Processes in the hat industry

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Here are some of the processes associated with the making of straw and felt hats with a brief explanation of what they involve:

Bleaching	Bleaching lightened the colour of the straw. Both straws and straw plait were bleached, originally with sulphur, but later a more sophisticated process using hydrogen peroxide was developed. After bleaching the straws and finished straw plait could be dyed.
Blocking	The method of shaping hats, both straw and felt. After stiffening hats would be steamed then shaped on wooden blocks. Machine blocking was introduced in the mid-1800s.
Dyeing	After bleaching straw plait could be dyed. Wood or vegetable dyes were originally used. Aniline dyes were introduced in 1856 which greatly improved the range of colours available. Dyeing of felt would take place between the stages of the felting process.
Felting	The process of making felt from fur or wool. Fur felts were usually made from rabbit, or beaver for the better quality hats. Felt made from sheep's wool was coarser than that made from fur and so did not produce hats of such a fine quality.
Finishing	This involved adding the final touches to a hat before it was ready for sale. Finishing included processes such as polishing a straw hat or sanding a felt one. Trimmings such as a hat band, bows, feathers or flowers were then added. Also known as Trimming
Milling	Before being plaited split straws, or splints, would be passed through a splint mill to soften and flatten them. Likewise, completed plait would be put through a plait mill to flatten it and make it more malleable before sewing.
Plaiting	Various numbers of whole or split straws, commonly from 3 to 17 pieces, would be worked into patterns by manipulating them over or under the adjacent straws to produce plait (pronounced plat). Plaits would then be sewn together to make hats and bonnets.
Sewing	A sewer would sew the plait into the basic hat or bonnet shape. Originally this would have been done by hand using a needle and thread, but by the end of the nineteenth century machine sewing had taken over.
Stiffening	Hats had to be stiffened so that they would keep their Shape. Straw hats were usually stiffened with gelatine although shellac and other substances were also used. Wool felt hats were stiffened with shellac, or before its introduction, by gum arabic or glue.
Trimming	See Finishing

Last updated 16th April 2007