Hats By Grizz – Made By Joy, LLC makes historical fur felt hats using 1800’s (and prior) methods. Lil Grizz has been making hats most of his life. For the last 30 years he has criss-crossed the country building hats for living history participants and on movie sets. He is more at home in his canvas tent by his wood stove or in a bedroll thrown out under the stars than in any building. As a hatmaker he must know everything so he is of course very well read and ready to hold forth on any subject from theories of cosmic design to forestry/conservation to US & world history. With a glance and touch of his fingers to your head he can make you a hat that fits perfectly and will last you the rest of your life….unless you leave it in a water-logged barrel for months or run over it with a brush hog!
Lil Grizz and I, Mizz Grizz, met on the rendezvous circuit and were married in March of 2013. He is the ultimate guru of hats and I work beside him building the unique sweatbands that we use in our hats as well as learning all the steps of the trade. I also handle the online/shipping end of our business. We have just this summer relocated our home and workshop to a new property in New Almelo, in northwest Kansas.
We start with a floppy hat “blank” and soak it in very hot water. Next, we stretch it by hand over antique wooden blocks, iron it with old-fashioned, flat irons, and let it dry. Then a coat of stiffener is applied and the hat must dry again slowly and then be ironed again. Next the hat brim is trimmed and then Lil Grizz’s signature tight pencil curl is put in on the edge to strengthen it. A unique comfort sweat band of our personal design and production is then hand sewn into the hat. Lastly, using a steaming kettle and a skilled touch of the hand, the crown and brim are shaped to their final design.
We can make hats to copy old photos or old favorites that have seen a better day. We can repair old treasured hats. We can create a new one of a kind hat for your personal unique rendezvous, civil war, or steampunk costume. Please message us here on our facebook page for more info on any specific hat you are interested in. Also, please take the time to look at our photo albums and to follow us on various social platforms:
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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuLJCgRSHbUMqTdQcuycfFw
Etsy.com/shop/HatsByGrizz