Club Obi Wan

Hello All,

I have been searching the web for a new leather sweatband and some Petersham ribbon, does anyone know where I
can find what I am looking for?
I recently purchased a couple of new sweatbands and some ribbon, which I thought was some good stuff, all I can say
is boy am I dissapointed.
I have found a couple of places to buy the Petersham ribbon, but after my first purchase I am just a bit on the nervous
side about ordering.

Any suggestions?

Thank you for your time and help,
Darrell
darle.bennett@insightbb.com

See this post. viewtopic.php?f=24&t=46988" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Hey Darrell,

So where did you order your stuff from? I've been needing to get some sweats and was thinking of getting them from HatSupply.com...

I usually just reuse ones that come with the hats I've been playing with, but I have a couple without (broken, torn, etc).

Why are you looking at Petersham ribbon? Todd at ToddsCostumes sells some that pretty okay color wise, but John Penman would say not to use a Petersham ribbon...

I've used Todd's though and didn't ever have a real problem with it.

Petersham ribbon is hat ribbon. It doesn't have an edge. You want grosgrain but be careful because some call petersham, grosgrain. It's funny how some mix the two up.

Grosgrain has an edge to it. some grosgrain aren't hatband quality either but they can look the part.
Petersham has NO edge to it. Not for making hats.

BendingOak wrote:Petersham ribbon is hat ribbon. It doesn't have an edge. You want grosgrain but be careful because some call petersham, grosgrain. It's funny how some mix the two up.

Grosgrain has an edge to it. some grosgrain aren't hatband quality either but they can look the part.
Petersham has NO edge to it. Not for making hats.

I think I'm more confused now...

So what I think you're saying John is that you CAN use Petersham for hats, but shouldn't...right?

Sorry, I really messed things up.


Petersham, isn't hat band quality at all and should not be used on hats. They have no edge to them.


Grosgrain, has and edge but there are hatband quality grosgrain and not hat band quality grosgrain.

There are some hats here that have hatband quality grosgrain on them and there are hats that have grosgrain ribbon that isn't hatband quality on their hats.


What I meant was the grosgrain ribbon that isn't hat band quality can look the part but ounce you get up close there is a difference.



Sadly there are hats with petersham on them and it's hard for me to look at them. It just hurts to look at them.

Hi Raidersbash,

Well I ordered my sweats from someone I found on the net, I am not to sure about posting their name in a forum, I will
say that the person requires a $28.00 min. order before shipping and handling charges, the sweats cost $6.50 each, I
also ordered some grosgrain ribbon and when I received it I compaired it to the ribbon on my Adventurebilt hat and you
can not only see the difference you can feel the difference. The Grosgrain feels corse-rough and the ribbon on my
Adventurebilt is smooth to the touch, almost like silk, and after doing a little bit of reading I started for Petersham
ribbon. I have found a couple of places offering the Petersham, but after my recent purchase of the grosgrain, plus I
have seen a couple of places where they have the ribbon list as Petersham/Grosgrain ribbon and there is a difference,
as my wife said-it is the thread count.
I figure any place or person suggested by this group has to be top notch.

By the way, the place that I purchased my sweats from does not post the info about the $28.00 min. until you place
your order, then you receive an option to over ride the min. $28 order, if you do the system adds the required amount
of money to get the min. order amount, so if you order 1 sweatband and take the over ride option, you will pay $28. for
one sweatband plus shipping, which will come to about $38.

What is wrong with the Petersham ribbon, why not use it? I think Petersham was used on the first Indy hat. I could
be wrong.

I will have to check out the places you mentioned and maybe order some samples of ribbon.

If you want to contact me off forum for further info that would be ok.
Darrell

(Petersham, isn't hat band quality at all and should not be used on hats. They have no edge to them.
Grosgrain, has and edge but there are hatband quality grosgrain and not hat band quality grosgrain.
There are some hats here that have hatband quality grosgrain on them and there are hats that have grosgrain ribbon that isn't hatband quality on their hats.
What I meant was the grosgrain ribbon that isn't hat band quality can look the part but ounce you get up close there is a difference.
Sadly there are hats with petersham on them and it's hard for me to look at them. It just hurts to look at them.)

