Sewing in a Liner- Questions

[Ande1964]

So, you've get a project hat you've been working on... cleaning, a little re-stitching, and so on. Let's say you've removed the liner, either because the old stitching came loose or to clean it. Now, you've got to get it back into the hat, and you don't want to resort to glue.

In looking at hats with stitched in liners, it seems like those stitches just go into the felt a little bit, without going through to the other side. That's great, because you don't have to worry about using the ribbon to cover up.

Are these liner stitches done with a curved needle? Is there any trick to getting the needle through just enough of the felt to hold the liner securely, or do I just have to try it until my bloody fingers figure it out?

Thanks,
Anj

 

[Art Fawcett]

or do I just have to try it until my bloody fingers figure it out?

lol lol lol lol

Sorry Ande, but that IS part of it!! Seriously, you can use a curved needle but I personally never got the hang of using one. My needles tend to curve themselve based on use, but in the mean time, set the liner where you want it ( line up the seam with the leather closure if it's a rear seam liner) and use a finger to push in the felt where the stitch is to be placed. Go only halfway through the felt ( here is where practice & bloody fingers come in) and it should hold. The saving grace here is that there isn't much pressure on the stitches or liner so if it isn't exactly halfway, it still should be OK.

 

[J.T.Marcus]

Your question indicates a desire to "restore" the hat to original appearance, inside and out. That is certainly a worthwhile goal. Art is right on the money, with his post.

For anyone whose quest is for function and looks, but may not insist on a totally accurate restoration, there is good news. Most of the time, if you just replace the liner, it will pretty well stay in place, without stitches or glue. When it does slip, it will usually only be at one spot. Functionally, that can be solved with one stitch, at the problem spot.

But for a restoration, put it back the way it was made.

 

[Ande1964]

Awesome. Thanks for the great info, guys.

Man, what a place this is! Where else could you get feedback like this from one of America's best hat-makers?

Anj

 

[Brad Bowers]

I ran into something interesting the other day, but you've probably seen it many times, Art.

I have a '50s Cavanagh that I picked up cheap a year or so ago that had the sweatband rotting out of it, and stains on the ribbon and liner. I finally got around to working on it last weekend, and started disassembling it for a good cleaning and rebuild. The liner was stitched in as normal, but there were also two stitches in the very top, one on the outside of each side of the tip to hold it in the top of the crown. Once I got the liner out, I realized why: the liner was plasticky feeling on the backside, and apparently has a coating to repel moisture. This made the liner heavier than most, thus the need for stitches in the top to keep it from collapsing. Pretty neat of Cavanagh, but I'll bet it's hotter than heck!

Brad

 

[Art Fawcett]

Actually Brad, I haven't seen one coated on the back with repellent material. That's new to me but it makes sense that in the heat of competitoin companies would do things to make them "stand out", not much different than today. As for the top stitching, it's actually pretty common in top tier hats and is one of those unseen details.