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How to "cock" a hat.


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Say I bought wool felt at a craft store, could I theoretically use that to form a hat? (as opposed to buy a hat blank and just shaping it)

You could sew the felt into a sorta hat..... but it won't turn out quite right.....

The thin felt from a craft store won't be thick enough to form into a hat.... so you'd have to sew it together....

I made one once, that was three layers of felt, sandwitched together with fusable pellon to make the brim.... then sewed together the crown..... It looked almost ok.....

It can be done..... but more than likely, you will be dissapointed with the results.....

You're better off just buying a hat blank, and then working with that.......

If money is an issue..... go to a thrift store and find a lady's hat or an old cowboy hat and re-block it... it will turn out better than if you try to make one yourself.......

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that's a fantastic hat, the trim definitely sets it off :) but i also like the one without trim...

i'm looking to make my own hat (the one i currently have is a reeeeaaally cheap one from a halloween place =p) and these are fantastic instructions

:rolleyes: to the sticky idea

61jctci.jpg
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  • 1 month later...

My first hat was a success, but I waterproofed it and it came out more of a helmet than a hat: heavy and very stiff. Also black. Not a good color in Florida. So I needed another hat.

My latest hat:

Left:

i1650AC5F-4EF0-401F-8049-82156C443C2A.jpg

Right:

i352B4B15-B2C3-4E35-B4CF-CBB65D24E854.jpg

Back:

i1FE546CB-6B70-4AFA-9953-C7DA91B87E6E.jpg

Lining:

i8DADB70E-A05B-4753-915E-E76FC84994CB.jpg

Closeup of button, a small tribute to the movie:

iFB4F3BA5-BAFA-423A-805C-65E3B2617192.jpg

The button is available from one of our own, renfairpirate.

3ff66f1f.jpg

My occupational hazard bein' my occupation's just not around...

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Thanks. I will never pleat another ribbon on a brim. It has 36 pleats, each with two tack stitches.

OK, maybe I will, but I'm going to make the pleats longer.

3ff66f1f.jpg

My occupational hazard bein' my occupation's just not around...

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  • 1 month later...

Anny o' ya seadogs know how to 'cook' a hat? I been at sea for o'er 3 months now and me grub is gettin mighty scarce, and I'm starvin ta death!.... if ya know what I mean".

(sorry folk, me ol' eyes is goin...' the post looked like 'how to cook a hat'

:lol:

SHIP2-1.jpg
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Dang... there have been a lot of garb threads sence I posted that.....

Guess I gotta wait untill I got another borring Winter night ... then I can do it....

Well unless you post alla the new threads... then I'll just "cut and Paste" them up there...... :o

Heck... I get lazy sometimes........ :o

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Very nicely done, Amanjiria.

But where did you get the hat blank at?

I be lookin' for hat blanks with a brim around 7 inches.

actually, what I'd LOVE to do is block my own hats. But the lack of equipment and space don't allow me to do such. :lol: Cause I be lookin' at making my own hats someday. The color has always been an issue as well as the equipment.

Plus... has anyone changed the color on a hat blank before?

Or used the 80% - 100% wool felt to make hats?

~Lady B

:unsure:

Tempt Fate! an' toss 't all t' Hell!"

"I'm completely innocent of whatever crime I've committed."

The one, the only,... the infamous!

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The Jas. Townson hat blank runs a little smaller than the "raw" blanks that I've found at a few Renn. Faires.... but I have no idea where they get thier blanks from.....

So not much help tonight........ :huh:

michaelsbagley,,, Oh yah... I added it.... But to add all the new garb/ clothing post will take untill Winter.... when I have some tyme to do so..... :huh:

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  • 1 month later...

Me beau wants a hat now instead of wearing a head scarf. My own hat is fashioned using an old bolero style hat that came out in the 80's it's heavy and has a brim that had wiring in it so I could shape it into a tricorn and I sewed black maribou about it and added a velvet casing that holds a plethora of feathers (which I have now epoxy'd them all into due I was tired of them coming out from just stitching through the) I then placed a cool brooch on that and then another brooch towards the front. But I would like to make a couple from scratch as well. What is better the blanks from Faire or Jas?

~~~~Sailing Westward Bound~~~~

Lady Alyx

bateau-sailor-jerry-tatouage.jpg

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Hi Patrick,

Thanks for the feedback, could not get in here for a couple of days, password fried or something. I actually found a website that sells a 2nd quality blank for 15.00 and another website with a blank for 17.50. I think I will get a couple.

MountainTrading

and I found a website that had cool directions on making a leather Cap Jack Sparrow hat.

Website with directions for Capt Jack Sparrow hat instructions

~~~~Sailing Westward Bound~~~~

Lady Alyx

bateau-sailor-jerry-tatouage.jpg

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I have ordered a couple of hat blanks from Mountain Trading...(have not got them yet). Does anyone know a really good website for steaming and pressing? I was looking around the other day and could not find any good directions.

~~~~Sailing Westward Bound~~~~

Lady Alyx

bateau-sailor-jerry-tatouage.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

I posted this a few days ago and it disappeared.....I'm giving it another try.

This is not a cocked hat but shows some possible alternate techniques for forming hat blanks.

hat01_500.jpg

My wife and I hand shaped this hat blank putting on the braid with a hot glue gun then glued the brim to the crown the same way. The hat is about four years old and still holds its shape through book signings and some pirate events.

hat02_500.jpg

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When I made mine, I used liquid laundry starch and used a paint brush to apply it on both inside and out. Then I put toilet paper rolls where I turned the edges up and pinned the turned up parts so they would stay till dry. After is was dry I glued maraboo and trim to the edge and I was done. Very simple and looks good too. And it has kept its shape for over a year. Of course it has never gotten wet but, I think if it did all I would have to do is pin it up again till it was dry.

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Wow these are great! Thanks for the step by steps! I am going for a plainish brown and a charcoal tricorn as well as perhaps a one side up design with a plume

Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants won't help....

Her reputation was her livelihood.

I'm a pirate, love. By nature and by choice!

My inner voice sometimes has an accent!

My wont? A delicious rip in time...

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  • 2 months later...

I am updating my web-page and am doing hats... I want to link to all the fine work everyone has done here... so I am bumping it to make it easier to find!

GoF

Come aboard my pirate re-enacting site

http://www.gentlemenoffortune.com/

Where you will find lots of information on building your authentic Pirate Impression!

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