- Before you start to attach a hatband and bow to your hat, make sure that your hat is clean. To learn how to clean your hat, click – Clean and Buff a Felt Hat – Photographic 5 Step Process
After cleaning your hat you may find a dent or weak area in your hat. To learn how to remove any softened or dented area on the surface of your hat click – Learn How To Re-stiffen and Remove the Dents in a Felt Hat
Materials Needed to Attach a Hatband and Bow to a Hat
- Sewing Needle
- Thread
- Iron
- Cotton Cloth
- Petersham Ribbon
- Scissors
- Gloves (optional)
- Ruler / Tape Measure
- Chalk
- Pencil
- Cold Glue
- Pins
NB: Do not replace the clear cold glue with a glue gun option. A hot glue gun should never be used to attach any trim to a hat. If you need to clean any glued area, industrial Acetone can be used. Hot Glue can not be removed and it will destroy any opportunity for you to retrim in the future!
*** Cold Glue is alcohol based and it dries clear. Uhu Glue or a clear glue option should be used. Do NOT use wood cold glue for these procedures.
How To Attach A Hat Band and Bow To A Hat
– 23 Step Hat Making Tutorial

For these projects, I use Stapol Adhesive Glue from South Africa. This glue is used in the manufacturing of leather handbags and shoes. If you live overseas or in North America, you can contact your local Millinery supplier, or leather goods manufacturer and find the correct glue in your area.
I decant the glue into a glue bottle. Stapol glue is the most expensive material I use in hat making but it is worth every penny. Industrial acetone can be used to clean up any drips that may occur.
Step 1. Identify The Sloping Gradient Of The Crown
Replacing a hatband can be a frustrating experience. Most people do not know that a hatband must be ‘Turned,’ in order for it to sit flat against a hat. In this post, we will be focusing on how to attach a hatband and bow, so that it sits flat against the hat. People seem to have no problem replacing the ribbon on a traditional stovepipe top hat, but the fedora and often the bowler styles can leave people frustrated.
Step 2 – Choose a Hatband
The problem arises through the angel slant of the crown, as opposed to the straight line of the ribbon. The traditional top hat has a straight-up design whereas the fedora is angled at a lessening slant upwards the tip. This slanting of the fedora hat leaves a gap between the top of the petersham band and the hat body. It does not matter how hard you pull or how tightly you try to fasten the ribbon flat against the hat, you will not achieve a successful result unless you TURN the Hatband first!
How To Attach a Leather Hatband to a Cowboy Hat
Whether you are replacing a Petersham hatband or a leather hatband, on a cowboy hat, you will need to turn the band first. The following instructions can be used for a leather headband too. When working with a leather hatband make sure to cover it with a cotton cloth before you begin to iron. Do not overlap the endpoints as that will become too bulky. Place the endpoints of the leather band to sit flush against each other.
Step 7a – How To Turn A Hatband
In order to turn your hatband, you will need an iron and ironing board. Many hatbands can have a large amount of plastic synthetics. The more synthetic the ribbon the quicker it will burn. Test a portion of your ribbon to set the proper temperature. Higher silk content ribbon will be able to take a higher heat and ultimately turn easily. If you are working with a white ribbon or a leather band you may want to use a piece of silk fabric between the band and the iron to save from scorching or to keep clean.
Step 7b – How To Turn A Hatband cont.
Place your ribbon flat and straight on the ironing board. Warm up the ribbon by giving it a few straight-through presses. Identify where you want the ribbon to start curving in the front. Just before the intended curve hold the ribbon with your left hand, while the iron is flat on the board and ribbon. Pull down gently with your left hand and pull backward with the iron, while steaming.
Step 10 – Apply Cold Glue To The Hat Base
Remove the band. Dab the clear cold glue at intervals around your hat. Start gluing 5 cm away from where your headband will overlap. There is no need to do a continuous line of glue. DO NOT USE A GLUE GUN TO ATTACH YOUR HEADBAND! Hot glue dries too quickly and you will not be able to clean any mess you may make. Cold glue is alcohol-based and can be easily removed using industrial acetone.
Step 14 – Measure The Bow Band Length
Your bow size will be dependent on the width of your headband. Each side of your bow should be twice the width of the headband. For a narrower band, I would do a straight bow but if you are using a wider band you may wish to make a down pleat in the band and bow.
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