Hat making
illustrations from Panckoucke's Encyclopedie late 1700's (taken from The Hat by Madeleine Ginsburg
© 1990) Bowing and Arranging the fibers Several fibers were used in felt hat making, the most common fiber would be wool from sheep, with higher quality
hats being blends of wool, rabbit fur or beaver, and the highest quality ones being made of beaver fur only. The furs/wool were blended together for an even mix by a bow (fig. 14) which works much the same way as wool
cards (or a hairbrush) to straighten the fibers and mix them together. The actual vibrations from the bow string
is what causes the mixing and straightening. The mat of fibers is then formed into an oval which is folded into a cone shape, then the actual felting process
will begin. Felt is a fabric that is made with no spinning or weaving but instead uses the properties of the wools/
furs itself to form a fabric. It is formed by applying temperature change and agitation ( dipping or dousing the
fibers with hot water, rubbing it, then cold water and rubbing it) In this manner it will soon form a fabric which
cannot easily be pulled apart.
(this plate shows the felting process) The wool cone is rolled up and worked on a table, by rolling and rubbing, until a soft fabric is formed. During
this time in history a mixture of mercury solution and nitric acid was used to help soften the hairs so that they
would felt easier. This would lead to mercury poisoning from the vapors that were released or "Mad Hatter's
disease" (remember the mad hatter in Alice in Wonderland?) After you have formed a cone it is ready to start the blocking and finishing process. The cone of soft felt is forced down upon a wooden hat block in the desired form. It is further dipped or sprinkled
with hot water, rubbed and worked until the felt becomes much firmer and takes on the shape of the hat block. Different
sized hat blocks are used for different sized heads. After the form has taken shape the fuzzy hairs left are singed
or rubbed off with pumice and the hat is ready to be dyed.
(this plate shows the finishing processes- blocking and dyeing) Early hats were generally either white or dyed black. A black dye recipe usually consisted of logwood (an imported
wood), galls, iron sulfate, and verdigris with other items added as fixatives or for a particular hatmaker's "recipe"
Usually the hat was dyed 3 or more times to achieve the proper black (some fibers accept dyes more readily than
others so the times differ) After the hat is dyed and dried, it is ready for the steaming and final finishes. The hat is steamed and the form of it is worked by the hatmaker so that it takes on the proper shape, and the
hat is once again placed over a hat block where it is brushed and ironed and the blocking process is finished.
The brim of the hat is then trimmed evenly and the hat is given a silk lining in the crown and the edges of the
hat brim are bound with ribbon. The hats are then ready to be sold to the merchants who will do the final adjustments
and shape of the brims to suit the customer. Hatmaking was a respected trade and not an easy one to learn, an indenture to learn the trade of 7-8 years was
not uncommon.
links for felt hat making
Straw Hats
Straw hats were made by cutting the dried stems of certain grain plants (straw) into narrow strips and braiding
them to form a long plait. These plaits were then flattened and sewn together to form a hat (see Millinery
by Jane Lowen) This was a job often done by women and children. Plaiting schools were formed to "teach
children a trade" but were often little more than a cheap form of child labor.
Reference Books
Rural Pennsylvania Clothing by Ellen J. Gehret ISBN #0-87387-105-7
The Hat- by Madeleine Ginsburg ISBN #0-8120-6198-5
Nineteenth Century Hat Maker's and Felter's Manuals ed.Suzanne Pufpaff ISBN:
0704962721
note from the author, Suzanne Pufpaff, feltlady@mvcc.com , March 31, 1997
The reason for compiling this book:
I found three historical sources when trying to learn more about the way felt hats were made at the beginning of
the 19th century. Since very little information is available on felt hat making from a historical perspective,
I felt it would be a valuable service to new felters, history buffs and hat makers to be able to learn what the
old masters had to say. All three sources are difficult to find and are included in the book in their entirety
You might also look in Early American Crafts and Trades or Early 19th Cen. Crafts and Trades both edited by Peter Stockholm
Compiled by Marna Jean Davis