I don’t have to tell any of you that I *love* Hats.
Straw, material, felt, fur, knitted, large, small, platter, topper, tilt, beanie, beret and more. Summer or Winter, if I can possibly wear a hat, I will.
Now that’s a Hat!
So, a few weeks ago I saw this wounded beauty on a popular auction site.
To be honest, the seller was totally up front about the damage that the hat was suffering from. But I genuinely didn’t care. I absolutely loved the style of it and wanted to make it mine.
The damage was as such – A nibbled edge on the brim, a nibble on the crown. The underside had some sun damage which had turned the black into a grey/brown colour and there were a couple of splits were the straw coiling of the wide brim had become unattached. The brim was also a little bent on one side.
A Little Nibble
Some of these would be easily fixed. The nibbles I could possibly file away to insignificance. The splits could be glued and the bent section could be misted with water and then weighted down with something heavy.
Fading…
The biggest problem for me would be the sun damaged areas of faded colour.
Even more Sun Damage
So, what else could I do? Well, pop onto Google to see what was suggested!
The general consensus was that dye could work pretty well.
Not too bad considering its nearly 80 years old
OR Spraypaint!
Well, I ruled that one out straight away as I would totally ruin anything I touched with a spray can. A delicate vintage straw hat is not something I want to practice my capabilities on.
Early stages of Hardy Amies career.
So, I went with a small pot of Dyna-na-flow black dye and a small silk brush from Amazon. There were the couple of splits to deal with and again Dr Google told me that Elmers glue was the best bet. So that went into the basket too.
Badly Sun Damaged
Now, all I needed to do was to sit down, take my time and gently try and restore this beauty to its best looking possibilities.
Oh… and when I have had a go at that, I have a stunning wounded Corde bag with lucite handles that needs a little sewing and TLC.
A big job…..
I have to admit, I am more than a little nervous, but they are already damaged beyond repair so nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Watch this space for updates!
Till next time,
SPSG xxx