Hat brim edging and trim

In hat making, once the material is selected, you can begin shaping the material. The material is first shaped into a large, loose cone, or hood, by repeated stretching and moistening. The hood is then shrunk and shaped into a shell, which is then turned into the finished hat some thirteen steps later. Once necessary adjustments are made to a hat, the hat maker chooses the type of brim and binding he wants, and begins the brim edging process. Hat brims vary in length, style and binding. Miller Hats sells a variety of brim styles including the raw edge, under welt edge, upper welt edge, bound edge and wrip edge. The edging of a hat brim can be designed several ways. It may be left plain, known as a raw edge, it may be welted, or it can be bound with ribbon.

Raw edge hat brim
A raw edge brim is a plain cut edge. It does not have any material or binding around the edge. It does not have any stitching or fold (welt) in the brim. A raw edge is cut with a sharp tool and then is sanded for a smoother surface. Miller Hats offers a variety of hats with a raw edge brim.

Welted edge hat brim
A welted edge brim is a folded edge in which the oversize brim is doubled back and turned into the crown. Pressed and ironed, it forms a soft plump edge and a double brim. The fold is then stitched by a machine.

There are many types of welts, but all welts are formed using similar production steps. First, the hat is curled; then a zinc plate of the proper dimensions is laid on the brim and the curled edge is turned back and ironed flat over the upper side of the plate. The welt is then stitched down, and any excess fur extending beyond the stitching is cut off. This welting process adds to the cost of the hat.

The welted edge that is folded under and stitched is called the under welt edge.

The welted edge that is folded over and stitched is called the upper welt edge.

The upper and under welt on a brim increases the firmness to the hat edge, helping the brim hold its shape longer and better, which will reduce the risk of damaging the shape of the brim from daily handling.

Miller Hats offers both the upper welt edge in styles such as the 438 Messina Italian Miller Hat, and the under welt edge in hats such as the 715 Landry Stetson hat.

Hat brim edging and binding - read more