Hat making?? Learning Millinery..

[belfastboy]

Take a look here - there are some pretty dark browns available in your preferred width:

https://www.timelesstrims.com/1-12-...-Grosgrain-Ribbon-see-description_p_2513.html

If you poke around some more on this site, you might find something that suits you. She will send samples of the colors you're interested in if you ask. I've always been pleased with my dealings with her.

Good luck!

Yes, I have picked up some ribbon from her. Good quality and great customer service.

 

[Darrell2688]

It is always a good thing to read the directions before hand.

The information that I found about the Rit dye was located on the Internet and the instructions suggested using a cup of salt in the Rit dye mixture for rayon and for cotton you use vinegar, so I would have to use a little on each since the ribbon rayon cotton blend and keep the heat down to avoid any damage or shrinking of the ribbon. I am going to check out the Jacquard dye again because one of the dyes that I was reading about suggested a cold water bath for dyeing fabric.

 

[belfastboy]

The information that I found about the Rit dye was located on the Internet and the instructions suggested using a cup of salt in the Rit dye mixture for rayon and for cotton you use vinegar, so I would have to use a little on each since the ribbon rayon cotton blend and keep the heat down to avoid any damage or shrinking of the ribbon. I am going to check out the Jacquard dye again because one of the dyes that I was reading about suggested a cold water bath for dyeing fabric.

The Jacquard dye I use is an Acid dye. Go to their website and they give good directions on use. Or Maiwa.com has great details on acid dye prep. There is a process required, prepping the ribbon, making the dye bath etc etc.

 

[CRH]

The Jacquard dye I use is an Acid dye. Go to their website and they give good directions on use. Or Maiwa.com has great details on acid dye prep. There is a process required, prepping the ribbon, making the dye bath etc etc.

I'm following you around @belfastboy, you and @tjones. I'm pulling steel wires, Akubra spring steel wires. My Campdraft sweat could not survive the pulling of the wire. Play taps. I'm stripping it down

 

[hassoalbert]

Well, on the bright side, you could always sell it as 'distressed' and maybe get more $$$ out of it. There's also another method to getting a smooth finish out of those MW Western weight rabbit felts. We had a conversation on this a couple of pages back. You can sand all day on these felts and not get the result you want and probably end up over sanding. I've got some of those very same felts and I ended up with a nice smooth finish on mine. After you block it and cut your brim, set your hat on fire and let it burn just long enough to cinge the hairs, a few seconds. Then put it out. Afterward, sand it per MW specs. It reduces the sanding effort and reduces the risk of mottling which comes from over sanding. This method is used mostly on thick felted Western hats. Some hatters use this method to activate the stiffener for a stiffer Western hat while other hatters use it to get a smoother finish after pouncing. I do it mainly to get a smoother finish, although I didn't get the activation of the stiffener that I expected. After firing the felt and pouncing it, iron it to get everything nice and smooth. Here's a picture of mine. It's the same felt you have. This finish on mine is smooth, almost like a dress Western. As I said, I only fire a felt body on an as needed basis gana gato, and this was one of those instances. All in all, I actually these MW Western felts. They're a breeze to block.

Learning millinery, the art of hat making, is a journey into a timeless craft that marries creativity with meticulous craftsmanship. From the careful selection of materials to the delicate shaping and embellishing of each piece, millinery is a blend of tradition and innovation. Through the process of learning millinery, artisans delve into the rich history of hat making, drawing inspiration from vintage styles while also exploring contemporary design trends. It's a discipline that encourages experimentation and imagination, where every stitch and fold contributes to the creation of a unique accessory that can elevate an outfit and express the wearer's personality. Whether crafting elegant fascinators for special occasions or sculptural statement pieces for fashion shows, mastering the art of millinery opens up a world of endless possibilities in the realm of accessory design.

 

[BobHufford]

^^^^^ I remember my first A.I. “summary” fondly as well.

