Old Straw Hat
It's the time of year for straw hats - which need a special sort of care to live long and prosper. If they have become creased, you can restore them to their original shape (or tweak it a little) by spraying it with water and easing it back into shape with your hands and then letting it dry.
I wear a straw hat when outside to protect my eyes and face. I walk a mile every day, as well as, work in my garden, and flower beds. Instead of buying a new one when my hat has gotten torn in places, I fixed it with hot glue.
Don't toss a good straw hat that has gotten out of shape over the winter! Almost all straw hats can be put back into shape by wetting them slightly, then gently pulling and pushing them into the proper shapes before letting dry.
How do I fix and reshape the crown of a straw cowboy hat that's been completely squashed.
One way to fix the hat is to bring a pot of hot water to a boil and hold the brim of the hat over the pot of boiling water to all the steam to get into the straw of the hat. Now take your hands and reshape the hat.
As with weaving baskets, you can soak the hat for a few minutes in tepid water, lightly dry with an old towel, then re-form the hat over a bowl or flower pot, or even a bucket that's the right (or close to right) size and shape, and let dry fully. You may need to weight it or tie it somehow to keep the desired shape while its drying. Good luck !!!
At the western wear shops they steam the Winter hats to reshape them so that would probably work for a straw Summer hat as well, but you're gonna have to find another hat to mold it over once it gets pliable from the steam or stuff it with something like newspaper or butcher paper or even fabric so it will hold the new shape. Truthfully, it looks like more trouble than it is really worth.
Hi ya'll! I'm the new kid on the block! And also, new to working with straw material. Lol so I would appreciate any and all help I can get! I would normally have just thrown the darn thing out, except THIS hat is so very meaningful to me. Happens to belong to my brother, who wore it for every BBQ and every Game.
He just passed on Christmas to sudden illnesses. He was only 32 years old. I wanted to save this hat for my nephew to have when he gets older. Could anyone give me any advice to save this cherished item of mine? I'd greatly appreciate it!
I'm really sorry for your loss, but after a closer look at your brother's hat, I do not believe it can be repaired.
Real straw hats are similar to caning a chair, it is woven from a beginning point and goes around the hat. There appears to be too many broken (missing) pieces in numerous places that may be impossible to repair.
I apologize for being negative about this, but if I were in this situation, I would not do anything to this hat. It seems to me that just seeing this hat, just the way it is, would instantly bring back wonderful memories of your brother.
I think it would be nice to have it enclosed in a glass box frame where it could be displayed or even hung on a wall.
Does anyone even remember your brother wearing the hat when it was new? Hasn't it been similar to this in all his later years?
Doesn't it make you instantly think of your brother enjoying life while wearing this hat?
Sorry, if I am saying too much, but this hat, just as it is, looks like it is full of memories.
