Brim looks awesome!I’ve been working on my brim binding and I’m now at the stage where it’s consistently good. I can’t get good quality grosgrain here in the UK so use Petersham instead.
Brim looks awesome!I’ve been working on my brim binding and I’m now at the stage where it’s consistently good. I can’t get good quality grosgrain here in the UK so use Petersham instead.
Nice stitching! are you doing by hand or machine? Brim binding / sewing is my next big learning experience. I just figured out how to use a smaller needle on my cylinder arm leather machine to sew in leather sweatbands...I felt like I owned the world when I finished the first one! lolI’ve been working on my brim binding and I’m now at the stage where it’s consistently good. I can’t get good quality grosgrain here in the UK so use Petersham instead.
Hi Rick. I used a sewing machine which has a start/stop button. It allows me to stitch at a very slow speed so I can concentrate on following the binding edge accurately. Yes it’s a great feeling when you nail another part of the hat making process.Nice stitching! are you doing by hand or machine? Brim binding / sewing is my next big learning experience. I just figured out how to use a smaller needle on my cylinder arm leather machine to sew in leather sweatbands...I felt like I owned the world when I finished the first one! lol
Wore it around today and it still looked just a bit big...Got home and took another 1/2" off brim... now 2 1/2"... Im just NOT a cowboy lolReworked free-to-me Stetson "Gus". Reblocked to get rid of the front crease and trimmed a full inch off the brim (now 3"). Seriously thinking of reducing the brim just a bit more. The panama band is temporary, but its growing on me
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Looks great so far!ITS STARTED! Day One of the conversion project. One cowboy hat on its way to being more of a city hat.
Started as a $26 4x Stetson 4" brim, 5 1/4" crown cowboy hat. Liner and sweat are in really nice shape. No tag inside so Im not really sure what model it started life as. Im guessing 1980's or 90's. Does have a union label on the back of the size tag.
I trimmed off some of the "cowboy" (took a full inch off the brim). Wore a bunch of bristles off my horsehair brush and got a bunch of dust removed. Taking it slow, so right now its now sitting at a 3" brim with just a little experimental steaming and shaping. Want to shape with a bit flatter brim side and do away with the little wings that want to stand up on the sides. BUT... I may go with a modest snap brim. Already looks way better. Looking more Open Road/ fedora-ish, and less Cowboy Bob. (No offense to Mr Bob)
The felt hatband is going away (Its an actual JBS buckle set so Ill try to recycle the hardware over to a nicer tooled leather band) and Im trying to decide on what size ribbon to replace it with. (maybe a 1-1/4 to 1- 1/2" ribbon and Bow, or a narrower Open Road size ribbon) Also thinking doing a bound brim would be nice... If I go narrow ribbon, Ill go narrow binding, (and MAY trim another 1/8" off the brim)or if I choose to go with a wider ribbon Ill prob do a wider "Whippet" size binding.
Its going to get a white gas bath soon to clean a few spots, so until thats done, Ive got some time to think about ribbon / binding size, and whether to leave brim as- is or trim just a hair more off. I already have a 2 7/8 brim Open Road, so im thinking I may opt for the slightly wider brim. (Most of my hats are 2-1/2 to 2-7/8 brims) Its got a bit of a tan hue so it wont be directly competing with the silver bellies on the wall lol. Ill REALLY try to decide exactly what I want before I start sewing thing on.
Im just hoping I can stay on track and finish this one before I start on the cheaper hat thats due in here soon ( An 80's $25 brown 3x Stetson with what looks like an ever so slightly lower crown.) Shiny things catch my eye and I get distracted easily so If I get two projects going at once I wont see my dining table again for a month.
I got the pics out of order, but I trust you fine gentle persons will figure out which is the "before" photo
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Agreed—those wider ribbons look beautiful. I especially like the gold.Finally found ONE of the missing ribbon rolls ... 1" pewter. Size looks good, but Im still leaning towards a wider 1-1/4 or 1-1/2" ribbon
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Sooo many choices lol,, I do like the wider, lower contrast ribbon colors. Still trying to figure out where I put the other box of ribbons... It had 4 or 5 different colors with 1-1/2", 3/8", and 5/8" matching ribbonAgreed—those wider ribbons look beautiful. I especially like the gold.
Woo hoo! I take back the grumble about expensive ribbon shipping... just got an email that the seller just refunded $16 of shipping... Thats much betterFINALLY found and ordered some older SIlverbelly 6 and ligne grosgrain...RIbbon wasnt too expensive, but DANG cheapest shipping was $22 lol.. Oh well FInally silverbelly in something bigger than 3/8"