a completed circle that theoretically is 1/2" too small right?..wrong, it should actually fit tightly on the brim edge when finished. Now, take it to your iron , turn it inside out and press the 1/4" flaps or ribbon ends flat, to the sides they came from. take a good pair of scissors and make an angled cut from the seam to the middle of the ribbon end, making them two triangular "flaps" for lack of the correct term. Now, using your iron on it's lowest heat setting that still allows steam, fold and press the ribbon on to itself. effectivly giving you a center crease on the ribbon to align with the center of the brim felt. At this point, it's ready to install on the brim, making sure you align the rear seam with the rear seam of the sweatband. You now baste the ribbon on with approx 3/4" stitches using a fine needle to minimize the size of the holes in the ribbon and adjusting the center seam of the ribbon to the center of the felt thickness. Once you are satisfied that it is centered, press the ribbon again on the hat, reducing the "puckering" the ribbon will do. The steam will also serve to shrink the ribbon more to the hat. At this point take it to your sewing machine, set it for approx 1/8" stitch ( number 3 on my machine) and sew the binding down, making sure you overlap the back ( where I start sewing) at least 3 stitches.
Remove the basting and, if you've done it right, you have a brim binding that won't shame you. Press the brim again and the basting holes should shrink away. Now the hat is ready for the final flanging.

method 3? send it to a pro

As a side note Spatterdash, I hesitated answering your posts because your tone seems odd to me and rather demanding. It would have made my decision to respond seriously to it easier had I not read so many "I want's" in your request. Please understand that no hatter owes you the the information you want, just because you want it. I decided to respond because it would be good for the Lounge.
__________________
"you want me to do WHAT???
http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/
Last edited by Art Fawcett : 03-06-2008 at 11:26 PM.

I uses method #2.

Sorry I don't have pics of the ribbon before I put it on

 

[Brad Bowers]

Here are some photos of the closed loop method. This is ribbon I experimented with early on and didn't like the way the rear seam was stitched, so I never used it, but it shows the method.

Here is the inside of the rear seam, where it is stitched together and the corners are tapered for the finished look.

Here is the outside of the rear seam, the finished side, if you will. The ribbon has been folded in half and ironed for placement.

Finally, installing it on the brim. I use clothespins to help me hold and align it while basting it on.

The key to this method is to do EXACTLY as Art described and make the ribbon shorter than your brim edge circumference. This will give you an nice, tight ribbon with very little pucker to iron out.

Brad