The Cap Faction

[Adnamira]

Looks very dashing, Razzman!

 

[Adnamira]

Hickory comes on blue/white and brown/white. Would love to have Johnny make one for me in blue/white combo.

It's a very good summer fabric, I reckon. It is very soft and light, but has a bit of thickness to it, somehow. I like stripes more than I do plaids in lighter fabrics.

 

[Adnamira]

I like that fabric. Makes a nice looking cap. About the seams, I think they just need to avoid ironing both sides of salvage to one side and that should solve the problem. On the button, I'm not sure why it looks like that cause I haven't tried making a newsboy yet. Hepville has more knowledge on those caps.

It'd be interesting to see one of your caps in a hickory stripe - I think it might be a very ideal fabric for a summer cap. I'm going to try one of your caps at some stage. I think with your more curved brims and higher backs, your eight dart might work better for me than the Retro Sport does. You seem busy enough at the moment though

 

[Hepville]

I've tried to pull the seams and feel how much allowance is under them, but I can't feel any at all. No, the points at the top of the cap are unusual - the side panel points are cut off and square, while the front and back ones are triangular - so I am guessing that makes the crown longer than wide. I wonder if a loop or tassle of material like a beret would look better than that button. Anyway, he's been making them that way for a while, so I guess it is just the way they are. The brims are great and the way the crown is ample and sits up a bit seems to look alright on me. I like the look of those french eight dart caps, but they don't seem to suit me very well, for some reason. I'd like to get a newsboy made from worsted merino fabric sometime, seeing that I am a merino wool producer, so I will have to talk to you about that sometime, Bela.

Curious... no seam allowances... that may means they are cutted back almost totally or the pieces are sewn with a very small and narrow kind of chain stitch.

 

[Johnny J]

Just let me know Adnamira. I have my regular job and I do the caps right now on the side so thats what keeps me a little behind.

 

[Adnamira]

Couldn't really say, Bela. I had another feel and am none the wiser.

Righteo, Johnny. If you come across any merino fabric, let me know. I have heaps of tweed caps now, one linen cap, a few cotton ones, a tropical wool one, which is almost see through, but I'd like to get something in a lightweight wool. Greys and creams seem to work for me. Butterscotch would be nice, but definitely no caramel

 

[Adnamira]

I rather like that tea towel fabric Johnny; is it wool? I'm kind of thinking fabrics that have a bit of thickness would probably highlight the structure of your caps... but anyway no rush. Shearing in 4 weeks, so I will probably too busy to think about caps or anything. I will keep an eye on you and Bela though. The end of the road in my cap collection isn't anywhere in sight yet.

 

[Johnny J]

Yeah, that one is wool. Its like a medium weight. I posted some other fabrics I have in the "Cap Fabric" thread.

 

[St. Valentine]

@Bela & Razzman: Fantastic cap guys, like it a lot! :eusa_clap

 

[Razzman]

@Bela, Adnamira, Johnny J and St. Valentine: Thanks

 

[Adnamira]

How do you reckon these lightweight and tropical wools would go with your caps, Johnny? This Denver mob has a huge selection, including Italian wools. This maroon herringbone is only $6/yard - 20% polyester/80% wool . Lots of others 100% wool around the $10 - $12/yard. Just wonder how light would be too light.

 

[Adnamira]

Ah, none of the images I posted came up.

http://www.denverfabrics.com/content/wool/wool-fabric.aspx

 

[Adnamira]

Gabardine -

Tropical wool, diamond -

 

[Johnny J]

I couldn't tell you for sure how it would turn out, but last week I finished a 100% linen cap for the first time and even though it was a lighter weight fabric, with the lining and interfacing it kept its shape nicely. Hopefully we will see pics from that cap soon.
So with one of these lightweight fabrics it could turn out the same.

 

[Adnamira]

I've noticed that with soft or lightweight fabrics that if the lining isn't nice and trim and conforming it can push the crown out of shape in the place that it bunches. Seems to be more so with eight panel caps; haven't seen it happen with these eight dart ones. My Retro Sport I think is a gabardine - it seems a durable, flat, medium weight fabric. Really hard to judge fabrics without having a feel of them though, isn't it.

Last night I was playing around with my retro, and I think the trouble I am having with it is that it is too large - I stuck a safety pin in the back and it pulled the cap into a lot better shape. Bending the brim helped too - having a straight line across my forehead highlighted the assymetry of my eyebrows, which isn't flattering.

 

[Adnamira]

I know everyone will laugh at me, but I don't mind the look of this red corduroy zasu Red is a colour that doesn't work too bad for me. The seams don't look too bad on this one. I don't think there is anything actually wrong with the way Ralf sews his caps - if you look at the brim and hems, they are really nicely stitched. He uses a 1930s sewing machine, apparently.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/VINTAGE-...-/260986625871?pt=US_Hats&hash=item3cc403df4f

 

[Johnny J]

I like all my cap brims bent; IMO I think it looks better. Maybe if your retro sport had a leather sweatband installed it would fit better. But one of the reasons why I started making caps is that I wanted more fabric in the back and sides so I could pull it down more without loosing its shape, like the vintage caps.

 

[seabass]

Retro-Sport & Root Beer tonight

 

[Johnny J]

Nice pic Che! Now I feel like having a Root Beer Float!

 

[Adnamira]

Looks like you've got vegemite on your toast there, Che! Have you seen the new fabrics, Brigitte has added to her store - they look alright, abliet a lot more synthetic composition in some of them.