New Ribbon

indydad · Post by **indydad** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 11:44 am

How do I go about getting a new hat ribbon?
I have a Peter Bros. and the ribbon seems a little light brown.
Looking for a dark chocolate.

gabrielle · Post by **gabrielle** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 11:48 am

Try Todds Costumes, they sell ribbon but I think it's dark brown.

http://www.toddscostumes.com/indy/acces ... ribbon.htm

The Aviator · Post by **The Aviator** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 12:22 pm

It is dark brown....but not as dark brown as some would like

...if you get my drift...you could always contact some hatters and simply get them to post you out some ribbon

Cheers

swcrazyfan · Post by **swcrazyfan** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 1:57 pm

The Avaitor wrote:It is dark brown....but not as dark brown as some would like ...if you get my drift...you could always contact some hatters and simply get them to post you out some ribbon

Cheers

By any chance do you know if marc or steve will sell their ribbon to non AB owners? Because no matter what the price, that'd be cool be have offered.

The Aviator · Post by **The Aviator** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:38 pm

I'm not sure I asked steve years ago about it and he didnt seem to mind..in saying that he's now a very busy man from what i've read so it might take a while to get in touch with him... it really couldn't hurt to ask

prairiejones · Post by **prairiejones** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 10:31 pm

You can go to a fabric store and look in their ribbon section. You'll need to go to our ribbon tutorial in order to make it from what you buy. I've done it. It's quite rewarding.

BoilermakerJones · Post by **BoilermakerJones** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 10:44 pm

I was just checking out the Jo-Ann Fabric site today to look for a replacement ribbon for my old fedora. It has a very faded leather band/ribbon. I was looking at black and brown grosgrain ribbon. They had several widths: 3/8, 5/8, 7/8, and 1 1/2. While the 1 1/2 is rather tall in proportion to the hat, at least it would cover up some discolorations just above the top of the sweatband.

Matt

Weston · Post by **Weston** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:18 am

Hey Boilermaker, 1 1/2" is just right! That's what I have on mine, I'd be happy to post a pic if you like.

Weston

BoilermakerJones · Post by **BoilermakerJones** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:27 am

Weston,

Thanks for the offer! I know the 1 1/2 inch is the authentic width, but this hat is an old wool Baily fedora that isn't a true Indy height. I'm afraid the width of that ribbon might overwhelm the body of the hat. The leather band that came on it is only 3/8 inches.

I'm just looking for something to spruce the hat up a little to get me by. I just sent an email ordering an AB CS fedora!

Matt

Weston · Post by **Weston** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:30 am

BoilermakerJones wrote:Weston,
Thanks for the offer! I know the 1 1/2 inch is the authentic width, but this hat is an old wool Baily fedora that isn't a true Indy height. I'm afraid the width of that ribbon might overwhelm the body of the hat. The leather band that came on it is only 3/8 inches.
Matt

Understood. Carry on!

Weston

DanielJones · Post by **DanielJones** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:55 am

If you're worried about crown height you could always convert it to something similar to what Chris Cooper wore in Seabiscuit.

Just a suggestion, and the ribbon doesn't seem to over power the hat either.

Cheers!

Dan

BoilermakerJones · Post by **BoilermakerJones** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:08 am

Great suggestion Dan! I like the look of that hat.

I plan to buy a few widths and see which one looks best. I have been wearing the hat for about 8 years and it is looking a little worse for wear, but that might just work. I'll post pictures when I get some ribbon.

Matt

indydad · Post by **indydad** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:46 pm

Thanks for the Todds post.
I think I give them a try. The price is right.

gabrielle · Post by **gabrielle** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 1:37 pm

indydad wrote:Thanks for the Todds post.
I think I give them a try. The price is right.

No problem the ribbon looks good to me. Let us know how you like it.

DanielJones · Post by **DanielJones** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 3:59 pm

BoilermakerJones wrote:Great suggestion Dan! I like the look of that hat.

I plan to buy a few widths and see which one looks best. I have been wearing the hat for about 8 years and it is looking a little worse for wear, but that might just work. I'll post pictures when I get some ribbon.

Matt

No problem Matt! I have a Dobbs that looks exactly like that hat & the ribbon is pretty wide, but it works perfectly with it.
Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Cheers!

Dan

Earl Weber · Post by **Earl Weber** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 4:29 pm

Polyester ribbon (which is what you're likely to find at Jo-Ann or similar fabric stores) won't work for a fedora ribbon. You need to 'swirl' the ribbon, give it a slight curve, to make it fit close to the crown. Cotton/rayon ribbon will swirl, polyester won't. If you Google "cotton/rayon grosgrain" you can find a lot of vendors selling the right type of ribbon. It's not too hard to work with, I replaced my ribbon and it turned out all right. Best of luck!

BoilermakerJones · Post by **BoilermakerJones** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:39 pm

Well here are my results (gabrielle you may get a kick out of this since I wasn't the biggest fan of a brown hat with a black ribbon on your Keppler post):

Here is what the hat used to look like:

I'm not exactly how you are supposed to swirl the ribbon, but I know what Earl is talking about as far as the top of the ribbon standing away from the crown. He is right the ribbon is 100% polyester. Too bad I didn't see his reply before I went to the store.

I guess I can live with it for now since the ribbon does cover the stains on the crown. The ribbon did ride up a little in the front in the picture. I was able to get it a little lower after I took the pictures.

Matt

INDIANA_7 · Post by **INDIANA_7** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 12:35 am

The Todds ribbon is not too bad but not as dark as it appears on his site.what I would do is get some dark brown RIT dye and let the ribbon simmer in it and you'll end up with a nice dark brown, almost black ribbon with no shine to the surface at all. This is what I did with the Todds and with all my other 1 1/2" ribbon. I think you'll like the results.

Best regards,
Indiana 7

gabrielle · Post by **gabrielle** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 6:39 am

BoilermakerJones wrote:Well here are my results (gabrielle you may get a kick out of this since I wasn't the biggest fan of a brown hat with a black ribbon on your Keppler post): Matt

Maybe it's just me, but I like the contrast. I think since photography is my hobby and passion I just naturally like things that have a lot of contrast and different lighting situations. So I like the results and hey it is just a hold over until your new hat arrives...

BoilermakerJones · Post by **BoilermakerJones** » Fri Apr 11, 2008 6:40 pm

I agree on the contrast. I picked up some brown ribbon also, but there wasn't enough contrast between it and the hat. I suppose I could try dyeing it, but since it isn't the correct type of fabric, I won't bother. I suppose I could try to get some of the Todd's ribbon.

I was actually surprised at how well I did making the bow. I thought that I would never be able to get it right. It isn't great, but looks much better than I hoped for a first try. If it wasn't for the stand off issue, I would be fine with it as it is. I may still live with it though.

Matt

BoilermakerJones · Post by **BoilermakerJones** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 10:50 pm

I warmed up my iron to its warmest setting and was able to iron a curl into the Polyester grosgrain ribbon. I was able to wrap it around the hat without the gaps at the top that I had in the previous pictures. I used the two piece ribbon method and improved the bow from my first attempt.

I'll post new pictures over the weekend. I am much happier with the results now. It is possible to do the ribbon with Jo-Ann Fabric's ribbon, it just takes a little more work. This ribbon does have a little more gloss though, so if you want the ribbon to be more of a dull finish, this still might not be what you are after.

Today I went to lunch with a good friend who hadn't seen my hat since I put the new ribbon on it. He asked me if I got a new hat! It really is transformed, and with the now close fit of the ribbon, it doesn't look like an amateur job as it did before.

Matt

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