Questions about Hat Ribbons

[GentlemanGamer]

Hello alll;

As you could likely tell by my post count, I'm a newbie to the fedora lounge; glad to be here After extensive research and reading many of you guys' posts in various threads, I've decided to purchase my first fedora; a black Federation IV Deluxe (or the regular IV... still making up my mind on that one). Sure it's an 'Indy' hat, but to me it's one of the nicest hats I've seen and for a fairly reasonable price; it has a fair sized brim, a decent crown, that 'classic' look, looks fairly soft and is reportedly one of the more durable hats out there. I figure I could do a lot worse for my first fedora, and once my budget allows me to pick one up, I look forward to wearing it

However, while I feel fairly set on the color of the hat itself, I'm less then fond of the ribbon color and plan on changing it to a gray one once I actually get the hat. However, I'm not necessairly sure of a few things regarding hat ribbons;

1. Where can one get a quality hat ribbon, or would any sort of ribbon do (for example, from a craft store)?
2. How does one put on a hat ribbon so it's secure and looks nice (with a bow finish)?
3. Is there a certain width that the ribbon should be to give the hat a nice look? 1 inch? 2 inch? 1.5 inches?

Any help you guys can give me regarding this would be appreciated; as someone who's never spent more then $60 on a hat before, I'm a little anxious about spending this much money on a fedora, so to know that I can change the fedora to get my 'ideal look' without worry would be reassuring. Thanks in advance!

 

[ManofKent]

Ribbon width is very much personal preference. Personally I'd go with 1 1/2" to 1 7/8" on a Fed.

Vintage hat makers ribbon is much nicer than the modern stuff and can be picked up on Etsy by the yard.

Have a search of the forum or try these threads:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...-How-to-make-a-bow-quot-TUTORIAL-by-FORTINO37

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?50566-Making-your-own-replacement-ribbon

 

[gtdean48]

Welcome to the Lounge!
Grosgrain ribbon is the sort of ribbon.
Read this current thread = http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?76945-Petersham-or-Grosgrain-ribbon
Doing a ribbon attachment well is tricky because of getting the curl just right = you don't just roll the ribbon around the hat & stitch it on...
Nice looking for me is nothing over 1" but that is totally a personal preference base on how I like what I see in the mirror. YMMV

 

[GentlemanGamer]

Thanks for the quick responses I'll be sure to check out the threads you've linked, and do a search if I still can't figure something out; most appreciated gents

 

[Tedquinton]

This site also explains in detail how to create a bow. It's primarily aimed at an 'Indy' bow, but I think the principles hold whatever type of bow you prefer.

http://www.dalexs.whitvani.net/hat/hatpage.html

 

[T Jones]

Another thread to check out is the Conversion Corral. Those guys are great about helping people who have questions like yours....

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?22306-The-Conversion-Corral

Here's a Black fedora that I just converted from a Resistol Western as a birthday gift for my son. I added a Khaki colored mid-ribbon. gtdean led me in the direction of mid-ribbons. I think mid-ribbons add a clean, neat, and casual look...this ribbon is about 3/4 of an inch...

 

[GentlemanGamer]

Tedquinton- I'm liking this tutorial; it seems rather detailed, so it'll likely serve me well once I get my fedora. Thanks a bunch

T Jones- Looks like a helpful bunch, I'll be sure to check them out if I need assistance; thanks for pointing it out. Nice hat by the way; I'm now almost tempted to get it myself

 

[Cornshucker77]

Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. I agree with the other posters that the cotton/rayon ribbon is the way to go. But I have used the polyester with success. To get a tight fit I had to iron a curve into the ribbon which allowed the ribbon to fit nicely. But if you can get cotton/rayon that is better than poly.

 

[TheDane]

It's not just about the designation of contents. The so-called "cotton/rayon", produced today, is very different from the material, produced up until the 60/70s. Earlier rayon was made from natural plant fibres, but now it's made from synthetic fibres, making ribbon a lot stiffer. Not quite as stiff as polyester, but still a very different thing than grosgrain from the 30/40s.

 

[GHT]

GentlemanGamer, thanks for starting this thread. Sometime ago, my wife and I went to a fund raising event which was themed as "Gangster, Hollywood Interpretation." I couldn't resist Peter Sellers as the gangster, wearing the black fedora with the white hat band. As seen here. The black fedora is a beautiful hat, but with the white hatband it could never be taken seriously. But now I have all the links to have the band replaced. So, thanks again.

 

[Cornshucker77]

That's a nice Conversion T Jones. What did you use to cut the brim?

 

[Corky]

A few thoughts...

A few thoughts in answer to your questions above...

When I change the band on one of my hats, I like to replace it with something more in line with my personal sense of style.

For example, the band on this cowboy hat was replaced with a 3/8" latigo saddle string, secured with a short length of rawhide. A couple of stitches of matching color button and carpet thread hold the new hatband in place, one stitch under the rawhide knot and the second on the opposite side of the hat. The stitches are tied off beneath the sweatband.



And this fedora was made into a safari hat by the addition of a simple cotton puggaree. The puggarree was sewn into place using the method described above.



The brims on both hats were trimmed down from four inches to somewhere around three. Step by step instructions can be found in the Forum archives, but the tools used were my old compass from Algebra class (with the legs of the compass securely taped to fix them at the desired width) to mark where the cut is supposed to be and a large, sharp pair of Fiskars shears to do the cutting.

You might want to practice on an old beater before you have a go at a primo felt fedora. And you might want to take off a quarter of an inch at a time and then stop and see how it looks to avoid trimming off too much brim. When you're done, take the hat outside and use some sandpaper to smooth out the freshly cut edge of the felt -- AND CAUTION: TAKE CARE NOT TO INHALE ANY OF THE FELT DUST!