 

[T Jones]

A lot has been said about the stuff that Nick Foquet puts out. Definitely not my style and probably something I wouldn't wear. That said, there's obviously a market for distressed looking hats similar to his. It just about has me thinking of broadening my horizons just to see how hats like that would sell on eBay or Etsy. Why throw away those old discarded hat bodies when there's a potential profit to be made? Those of us who like the clean profiles of the "traditional" fedoras and westerns certainly wouldn't buy them but younger people and the flamboyant types more than likely would. I've got a box full of old discarded hat bodies that I may experiment with. Just a thought.

Here's a sample of a Foquet hat. We may have our criticisms but he's obviously tapped into a market for them, (at least for those who can afford to buy them at his prices).

 

[rogueclimber]

A lot has been said about the stuff that Nick Foquet puts out

Immaterial to preferring his style or not, I will never consider a Nick Fouquet hat as my recent visit to his "flagship" store in Venice Beach was one of the worst customer service experiences I have ever had

My review on Yelp:

• I thought maybe a custom hat maker might be a place where they provide customer service. I guess I thought wrong.
  
  I was the only person in the store. The "designer" couldn't be bothered to stop typing on his laptop.
  
  I tried on pretty much every hat in the store, never had a word spoken to me. Even as I was standing 3 feet away trying on sizing hats...
  
  One may be assured that I shall never again waste my time with Nick Fouquet
  
  

My visit to Watson's Hat Shop in Cave Creek AZ a couple month later was the opposite (I bought two custom hats) -- made me want to quote Julia Roberts (from Pretty Woman) back to the snobby store clerks: "Big mistake..."

 

[belfastboy]

A lot has been said about the stuff that Nick Foquet puts out. Definitely not my style and probably something I wouldn't wear. That said, there's obviously a market for distressed looking hats similar to his. It just about has me thinking of broadening my horizons just to see how hats like that would sell on eBay or Etsy. Why throw away those old discarded hat bodies when there's a potential profit to be made? Those of us who like the clean profiles of the "traditional" fedoras and westerns certainly wouldn't buy them but younger people and the flamboyant types more than likely would. I've got a box full of old discarded hat bodies that I may experiment with. Just a thought.

Here's a sample of a Foquet hat. We may have our criticisms but he's obviously tapped into a market for them, (at least for those who can afford to buy them at his prices).

A friend and fellow hat maker here in my city owns a Fouquette hat. Paid $2000 canadian $ and it is a crap hat. Regardless of what one thinks of the style, the hat is poorly made. My social media exposure is solely through Instagram and for every classic fedora maker there are 20+ makers of these distressed BoHo stylings. The weird aspect is that I have never spotted anyone wearing one out on the street. Do folks buy them and put them on a display shelf at home never to be worn??? I have made two 'festival' hats in the modified 'western' style of a Fouquet. But I told the clients up front....."I do not do the distressing......you have to do that on your own by wearing it or on purpose....I don't care just don't expect me to do it."

 

[belfastboy]

Learning millinery, the art of hat making, is a journey into a timeless craft that marries creativity with meticulous craftsmanship. From the careful selection of materials to the delicate shaping and embellishing of each piece, millinery is a blend of tradition and innovation. Through the process of learning millinery, artisans delve into the rich history of hat making, drawing inspiration from vintage styles while also exploring contemporary design trends. It's a discipline that encourages experimentation and imagination, where every stitch and fold contributes to the creation of a unique accessory that can elevate an outfit and express the wearer's personality. Whether crafting elegant fascinators for special occasions or sculptural statement pieces for fashion shows, mastering the art of millinery opens up a world of endless possibilities in the realm of accessory design.

Men's hatting and millinery are related...first cousins perhaps?

There are some shared areas but there is a distinct difference between the two crafts.

 

[belfastboy]

I'm following you around @belfastboy, you and @tjones. I'm pulling steel wires, Akubra spring steel wires. My Campdraft sweat could not survive the pulling of the wire. Play taps. I'm stripping it down

I didn't realize Akubra used steel wires as the reed. I have never stripped down an Akubra. I have refurbished lots of vintage hats that had an actual organic reed used as the 'reed' . But most often it is the plastic filament. You can likely purchase some of this filament along with the connecting ferrule and reuse the leather sweat. Or if the hat is worth it buy a new sweat band sized properly ($20). Easy to sew it back in place.

