RENOVATING STRAW HATS by M. A. T.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · May 9, 1906

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 32, No. 19.

RENOVATING STRAW HATS.

By M. A. T.

THERE are several ways to renovate straw hats, and if properly treated they can be cleaned so they will look as good as new if the straw is good. To whiten a leghorn hat that has become soiled and yellow, first scrub it and let it dry; then put it into a barrel and give it a good smoking with sulphur. Keep the barrel tightly closed for several hours, and at the end of that time if the hat is not as white as it should be, rinse in cold water and put it back in the smoke until of the proper whiteness.

One of the easiest ways to renew white straw hats that are only slightly soiled is to scour them with corn meal moistened with warm water, then sponge with equal parts of lemon juice and water and dry in the sun. Another method is to scour with soap suds, then rinse in clear water, and when perfectly dry, wash with a solution of oxalic acid. A high or low crown to a hat can easily be changed as desired, by adding or removing a sufficient number of rows of braid.

A fine, large, brown, chip-straw hat that was faded was brightened by dissolving some diamond dye, for wool, in a little alcohol and applying to the hat with a soft brush, then it was bent into shape, and when perfectly dry the hat was given a coat of thin varnish. A faded red straw hat was renewed in the same way, then the edge was finished with a row of fancy straw braid of the same color, and it was as nice as a new hat. The popularity of fancy straws helps out wonderfully in transforming an old hat, for an edge of fancy straw sewed to a narrow brim may broaden it to the fashionable width, and the braid comes in every grade and color.

M. A. T.