u/flyin_narwhal

I was really at a loss as to which subreddit to post this on, so please let me know if there's a better place! I thought about the millinery subreddit, but that seems to mostly be for constructing hats (plus, I'm a little intimidated by how nice quality the hats there are lol).

I got this hat at a vintage estate sale a while back. I suspect it's a theater costume hat due to it's construction, and thus it may not really be vintage (hence my hesitation about where to post...then again, it could be both vintage and a costume piece). Regardless, I love it and want to fix it up!

It was actually crushed when I first got it, but I managed to reshape it with some steaming (it still looks a little wonky, but better than it was before). It seems to be made of fabric stiffened with glue (so much so that running your nails on it sounds like a crispy piece of toast). All the parts are glued together rather than sewn. However, some parts of the brim and decorations are coming apart, and I'm not sure the best way to fix them. I'm personally a fan of sewing things together rather than gluing, but I'm worried I'll break a needle trying to get through this stiff fabric. Is gluing my only option? Do I need specialized hat glue? Also, is the shape ok? I was undecided if it was supposed to be domed or have a dip at the top, but I'm not sure how to make a nice looking dip that doesn't look like it was smashed. I have not the slightest idea of what shape/look/era it's going for (and if it is a theater costume piece, maybe it's just not going for accuracy at all).

Thanks for any tips you can provide!

I followed this recipe, and it overall turned out well! However, I have two questions:

1. I noticed that second one I ate seemed a smidge underdone (or at least a little moist) in the middle in the butter chamber (I guess that's what I'll call it lol). I didn't notice this with the first one, and my spouse said he didn't notice at all, but I stuck the remaining ones back in the oven for a bit to be safe. Is this a common issue? I baked it for the whole time listed, and it looked perfect on the outside. I wonder if it was an issue with that one being too thick. Unfortunately I didn't think to take a picture, but I will add one if I notice it with any of the leftovers.

2. There's so much leftover butter on the baking sheet! Is it possible to reuse? I poured the excess into a tupperware and put it in the fridge, but now I'm hesitant to use it. It looks quite browned or possibly burnt. Picture is above.