Flea market find!

[Saionji Shonagon]

Hime's gonna have a new tareginu no mushi. I picked up this bamboo hat at the Antiques By The Bay market this morning for $10. The diameter is 24" which means it will clear my shoulders more than the 48 cm (just under 19") gasa I bought from Bokunan-do.

Excellent condition, just needs an atamadai, "curtains" and "sash cords."

[Ishikawa Yoshimasa]

nice...

[Mori Matsu'nome]

So very JEALOUS. I've been looking for such a hat to do just such a thing to it. I am considering pre-making my "curtains" for Pennsic and then just stitching them on to one of the larger straw hats.

Post curtain pics are expected and desired. Details of your trials and tribulations in curtain making would also be welcome and appreciated.

[Saionji Shonagon]

The only problem I would forsee with trying to do anything without actually having the hat first is that you won't know what the circumference of the hat IS. That measurement is important because you can see seams in this picture from the Costume Museum. Sewing the panels at least part of the way reduces the tangling that WILL occur if you don't - and you want to have it open in front without overlap.
www.iz2.or.jp/english/fukusyoku/busou/7.htm

Try browsing eBay - you never know what will turn up there. You might find something that will work for you. Be sure to have someone measure you so you know what your shoulder to shoulder measurement is - your hat brim needs have a wider diameter than your shoulders.

These illustrations will be useful if you have to construct your own atadamai (hat harness):
www.shop-japan.co.jp/english-boku/image-e/kasa-atamadai%20and%20reverseside.jpg
www.shop-japan.co.jp/english-boku/image-e/how-to-set-atamadai.jpg
www.shop-japan.co.jp/english-boku/photos/photo-jigasa.jpg
In addition to the figure 8 loop that gets sewn into the crown of the hat, you have to add another round loop to the bottom of that to act as a chin strap. You need to have a decently snug, comfortable fit. A hat this big will try to become a kite in the slightest breeze.

I found some upholstery piping at a local fabric store that should work well for the atadamai. I plan to cover it with some red linen scrap fabric. For kumihimo "braided look" to the "sash cords", thin nylon cord can be found at a decent (and I do not mean Home Despot) hardware store. Camping suppliers often have it as well.

I've done this before, so "tribulation" isn't in the equation. Note the gappage in the veil because I DIDN'T sew the seams here: www.wodefordhall.com/windyday.jpg
Veil and cording were pinned to the inner edge of the hat - this means I could make easy repairs if something tore out, or convert ot back to a man's hat. The material the new one is made of is woven much more coarsely, so I may have to run stitches into the edge instead of pins.

[Saionji Shonagon]

More details on supplies:

Cotton welt cord for the atadamai runs under $1/yard. I got two yards of 1/2" cord. (When in doubt, overbuy a little.)

100 feet of 1/8" nylon rope is under $5. (They were out of the 50 foot package). It's bright white with a satiny finish. If you want something a bit more matte, replacement cords for draperies or blinds might do.

The veil on the old hat was made of an extremely loosely woven gauze - which of course I couldn't find at any of my fabric haunts this morning. Silk organza was on sale for $5.99, so I got 2 1/4 yards of that. (What you need will depend on the diameter of the hat you end up with. Whatever you use, you want to be able to see through it.

Cool hat pics to inspire:

[Saionji Shonagon]

The atadamai cording has been covered with red fabric and sewn into a ring with two ears. As I examined the condition of the hat I became concerned that trying to sew through old, dried vegetable matter might cause the hat to tear apart if too much stress was put on it. In the hope of minimizing this risk, I am contemplating the heretical use of a hot glue gun to adhere the atadamai ring in place, and then tying it off with loops of buttonhole thread through existing holes in the hat from when it was originally made.

[Saionji Shonagon]

pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/wodeford/album?.dir=/1b0bscd&.src=ph shows the construction and attachment of the atadamai thus far.

A 2" wide strip of red cotton fabric was wrapped around the cotton welt cord and sewn shut with overcast stitches. The final length ended up being about 64", but you'll need to pin things in place on your head in front of a mirror to fit your own head if much larger or smaller than mine.

The cord was then rolled into a circle with ears at each end, pinned in place and checked again for size, then the loops were sewn together in the places they needed to meet and the raw ends sewn together and further secured with a patch. For structural security, I made sure the ends meet at a spot where the cord was going to be doubled anyway. The patch is between 11:00 and 12:00 in the final detail photo.

As mentioned previously, I was concerned that thread alone would tear through the hat itself - while I don't know how old it actually is, I do know how kitelike a large hat can behave, and I would like this thing to last. First I threaded cotton buttonhole thread through holes already in the hat from when it was first sewn together, in individual strands about 8" long. To avoid tangling, the outermost ends of each thread were taped down to the inside of the hat.
Having finally FOUND my elusive and almost never used glue gun, I applied a generous line of hot glue to one side of the atadamai and pressed it carefully into place inside the hat. Then I tied off each piece of thread.

FYI, if you buy any of the hats available at Bokunan-do, they come with a flat plastic ring built into the crown of the hat that you can secure an atadamai pretty easily.

www.shop-japan.co.jp/english-boku/warring5.htm
Not exactly cheap, but good replica hats (and other items), a convenient currency converter on their English language website, and they ship promptly and pack with great care.

[Saionji Shonagon]

Oh, BTW, it occurs to me that the cotton welt cording would be just the thing for hanao (thongs) if you want to make or refurbish a pair of geta or zori.

[Mori Matsu'nome]

Thank you for the advice and the pictures! I'm still searching for my hat but I am keeping an eye out and hope come up with one soon.

Thanks again!

[Saionji Shonagon]

Note to anyone contemplating one of these - silk organza and bright sunlight equal zero visibility. Having finally found some of the cotton gauze I wanted in the first place, I spent most of the weekend refitting my hat. I'll try to post photos tomorrow.