Sourcing Hat Bodies Wool, Straw, Blends?

[Nataly Alves]

Made in Canada?

Wondering if anyone can help with fur felt capelines (rabbit or beaver) manufactured or sold in Canada? I was hoping to source product domestically but I can't seem to find any online.

Any help would be great!!

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Made in Canada?

Wondering if anyone can help with fur felt capelines (rabbit or beaver) manufactured or sold in Canada? I was hoping to source product domestically but I can't seem to find any online.

Any help would be great!!

Winchester, Tonkak, and FEPSA are the biggest players in the US (of them, only Winchester is made in the US). I’m not sure that Canada currently has any fur felt production.

I’ve heard that Winchester has stopped taking new accounts, but I don’t personally know.

FEPSA makes great products, but their website isn’t easy to navigate and I’ve heard others have difficulties ordering.

I’m not sure how to order Tonak directo, but Agnoulita offers hat bodies in several different finishes (all rabbit). He might be able to offer beaver too as he makes beaver hats. His website isn’t great, but his Etsy store is better.

The HatMakersEmporium, also on Etsy, offers rabbit, nutria, and rabbit/nutria blend hat bodies. I can’t comment on their quality as my first hat using one of their bodies is still at my hatter’s.

There are other European and Asian sources, but I’m not personally familiar with them.

Good luck. If you are making custom hats I hope you post them here on the Lounge. We can always use more custom hatters.


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[Nataly Alves]

Winchester, Tonkak, and FEPSA are the biggest players in the US (of them, only Winchester is made in the US). I’m not sure that Canada currently has any fur felt production.

I’ve heard that Winchester has stopped taking new accounts, but I don’t personally know.

FEPSA makes great products, but their website isn’t easy to navigate and I’ve heard others have difficulties ordering.

I’m not sure how to order Tonak directo, but Agnoulita offers hat bodies in several different finishes (all rabbit). He might be able to offer beaver too as he makes beaver hats. His website isn’t great, but his Etsy store is better.

The HatMakersEmporium, also on Etsy, offers rabbit, nutria, and rabbit/nutria blend hat bodies. I can’t comment on their quality as my first hat using one of their bodies is still at my hatter’s.

There are other European and Asian sources, but I’m not personally familiar with them.

Good luck. If you are making custom hats I hope you post them here on the Lounge. We can always use more custom hatters.


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Amazing!! Thanks!!

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Amazing!! Thanks!!

You’re welcome. I’m just a novice...maybe one of the experts might add more.


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[Dac]

Do straw hat bodies come in different sizes as does the beaver hat bodies, such as no string, red string or double yellow?

 

[jlee562]

Do straw hat bodies come in different sizes as does the beaver hat bodies, such as no string, red string or double yellow?

Although there are hat makers who post here, the primary focus of this forum is not hat making or renovation, but documentation and preservation of fine vintage hats.

You may have more luck reaching out to individual makers, or reading the Tabletop Hatters and Conversion Corral threads:
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/tabletop-hatters-of-the-lounge.96123/
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/the-conversion-corral.22306/

 

[Markus P J]

Hi i'm new to the hat making world and i'm having a hard time finding a place that sells Beaver furfelt hat bodies and that ships to EU.

I hope that someone can point me in the right direction.

thanks.

 

[jlee562]

Hi i'm new to the hat making world and i'm having a hard time finding a place that sells Beaver furfelt hat bodies and that ships to EU.

I hope that someone can point me in the right direction.

thanks.

Please take some time to read the forum.

this question has been asked and answered ad nauseuem. Including in a thread on the first page of the forum right now:
https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/sourcing-hat-bodies-wool-straw-blends.82366/quote

Although there are hat makers here, the majority of us are wearers, and focused on documentation and preservation of vintage pieces.

 

[Markus P J]

I have read a lot of them, but the only place I hear people talk about is Winchester hat co. And I wondered if there were other places. And this seemed like the place to ask.

 

[jlee562]

I have read a lot of them, but the only place I hear people talk about is Winchester hat co. And I wondered if there were other places. And this seemed like the place to ask.

the place to ask (also where it has already been answered as recently as last Thursday) is the "ask a question, get an answer" thread pinned to the top of the page. There's probably not a good reason to start a new thread as we have them covering almost everything and the mods like to consolidate. In all my time here I think I've only started one thread.

But if you still haven't found the answer, FEPSA is in Portugal, Tonak is in the Czech Republic.

 

[Markus P J]

Okay thanks. And i didn't mean any disrespekt to this forum by starting this thread

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Do straw hat bodies come in different sizes as does the beaver hat bodies, such as no string, red string or double yellow?

They do come in different sizes and, unlike felt, you can’t size them up all that much...I’ve ripped brims off trying. There isn’t any standard that I’m aware of for sizing.


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[belfastboy]

Okay thanks. And i didn't mean any disrespekt to this forum by starting this thread

Check with Esther Weiss Milliner in Antwerp. She may be willing to share with you what she knows about sourcing felts. Or the Danish guy Hufved (sp?) he is here in The Lounge.

 

[Markus P J]

Check with Esther Weiss Milliner in Antwerp. She may be willing to share with you what she knows about sourcing felts. Or the Danish guy Hufved (sp?) he is here in The Lounge.

Okay i'll tryk that, thanks

 

[Susan J]

Hi there, I am new to making hats..(and also this forum). I am looking for a Hat body resource. Does anyone have any recommendations?

 

[GHT]

Welcome to Lounge, you need to tell us a little more. What country do you reside in? If you are UK based I can give you a couple of links.

 

[Susan J]

I'm in the US. Thanks! But I would look anywhere at this point. Winchester is not taking new clients. I really want Beaver fur mix.

 

[jlee562]

This question is asked quite frequently, including as recently yesterday afternoon in the "ask a question, get an answer" thread, where it has accordingly been answered several times over.

having 'no skin in the game' as a hatter to be, I might suggest not starting off with the most expensive materials for trial and error purposes.

Otherwise, FEPSA and Tonak. Or try your hand at nutria from Sunrise hat supplies.

 

[Susan J]

Ok, yes I hear you . Thank you so much!!

 

[GHT]

jlee is right, it does pay to search, but as you are so new here you are not going to know what's gone before. There is a wealth of detail and a good way of finding it is put what you want into the Google search, followed by Fedora Lounge. It will bring up lots of dormant threads, many of which will give you answers. Occasionally, a post like your's rekindles an old thread. Across the pond, one of the best millinery suppliers is https://www.petershams.com/