My Hat is Has Three Corners

My last attempt at hat making was a (somewhat) failure. Mostly because I did not have the right tools. My second attempt at hat making was a roaring success, but that's not to say that didn't make plenty of mistakes and learn a lot. Here is my finished hat.

Unfortunately, you can't just go rolling out and making a hat overnight because it does require one specific tool to make a historically accurate 18th century hat: a round had block. No one makes them any more because your head is oval not round, so modern hats are blocked to actually fit your head. I commissioned a hat block from a local wood turner that fits my head, and I could not be more impressed with the craftsmanship. Here's his website: dougsturnings.com

You're going to need a few other things to make a hat other than just a block. You will also need:

• A wool or fur felt capeline (the one pictured is a shorthair fur)
• A big piece of plywood (I think mine is 24 x 24 inches)
• Staple gun
• Thin rope to tie the crown seam (I used 1/4 inch linen tape)
• Tea kettle
• Iron and spray bottle
• Shellac (clear stuff)
• Denatured alcohol
• Cheap spray bottle you are willing to throw away
• Natural fiber paint brush
• Hat brush, shoe brush, or something like it
• Scissors
• Tailors chalk
• Plastic wrap
• Quilters ruler (optional)
• Hat styling materials (worsted tape, buttons, cockades, etc.)

 Step 1: Block the Hat

Blocking a hat is not actually as hard as it seems. You just need the right tools and some patience. Other than the hat block you may actually have all the tools you need in your house already. To before you block the hat make sure that you have you plywood and stapler handy and wrap your block in plastic wrap to prevent damaging it from the heat and chemicals.

To block the hat, heat the interior of the cape line with steam from a boiling tea kettle until is is malleable. Then put the capeline over the hat block and pull down until it sits firmly against the hat block and distinctly makes the crown. After that you need to tie something around the bottom of the crown to maintain the shape and create a crisp transition seam from the crown to the brim.

Next, you are going to stretch the brim. Remove the hat and block from the stand and place it on your plywood. Using a water bottle and iron, soak portions of the capeline and then iron them to make the brim malleable. Stretch the brim by hand and staple the edges to the plywood. I try to get the brim at least 5 1/2 inch wide from the crown. You may have to repeat the process more than once and pull out a few staples to get the brim fully stretched to where you want it. I use A LOT of staples in this step because wool/fur will shrink and then you will have to do this all over again.

Once you have the brim stretched. Heat the spot near the crown and push the tie down as far as you possibly can to get a crisp seam on the crown. I used a clothes pin to help push down the tie. Once you're happy, let the blocked hat dry for at least 8 hours. The finished product should look something like this.

Step 2: Stiffen the Hat

Stiffening the hat is the easiest but worst step in the whole process. The period recipe for hat stiffener is a mixture of shellac and denatured alcohol. I use 2 parts (clear) shellac to 1 part denatured alcohol. The easiest and most efficient way to apply the mixture is using a spray bottle and then brushing it into the blocked hat. No need to remove the hat from the plywood, just spray that bad boy down with a bunch of the stinky stiffener until its saturated and then brush it in. Wait at least 8 hours to make sure it's dry, and then assess the stiffness to see if it needs another coat. 

If it's good, remove the staples and spray the underside of the brim with the stiffener and brush it in again. After you've spray it down, put the hat back on the plywood and staple it back down. If you don't do this, the brim will curl in as the stiffener drys and then you will have to iron your hat brim to get it flat again. It smells gross, so don't forget this step. Wait at least 8 hours, and your hat should be dry and stiffened.

Step 3: Cut and Style Your Hat

Now it's time for the fun part. Styling your hat. Although they may look like the brims are round, most cocked hats do not have round brims, they are slightly oval. The front and backs of my hat are 5 1/4 inches and the sides are 4 3/4 inches. You'll have to play with it to figure out exactly what you are gong for.

My suggestion is to start big, trim slowly, and check your progress by mock styling with your hands as you go along. Mark with tailors chalk because it is easy to see and comes out (somewhat) easily and use a quilters ruler for easy distance marking. I also use the quilters ruler to mark where the front and back of the crown starts, which helps with marking the pattern for the hat shape.

Once you like your hat shape, use a brush to get all the tailors chalk off and to generally pounce your hat. Once that's done, tack the brim in place with a few linen stitches so that everything is place while you're styling.

My method to styling is:

• Bind the brim if you're doing that
• Tack the brim in place
• Mark and punch holes for ties on fantail and sides, then tie the brim in place with the worsted tape.
• Sew in linen lining and sweat band (you could do this before doing the worsted tape but I find it easier to push the tape through the hat without the lining in the way)
• Sew on button for cockade. 
• Tie cockade band tape to binding tape and hook over button. 
• Insert cockade

Step 4: Wear Hat

If you did it right, or mostly right, you should get an awesome looking hat like this that custom fits your head. I gotta say that I'm addicted. This hat was not hard to make and looks amazing. I may have created a monster