(The blue squares of tape on the front of the crown and the brim of the safari hat were meant to illustrate how the brim on that particular hat was pulled down asymmetrically over one eye.)

 

[T Jones]

That's a nice Conversion T Jones. What did you use to cut the brim?

Thanks buddy. I used a pair of sharp scissors, but only because I didn't have a brim cutter. Afterward I used fine grit sandpaper to smooth up the brim edge. It actually came out pretty good, but I wouldn't suggest using scissors except as an only resort.

 

[gtdean48]

Thanks buddy. I used a pair of sharp scissors, but only because I didn't have a brim cutter. Afterward I used fine grit sandpaper to smooth up the brim edge. It actually came out pretty good, but I wouldn't suggest using scissors except as an only resort.

I have a brim trimmer but have used scissors more times than the trimmer, especially if my reduction is larger than my trimmer size of 1/8"...Don't do it enough to warrant a Rounding Jack...

 

[T Jones]

I have a brim trimmer but have used scissors more times than the trimmer, especially if my reduction is larger than my trimmer size of 1/8"...Don't do it enough to warrant a Rounding Jack...

I can't say that I had any real problems using scissors. The hat actually came out pretty good. It's just something a person would have to be careful with. I'll invest in a brim trimmer like the one you described though. There's a Western Shop not too far from me that carries them. I can see why someone would want to use scissors when there's a lot of material to be trimmed....and Rounding Jacks can get expensive.

 

[Woodtroll]

Well, folks, I'm resurrecting a dead thread because I need a little help and a search has turned up nothing but dead links and missing photos, although some of the text has been informative.

I'm doing a conversion on a beat-up Resistol western hat, and am going to use a 1-1/2" wide ribbon for the hatband. I understand that the ribbon has to be curled, and I've read in many places that the arch or curl has to be ironed in, but I can't find any specific pictures of how, exactly, to iron the ribbon.

I've always used 1" or narrower ribbon before, and was able to just mist it with water and stretch it along the bottom edge by hand. This wider ribbon is going to need a little more than that. It is a vintage cotton/rayon grosgrain, and I don't have enough for a complete "do-over" so I don't want to mess it up. I do understand that it needs to be moistened and ironed under a protective sheet, but do I just lay the ribbon out in a broad arch and press it flat, pull the ribbon under the iron, or...?

Any advice or even a lead to a functioning tutorial would be greatly appreciated!

Y'all take care,
Regan

 

[Frunobulax]

Well, folks, I'm resurrecting a dead thread because I need a little help and a search has turned up nothing but dead links and missing photos, although some of the text has been informative.

I'm doing a conversion on a beat-up Resistol western hat, and am going to use a 1-1/2" wide ribbon for the hatband. I understand that the ribbon has to be curled, and I've read in many places that the arch or curl has to be ironed in, but I can't find any specific pictures of how, exactly, to iron the ribbon.

I've always used 1" or narrower ribbon before, and was able to just mist it with water and stretch it along the bottom edge by hand. This wider ribbon is going to need a little more than that. It is a vintage cotton/rayon grosgrain, and I don't have enough for a complete "do-over" so I don't want to mess it up. I do understand that it needs to be moistened and ironed under a protective sheet, but do I just lay the ribbon out in a broad arch and press it flat, pull the ribbon under the iron, or...?

Any advice or even a lead to a functioning tutorial would be greatly appreciated!

Y'all take care,
Regan

Cut the ribbon to length. Arrange flat on ironing surface. Place a barrier over the ribbon (I use a cotton hankie). Set iron to high steam. Iron the ribbon in an arc, while pulling the ribbon through, also in an arc, while angling a bit upward to increase the tension. You can also leave the iron stationary while pulling the ribbon through in an arc to curve for it, but I get best results by applying tension in both directions.

It takes a few tries to get the hang of it, and you'll likely need to perform the process a few times to get enough curve, but that's the basics. There use to be a video on YouTube of a lady curving one into an almost perfect circle on the first try, but I can't find it now.

Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Woodtroll]

Cut the ribbon to length. Arrange flat on ironing surface. Place a barrier over the ribbon (I use a cotton hankie). Set iron to high steam. Iron the ribbon in an arc, while pulling the ribbon through, also in an arc, while angling a bit upward to increase the tension. You can also leave the iron stationary while pulling the ribbon through in an arc to curve for it, but I get best results by applying tension in both directions.

It takes a few tries to get the hang of it, and you'll likely need to perform the process a few times to get enough curve, but that's the basics. There use to be a video on YouTube of a lady curving one into an almost perfect circle on the first try, but I can't find it now.

Sent directly from my mind to yours.

Thanks very much! That description is helpful. I had looked for Youtube videos also, without turning up anything. There's lots of information out there to tell you that you need to iron the ribbon, just nothing readily available to tell you how to do it.

Thanks again,
Regan

 

[Art Fawcett]

Here you go Woodtroll, you were looking under a different term. You "swirl" a ribbon, not "curl"

 

[Woodtroll]

Here you go Woodtroll, you were looking under a different term. You "swirl" a ribbon, not "curl"

Thank you sir! I hate it when I confuse “swirling” with “curling”!

With your recent announcement about bringing your business to a close, now would be a good time to express my sincere thanks for all I have learned about the hat craft from reading your various posts. There’s a lot of us here that really appreciate you taking the time to share information with all the hobbyists, amateurs, and beginning hatmakers here on the Lounge.

Hats off to you sir, and best wishes!
Regan