Recently finished an umteenth leather hat.....I decided to make a softy (& I'll tell you why a little later) despite my preference for firmer leather hats & only using bits of scrap leather I have in my treasure box....so the result is a little 'patchy'.....dimensions; brim 7cm at the sides, around 7.5 at the front & 8 cm at the back...crown; 10cm at the front 9 cm at the back..(all approx.)
The brim & band are made from old kangaroo leather taken from an ugly bag I bought yonks ago on ebat Australia.( back when 1 euro was worth 2 Aussie dollars
) I was the only one bidding so I got it very cheap, even the postage was inexpensive. It was a lighter tan coloured but I didn't dye it darker as I rather liked it's worn faded look but it has darkened a little with the numerous wax applications. there wasn't enough usable leather to make the crown too.
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So the crown is made from a very soft 2.2mm calf leather, the piece wasn't quite long enough to go all the way round so I had to add a strip (same thing for the hat band.)
nor was it deep enough which is why it is sewn along the top of the band & not directly onto the brim
The top posed a problem in that though I had the piece that had been cut out of the center of the brim the hide was just too thin (around 1mm) & soft added to that the crown was so supple, it didn't keep a proper shape (yes I had tried it sewn & everything
).not having any firmer brown leather at my immediate disposal I opted for a piece of 2mm black buffalo leather though not very firm it does give the crown the neccessary structure...
& a piece of upholstry leather for the sweat pad. There is a length of plastic beading (?) ( I usually use fencing wire) in the brim which I heated to give it a 'sort of ' permanant shape though I will probably change it at some point when I find something better as I have to fiddle about with it & re-shape it every time before putting it on...
All hand sewn using polyester button thread...
Now the reason why I made this hotpotch thing is so that I could fit it into a bread bag or rucky when there is a risk of rain but not actually raining as I don't like to wear a hat unless it's raining as it buggers up my perm..
so I wanted it to squash flat, which it does..
I took this thing for a trial run a few days ago during a thunderstorm & much to my surprise, it leaked like a blinking sieve. Although it had been well waxed (it's usually enough) it was about as effective as a paper hat....so since then it has been recieving regular coats of wax(which is why it looks a little shiny in the photos) & the stitching where crown /band is attached to the brim has had every sort of gunk I can think of put onto it (which has darkened the leather in some places) as the rain came dripping through...the top too has recieved particular attention, inside & out as it turned into a sponge ......so we'll see the next time it rains, hopefully it will be showerproof but I doubt it will ever be downpour proof... ..
I've got 2 more hats in the making, firmer more cowboy-ish in style.. & more fun to make.
Thanks for listening....
The brim & band are made from old kangaroo leather taken from an ugly bag I bought yonks ago on ebat Australia.( back when 1 euro was worth 2 Aussie dollars
) I was the only one bidding so I got it very cheap, even the postage was inexpensive. It was a lighter tan coloured but I didn't dye it darker as I rather liked it's worn faded look but it has darkened a little with the numerous wax applications. there wasn't enough usable leather to make the crown too..
So the crown is made from a very soft 2.2mm calf leather, the piece wasn't quite long enough to go all the way round so I had to add a strip (same thing for the hat band.)
nor was it deep enough which is why it is sewn along the top of the band & not directly onto the brim
The top posed a problem in that though I had the piece that had been cut out of the center of the brim the hide was just too thin (around 1mm) & soft added to that the crown was so supple, it didn't keep a proper shape (yes I had tried it sewn & everything
).not having any firmer brown leather at my immediate disposal I opted for a piece of 2mm black buffalo leather though not very firm it does give the crown the neccessary structure...
& a piece of upholstry leather for the sweat pad. There is a length of plastic beading (?) ( I usually use fencing wire) in the brim which I heated to give it a 'sort of ' permanant shape though I will probably change it at some point when I find something better as I have to fiddle about with it & re-shape it every time before putting it on...
All hand sewn using polyester button thread...
Now the reason why I made this hotpotch thing is so that I could fit it into a bread bag or rucky when there is a risk of rain but not actually raining as I don't like to wear a hat unless it's raining as it buggers up my perm..
so I wanted it to squash flat, which it does..
I took this thing for a trial run a few days ago during a thunderstorm & much to my surprise, it leaked like a blinking sieve. Although it had been well waxed (it's usually enough) it was about as effective as a paper hat....so since then it has been recieving regular coats of wax(which is why it looks a little shiny in the photos) & the stitching where crown /band is attached to the brim has had every sort of gunk I can think of put onto it (which has darkened the leather in some places) as the rain came dripping through...the top too has recieved particular attention, inside & out as it turned into a sponge ......so we'll see the next time it rains, hopefully it will be showerproof but I doubt it will ever be downpour proof
... ..I've got 2 more hats in the making, firmer more cowboy-ish in style..
& more fun to make.Thanks for listening....
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