Hi BendingOak,
OK? So where and who do you suggest I buy my Hat Ribbon from?
I have seen the ads listing Petersham/Grosgrain ribbon and since it was listed that way I did not purchase the stuff.
Darrell

I've had good luck finding vintage hat quality grosgrain on etsy.

WalkingEye wrote:I've had good luck finding vintage hat quality grosgrain on etsy.

Hello,
Where did you find hat quality grosgrain???? etsy???
Do you mean Ebay???

Darrell

Hi,
Etsy is an online market-place for people to sell hand made goods. They also have a vintage section. Go to etsy.com, on the drop box next to their search bar click on vintage and then type in grosgrain ribbon.

Or you can just click this link:
http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php? ... D=supplies" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also... When looking for hat ribbon you want a rayon/cotton blend or just rayon; not polyester. Polyester ribbon is stiff and doesn't lend itself as easily for hatmaking.

WalkingEye wrote:Also... When looking for hat ribbon you want a rayon/cotton blend or just rayon; not polyester. Polyester ribbon is stiff and doesn't lend itself as easily for hatmaking.

Sound advice.

LLS

I am going to guess that the place with the $28.00 min order is Hatsupply. I have bought several sweats from them and let me say they are not that great. The feel like thick poster board and if you sew it in properly they will end up with creases and wrinkles in them that look awful. I ordered some from JWHats and while they are cheap to buy and the people there are great I did not like them either.

Aaron hats had some very nice sweats for $10 a pop and I loved these...very soft and pliable...but I don't think they are around anymore.

All I can say is Good luck in finding some...and if you do...let the rest of us know where...lol

Ohio

I don't understand why people want to keep their source of good quality sweatbands a big secret? I know that there
has to be a few people here that have a favorite source for their sweatbands and they refuse to share the info with
others in the group.

If they were to tell others where they get their sweatbands, hat making supplies and so on, it would just mean more
business for the people they buy from and keep them in business, it is lack of business that is the cause that companies
have to close their doors.

Oh well I guess if they mean to keep a tight lip about their source, they should give some thought to learning the
craft of making the sweatbands and what ever else they use, so they can make their own materials if their favorite
source should have to close their doors or they could just buy the low quality stuff and then their product line will
suffer the same fate.

To be honest, I think everyone here has given up all their secrets. There just aren't any real commercial retail outlets for the goods we're all interested in. Sweatbands are really a niche product; and I know the professional hatters that frequent this board source theirs from a wholesaler. As is the same for felt and ribbon. Most if not all of these places do not want to sell retail, it's the nature of their business. I've been making hats as a hobby for awhile now and it's a struggle to find resources. Aaron hats in new Hampshire used to sell really nice sweatbands but they went out of business. The sweatbands at hatsupply are terrible. As are others. I know a guy in Quebec who I used to buy felt and sweatbands (that aren't bad at all) from online, if you'd like I could PM you his info, but I'm not sure if he is even selling hat stuff anymore. Fedora, Marc, BendingOak and LLS have all been very open about sharing techniques and sources, you just have look through old posts or just ask them nicely.

I don't think it's so much "keeping secrets" as it is that I'm guessing these suppliers don't sell individual sweats and would rather deal in bulk. If I were a betting man, that's what I'd say.

http://www.advintagefedora.de/shop/Hat- ... ekocro4i15" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

has sweats and ribbon.

LLS has ribbon that he'll sell you too.

I will be very appreciative for any information you could give me. I am just trying to do a little repair work on a hat
I made myself. I do have an Adventurebuilt hat, my wife bought it for me and I try not to wear it to much, I want to
keep it in the same shape that I received it in. I have had to wear it for the past week and I am not about to put it
on some hat rack where it will be out of sight. Sunday we all went out to dinner, no place to put my hat, all the seats
at the table were taken so I kept it on my head. My wife suggested that I take it off, guess what-ain't happening.

Anyway I am looking for materials to fix my own hat, for right now. My wife suggested that I make another hat, maybe
a light gray color, I might do that if I can find the right materials.

Please send PM me with the info.

Thank you for your time, help and information,
Darrell