You are probably thinking that making your own Civil War Uniforms Slouch hat for almost nothing is impossible. But, you are wrong. It is very possible. And easy. 1. Frequent flea markets, thrift stores, antique shops, yard sales and look for a felt hat. They are great places to find a hat that someone wants to get rid of and for a cheap price! I found an unbelievable slouch hat at our local church thrift shop for about 25 cents. 2. If it is good quality felt, wet it and brush it down with a hairbrush to get the shape you want. 3. Stuff it with old towels to get it to a neutral shape. 4. Let it sit for a day or two and take the towels out and decide what type of shape you want to make it. 5. Look at original photos and decide which hat you want to duplicate. 6. Put a band on it or a hat cord. You may need to remove the modern band and put a band on made from a natural material like silk not synthetic. 7. If it is not trimmed in some type of ribbon you can put that on it but it is not necessary. Keep your eye out for real old ribbon to use on your hat. Check out sewing baskets in antique stores. 8. To find out if it is old, take a few strands out of the ribbon and put a match to it. If it does not ball up and burns clean, it is probably a natural material. If it balls up and smokes, than it is probably a synthetic material. 9. Keep the ribbons a solid color black, brown, gray not anything with stripes. 10.You can put a contrasting color band on your hat 11. Blend and use the same color ribbon as the hat. 12. Feathers can be added although that is not my style. 13. I personally do not like all the doo dads - the plain and generic look is the most authentic. 14. Good colors would be black, brown, and gray. 15.Your best bet is to look at original photos and train your eye to spot a hat that you could duplicate for your Civil War Uniform impression. Making your own Civil War Slouch hat may cost you about $10. The last time I checked the prices of slouch hats at the sutlers, slouch hats were selling for about $110! So, save yourself some serious money and make your own Civil War slouch hat. You will get exactly the hat you want! Coach McCoach invites you to join the Civil War Uniform newsletter and receive 41 FREE money and time saving ideas for improving your Civil War Impression. 2005 permission granted to reprint this article in print or on your website so long as the contact information is included to coach@civilwaruniforms.net or http://www.civilwaruniforms.net |
