Monarch's Cavanagh edge

[fedoralover]

Here's some pics of this interesting hat and it's combo cavanagh and underwelt edge.

First the hat.

close up of the top cavanagh edge

Here's the under side that looks like an underwelt. Notice there are 2 stitch lines around it, but none of the stitches show up on the top.

Anyone ever see one like this before? I've never seen one that basically had 2 different kinds of edges.

fedoralover

 

[Dinerman]

strange.
I've never seen anything like it.
does the brim hold its shape better or anything?

 

[Brad Bowers]

It doesn't seem to affect the snap of the brim different than normal. I'd like to see how they did this one.

Your wish is my command.

Thanks for posting the photos. I suspected what this really was, but didn't want to say anything for sure until I saw them.

This isn't, unfortunately, a Cavanagh Edge, but instead is a concealed-stitch underwelt which is designed to mimic the Cavanagh Edge without as much work. It's one of the "imitations" that were created to provide consumers with a lower cost alternative. Another one was the "Stuck Edge," which was a glued down overwelt. Amazing that, even as the Cavanagh Edge disappeared, so, too, did their imitators.

Here's a diagram of how it was achieved, which will explain the extra row of stitches:

I have to admit that it really looks like a Cavanagh Edge from the top.

Nice find, fedoralover! That hat may be rarer than our beloved Cavanagh Edge hats!

Brad

 

[Orgetorix]

I would still like to have seen this done in person and see how they pressed in the top to look like a cav edge and the sewing machine used. You don't have any pics of that too do you?

It was probably folded over again (at the red arrow) and stitched straight down through the three layers of felt, then that fold re-pressed open. Probably any hatter's sewing machine would work, though perhaps a special foot was used to hold the folded edge and guide the stitch.

 

[Feraud]

It is a beautiful hat and an interesting brim finish technique.

 

[The Wingnut]

Interesting! That might be the closest modern hatters will ever come to reproducing the Cav edge. As Orgetorix pointed out, probably all it would take would be a special foot on a hatter's sewing machine.

 

[Brad Bowers]

I don't know about the sewing setup, but I'm guessing they used a Cav Edge shackle or iron on it to shape it.

If I can ever get a hold of one, I'll try ironing a regular underwelt of mine to see how it does.

Brad