Mountain-Style Cashmere Cowboy

Victoria Regina

United States

Cashmere Cowboy Hat Project by Jane Fryers

The cowboy hat is the go to hat here in the Southwest United States. I was super excited reading the instructions to Jane Fryers Cashmere Cowboy project several years ago. I loved that it was a hat suited for the snowy Winters here & creating a second life to the sad results of a sweater laundry accident. Of course finding a cashmere or angora sweater that isn't pink was a challenge. Luckily my brother-in-law owns a second-hand store & graciously provided me with my supplies.

When the stock show comes to town, hatters set up stands to reshape cowboy hats. One of their tools are rubber crown blocks that take the wear of continuous use. Several are now in my possession. I blocked one sweater arm for the crown. The body of the sweater became a two-toned brim. The sweater waistband my brim edge & the collar my crown trim.

I enjoy my Cashmere Cowboy throughout the cold Rocky Mountain Winters.

• One Red Cashmere Sweater
• One Tan Cashmere Sweater
• Fabric Spraymount
• Millinery wire
• Fosshape 600 to reinforce crown collar
• Petersham sweatband
• Solvent stiffener

• Felted & shrunk sweaters in washer/dryer.
• Cut apart sweater.
• Blocked sweater sleeve over crown block for crown band and stiffened.
• Sewed sweater remnant to crown band for top of crown.
• Steaming Fosshape to reinforce crown collar, otherwise crown doesn’t hold up shape off the head.
• Blocked two sweater bodies separately for brim. Spraymounted together, then reblocked & stiffened.
• Wired brim.
• Edge trimmed brim with sweater waistband.
• Hand sewed crown to brim.
• Sewed sweater neck band around crown for trim.
• Attached Petersham for interior sweatband.