I made a hat today!

[Bic]

I'd been wanting to try for a while.
I started with a beat up motheaten Resistol cowboy hat that felt like cardboard which I bought for & $5 at the local thrift store:




and after a little work trimming the brim and reshaping the crown and fitting a new ribbon:



[ Here's a link to the Fedora Lounge page where I posted showing more of the process, scroll down to post #776:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?22306-The-Conversion-Corral/page78 ]


ended up with a pretty natty lookin' fedora  

[fightingquaker13]

Very nice. If I recall there is a very cool haberdashery (a word you rarely get to use) in Buda just a little south of Austin. I popped in a couple of times to look, but they were a bit out of my league price wise. Still, I was stuck there for close to an hour each time learning more than I needed to know about hat making. I might make a trip down there if you want to make more. The guy in charge would probably teach you a lot for free. Sorry I don't remember the name, but its been 12 years. If it helps their claim to fame was making a hybrid cowboy hat with a straw crown and a felt brim, but they did a lot of nice standard stuff to.
FQ13

[tombogan03884]

And now we know what the notorious MP looks like. 
The hat looks right on you.
Now a hat question only an Englishman could answer, What the hell is a "trilby" ?

[Bic]

 Here's the other dumb post 




'Trilby' is what we Brits call a short brimmed fedora, it comes from a play of the same name where a hat in that style was worn by a woman.

Thanks for that info FQ, I will endeavour to search them out.

MP

[tombogan03884]

Very nice. If I recall there is a very cool haberdashery (a word you rarely get to use) in Buda just a little south of Austin. I popped in a couple of times to look, but they were a bit out of my league price wise. Still, I was stuck there for close to an hour each time learning more than I needed to know about hat making. I might make a trip down there if you want to make more. The guy in charge would probably teach you a lot for free. Sorry I don't remember the name, but its been 12 years. If it helps their claim to fame was making a hybrid cowboy hat with a straw crown and a felt brim, but they did a lot of nice standard stuff to.
FQ13

Silly me, I thought it was across the river from Pest       

[Sponsor]

[Bic]

Very nice. If I recall there is a very cool haberdashery (a word you rarely get to use) in Buda just a little south of Austin. I popped in a couple of times to look, but they were a bit out of my league price wise. Still, I was stuck there for close to an hour each time learning more than I needed to know about hat making. I might make a trip down there if you want to make more. The guy in charge would probably teach you a lot for free. Sorry I don't remember the name, but its been 12 years. If it helps their claim to fame was making a hybrid cowboy hat with a straw crown and a felt brim, but they did a lot of nice standard stuff to.
FQ13

It appears they've moved out to Lockhart FQ

http://www.texashatters.com/drivingdirections.html           hardly any further at all though.

[twyacht]

Don't tell alf,....he's a Fedora kinda guy....

Looks great.

[crusader rabbit]

Good looking chapeau.  And from your photo. it appears that you have enough experience to appreciate a good hat.  Mine is off to you, sir.

Respectfully,

Crusader

[PegLeg45]

Jolly good show, old chap.....very nice lid.

Shaping a hat can be a trying experience............Took me a lot of practice and patience over a steam pot.    

[fightingquaker13]

It appears they've moved out to Lockhart FQ

http://www.texashatters.com/drivingdirections.html           hardly any further at all though.

Yep, those are the guys, and as you can see from the site they know what they are doing, don't do it for cheap, and are happy to tell you about it at great length. Given that Lockhart is known for world class BBQ at Kreuz Market, I'd say its worth a drive. Hell, its worth it for the Q alone, plus you'll pass Shiner Tx. (home of Shiner Bock for you heathans) and can take a brewery tour which includes free samples where they never bother to collect your tokens. Plus its an even money bet as to whether there will be live music if you time it for a Saturday afternoon. To quote the unfortunate mister Sheen: "Winner".
FQ13