 

[T Jones]

A friend and fellow hat maker here in my city owns a Fouquette hat. Paid $2000 canadian $ and it is a crap hat. Regardless of what one thinks of the style, the hat is poorly made. My social media exposure is solely through Instagram and for every classic fedora maker there are 20+ makers of these distressed BoHo stylings. The weird aspect is that I have never spotted anyone wearing one out on the street. Do folks buy them and put them on a display shelf at home never to be worn??? I have made two 'festival' hats in the modified 'western' style of a Fouquet. But I told the clients up front....."I do not do the distressing......you have to do that on your own by wearing it or on purpose....I don't care just don't expect me to do it."

To be clear, (Nick Foquet aside), I'm just commenting on the distressed hat style, for which he's known, and that there seems to be a market for the distressed look. For me, I believe it may be a market worth tapping into.

 

[belfastboy]

To be clear, (Nick Foquet aside), I'm just commenting on the distressed hat style, for which he's known, and that there seems to be a market for the distressed look. For me, I believe it may be a market worth tapping into.

There obviously are folks buying that style, at least based on the number of hatters on Instagram making this style. But I have yet to see one actually on a human head walking down the street.

For a hatter starting out making this style cuts down drastically the number of blocks/flanges you need. My local friend has just the one style of block and as they all have flat brims he has zero flanges. He uses fabric remnants that he buys cheaply by the bagfull so he has no need for vintage ribbon. Cuts down on the capital and inventory costs for sure.

 

[T Jones]

There obviously are folks buying that style, at least based on the number of hatters on Instagram making this style. But I have yet to see one actually on a human head walking down the street.

For a hatter starting out making this style cuts down drastically the number of blocks/flanges you need. My local friend has just the one style of block and as they all have flat brims he has zero flanges. He uses fabric remnants that he buys cheaply by the bagfull so he has no need for vintage ribbon. Cuts down on the capital and inventory costs for sure.

I can see where that can cut down on costs as far as tools and materials go. I've got a box of old discarded hats I may experiment with, just out of curiosity.

 

[shopkin]

Men's hatting and millinery are related...first cousins perhaps?

There are some shared areas but there is a distinct difference between the two crafts.

Milliners make hats for women. Hatters make hats for men. Women get to wear men's hats, but men don't usually get to wear women's hats.

 

[belfastboy]

Milliners make hats for women. Hatters make hats for men. Women get to wear men's hats, but men don't usually get to wear women's hats.

If you drill down into the methods, my point being, that each of these crafts use different methods to make the hats. I have trained as both and they are different crafts. Yes, they both produce "hats"....but the paths they walk to get there are different.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

^^^^^ I remember my first A.I. “summary” fondly as well.

This is the third thread i’ve seen recently that had these first post newbie summaries??. Two different posters.
I hope this doesn’t become a thing.

 

[rogueclimber]

I hope this doesn’t become a thing.

Unfortunately the AI overlords are indeed becoming a thing...

 

[Darrell2688]

I can see where that can cut down on costs as far as tools and materials go. I've got a box of old discarded hats I may experiment with, just out of curiosity.

I say go for it, see what you can do. I had an old beaten up chocolate brown fedora that was in pretty bad shape. I posted it for sale and it sold in 5 days and I contacted the buyer a month after the sale and ask him if he was happy with the hat, he told me that it was his favorite hat that he wears it every day, the hat had a new satin liner in it, the sweatband and hat band were original. His response surprised me, I was expecting him to tell me that he wasn't happy at all, I was ready to issue a refund and pay for return shipping. What have you got to loose? I don't think that I would go as far as burning any parts of the hat, how would you get rid of the smell of burnt felt and hardened shellac???

 

[Darrell2688]

I finished another Raiders hat a little over a week ago and I am thinking about giving it the weathered look using Fullers Earth. I made this hat with a turned down front brim, a slight turn up on the sides and almost flat in the back. The front crown pinch is 4 5/8" high the back of the crown is 4" , 5" on the sides. Here is what the hat looks like now.

Should I do any weathering on this hat or just leave it as is? Looking for suggestions, let me know what you think.