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[The Lost Cowboy]

Thank you for the info and advice. Very helpful!

I've also reached out to the Hattery and asked about the options/difficulty in replacing the ribbon, and they warned me about this in their reply:

"you don’t want to replace with a narrower ribbon either as holes in the felt may be noticeable."

Have you experienced this? That's what I'm afraid of, because I would most likely replace it with something narrower for the more casual look.

I hate to disagree with the ladies at the Hattery (it’s not the first time, either - but they are awesome anyway!) but in my experience Akubra stitching is the same as most other hats with visible stitching - it is at the bottom of the crown right above the brim break and even a thin ribbon would cover it. I don’t know of any other holes or other visible blemishes in a FED IV to be concerned about, and I have taken one completely apart before.

I believe @RickP has been doing a lot of hat remodeling lately and might be able to speak to that question more adequately than I can but definitely the FED IV I have with me here in Asia has stitching that would be completely covered even by a thin ribbon.

Good to hear you reached out to them and I hope you’ll keep us updated on your decision!

 

[belfastboy]

I hate to disagree with the ladies at the Hattery (it’s not the first time, either - but they are awesome anyway!) but in my experience Akubra stitching is the same as most other hats with visible stitching - it is at the bottom of the crown right above the brim break and even a thin ribbon would cover it. I don’t know of any other holes or other visible blemishes in a FED IV to be concerned about, and I have taken one completely apart before.

I believe @RickP has been doing a lot of hat remodeling lately and might be able to speak to that question more adequately than I can but definitely the FED IV I have with me here in Asia has stitching that would be completely covered even by a thin ribbon.

Good to hear you reached out to them and I hope you’ll keep us updated on your decision!

I do a fair bit of hat restoration work. Unless Akubra has screwed up and misplaced the stitching even a narrow 3/8" ribbon would cover the sweat band stitching. It is as the Lost Cowboy states, it sits just above the brim break.

 

[Woodtroll]

Does Akubra tack the corners of their wide bows and ribbons with small stitches? Even if they did, I can't imagine that any high holes from tacking could not be massaged out of the felt, especially if it were new. I replaced the ribbon and bow on my Adventurer some years ago, but I don't remember if it was tacked on the top corners or not.

 

[belfastboy]

Does Akubra tack the corners of their wide bows and ribbons with small stitches? Even if they did, I can't imagine that any high holes from tacking could not be massaged out of the felt, especially if it were new. I replaced the ribbon and bow on my Adventurer some years ago, but I don't remember if it was tacked on the top corners or not.

Even if the stitch holes show....(which is not likely).....a wee bit of steam will close the hole.

 

[BdSal]

Does Akubra tack the corners of their wide bows and ribbons with small stitches? Even if they did, I can't imagine that any high holes from tacking could not be massaged out of the felt, especially if it were new. I replaced the ribbon and bow on my Adventurer some years ago, but I don't remember if it was tacked on the top corners or not.

Got confirmation from The Hattery folks that the bow has stitches up higher on the Fed IV securing it.
But I trust that, like some of you have mentioned, it might be a non-issue.

In the meantime, does anyone have any pics of their Fed IV with a bow-less, thinner, more casual-looking band? I'm looking for ideas, in case I go that route.

 

[Jimmy__patt]

I acquired a new hat off poshmark for a great price and in amazing condition. It actually might be the best hat I own in terms of fit. It certainly feels the most comfortable on my head, more than my others. I'm really happy with it and I believe it's from the 1950's era.

 

[SnowyViking]

Hi. I'm trying to attach that "bow tie?" on the side of the hat band and I'm not sure how to attach it either with glue or sewing.So I'm wonder what to do.I'm not sure if it's called a bow tie or not either.

 

[jlee562]

Look inside of another hat and you'll see how the ribbon is stitched. Don't glue it unless you want to build a reputation for cheaply made hats. Taking a hat apart is really instructive to building a hat.

 

[Monte.C]

moved. Sorry.

 

[belfastboy]

Hi. I'm trying to attach that "bow tie?" on the side of the hat band and I'm not sure how to attach it either with glue or sewing.So I'm wonder what to do.I'm not sure if it's called a bow tie or not either.
View attachment 645383

It is called just 'the bow', the piece of ribbon that wraps the bow horizontally is called 'the keeper'. If you glue it on, the ghost of hat makers passed will come to your house and haunt you......forever!

5 stitches and it is done. You have a choice to do invisible stitches or if not fussy just do a visible tack stitch. Visible: One stitch in the top and bottom corners of each bow loop end. One tack stitch underneath the bow keeper. I write a column for HaTalk eMagazine that covers an aspect of hat making each issue. I think there is a 30 day free trial and all back issues are archived. I wrote an article specifically on sewing ribbons/bows with pictures.

 

[belfastboy]

Look inside of another hat and you'll see how the ribbon is stitched. Don't glue it unless you want to build a reputation for cheaply made hats. Taking a hat apart is really instructive to building a hat.

Sometimes that is risky. I have deconstructed felt hats with ribbons/bows done with staples, glues, and double sided tape.

 

[MikeP]

Does anyone know when PMM WESTERN WEAR in Denver closed? It was a well known western store on east Colfax ave. for years.