What century is this (Canadian) hat from?

H

Hannah235

Registered Guest
Hi, I'm new, so maybe I shouldn't be posting here yet, but I also need help in dating a hat, and with whether it is a men's or woman's hat. This hat is made of wool and came in a Hudson's Bay Company box, without any labels on the inside.

My attachment isn't attaching when I preview my post (although it is under 1mb) so here is the picture of it on Flickr (copy and paste):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39385326@N05/5787631651/in/photostream

Thank you!
 
Hi,

Can you show us the inside of that hat please?

From just looking at the photos, it looks like a woman's hat of the 20th century, perhaps fairly recent from the past few decades. It appears to be wool , and a type of loose woolen felt, more like a home spun type felt, not a dense packed felt. Interesting material for a hat, a bit unusual.

B
 
Hi,

Thanks for the inside pix. Odd that it is unfinished on the inside. And the outer hatband is not typical hat banding. I think it may be a home made hat or made by an aspiring beginner hatmaker, using perhaps even a home made felt mix of fibers.

I am not saying it is not well made, just not finished and made of atypical materials.

B
 
I agree with Barbara that your hat is probably made by an amateur - rather than the maker of the hat box it was in. I'm happy to say that it's not very well made, as the brim is uneven, the top stitching is unusual and uneven and there is no interior hat band or lining. The ribbon on the outside looks like cotton tape.

I also agree that it's probably from the last few decades. I'm also wondering if it's not sitting the right way on the mannequin head, perhaps the narrowest part of the brim should be at the back. If you inspect the crown you should be able to see where it sits best.

But it's not all bad - you have a great and versatile hat that you could decorate or jazz up with some ribbon or feathers or flowers :)

Nicole
 
Hi,

Thanks Nicole! I went into my research and found info on workshops now that are popular for beginning hatmakers...the process is called "felting hats", and the final product is called a "felted" hat...as opposed to a "felt" hat. Crafters make their own soft loosely packed felt using second hand fibers culled from sweaters, scarves, blankets, etc...or wool or fur from animals..and then steam, roll and compact the hand made felt ...and then mold it or sew it into a hat shape.

This is a very different process from professional felt making, and yields a soft thick loose felt "fabric" which is pliable... and reminds me of the inner coat linings found on some old vintage coats.

It is great way to re-purpose old fibers and make something pretty cool. I am sure this hat was made that way.

Barbara
 
Wow! Thanks for the info! Now that I look at it a little closer, I can definitely see how it would be homemade. By the way, just to make things a bit clearer, I actually meant to say decade instead of century in the actual question. I don't think it makes a difference any more though. :)
 
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