Custom Hats
Custom Fur-Felt Hats. Made One at a Time.
The Workshop Ledger creates custom fur felt hats individually sized, shaped, and finished for the person who will wear them. Each hat begins with a conversation about fit, proportions, style, and materials and is built using traditional hat-making methods. If you can dream it up, we can make it happen.
Custom hat orders coming soon.
Made for You
A custom hat should be more than a standard hat in the nearest available size.
Each hat from The Workshop Ledger is planned around the individual who will wear it. Head size and shape establish the fit, while the crown, brim, crease, color, ribbon, and finishing details are selected to create a hat with the proportions and character you want.
Whether you already know exactly what you’re looking for or only have a general idea, the process begins with a conversation. We’ll work through the choices together before construction begins.
Fit
Sized specifically for your head size and the actual shape. This ensures the best fitting hat allowing all day wear with full comfort.
Felt
Select from the fur-felt material options and colors available for your hat.
Proportions
Crown height, brim width, and overall proportions are chosen to match the customers style and vision.
Details
Crease, brim treatment, sweatband, liner, hatband, and other finishing details are selected for the individual hat.
Custom Hat Pricing
Every hat is made individually for the wearer. Base pricing is determined by the felt material selected and includes The Workshop Ledger’s standard custom construction and finishing.
The felt weight is selected by The Workshop Ledger according to the intended hat style, proportions, and finish. Rather than treating heavier felt as an upgrade, the appropriate body is chosen for the hat being made.
100% Rabbit Fur Felt
Base Price — $350
A versatile traditional fur felt well suited to dress hats, fedoras, and many everyday styles.
100% Nutria Fur Felt
Base Price — $450
A dense, smooth fur felt with a firm hand, good shape retention, and strong durability. Also known as coypu, nutria was historically used as an alternative to beaver in hat making.
50/50 Beaver Rabbit Blend
Base Price — $550
A premium rabbit-and-beaver blend combining the versatility of rabbit felt with the refined finish and character of beaver.
100% Beaver Fur Felt
Base Price — $750
A premium fur felt prized for its fine finish, durability, resilience, and traditional hat-making qualities.
Premium Beaver & Specialty Blends
Available by Special Order — Market Price
Premium and rare felt bodies may be available in materials such as beaver belly, beaver/chinchilla, beaver/mink, and other specialty beaver blends. Pricing is based on current material cost and availability. Because these felt bodies can be difficult to source, extended lead times may apply.
Included in the Base Price
Each custom hat includes the appropriately selected felt body in the chosen material and color, custom sizing and head-shape fitting, a fitted roan leather sweatband, custom The Workshop Ledger liner, and The Workshop Ledger Standard Sword ornament. The base price also includes the customer’s choice of one standard hatband treatment: traditional grosgrain ribbon with 1/1 bow, self-felt band with buckle set or keeper, or single-color leather band with buckle set or keeper.
A protective hard hat case for storage and transport is included with each custom hat.
Premium or specialty hatbands, exotic or premium leathers, rare or vintage materials, Custom Sword upgrades, and other specialty finishing are priced separately according to the materials and design selected.
Shipping is additional.
How Your Hat Is Made
A custom hat takes shape through a series of traditional processes, with decisions about fit, proportion, and style carried through from the initial design to the final cleaning and packaging.
01 — Design & Fit
We begin with the wearer. Head size and shape, intended style, felt, color, crown and brim proportions, and finishing details are established before the hat is made.
02 — Blocking & Pouncing
Steam, heat, and handwork are used to shape the fur-felt body over a hat block, establishing the size and foundation of the crown. The felt is then pounced and worked to develop the desired surface and finish.
03 — Sweatband & Fit
The sweatband is sewn into the hat, and the hat is then fitted to the wearer’s head shape. A band block holds that fit and shape through the remaining shaping process.
04 — Final Shaping
With the fit established, the crown is creased and the brim shaped to create the hat’s final proportions, character, and appearance.
05 — Finishing
The selected hatband and other finishing details are fitted and installed. The liner is added after the shaping work is complete.
06 — Final Inspection & Packaging
The completed hat receives a final cleaning and inspection before being carefully packaged for its new owner.
Materials & Options
Each hat begins with a fur-felt body and is built around the fit, style, and finishing choices selected for the individual hat. Available materials, colors, and finishing options may vary, and we’ll work through those choices together before your order is finalized.
Fur Felt
Hats are made from fur felt, with available felt grades and blends depending on current supplier offerings. Material options and their differences will be discussed when planning your hat.
Color
Choose from the felt colors currently available for your hat. Availability varies by material and supplier, so color options are confirmed before construction begins.
Shape & Style
Crown height and crease, brim width and treatment, and the overall proportions of the hat are planned around the wearer and the intended style.
Traditional Finishing
Traditional hatband finishing is included in the base price. Each hat may be finished with traditional grosgrain ribbon with a 1/1 bow, a self-felt band with a buckle set or keeper, or a single-color leather band with a buckle set or keeper. Available materials, widths, colors, and hardware are selected to complement the hat and its design.
Specialty Hatbands
Horsehair, premium or exotic leathers, snakeskin, alligator, bison, and other specialty hatbands may be available in place of the standard included hatband treatments. Specialty materials and treatments are priced separately according to the material and design selected.
Interior Details
Each hat is completed with a fitted roan leather sweatband and custom The Workshop Ledger liner. Other interior treatments or specialty materials may be discussed as part of the design process.
The Standard Sword
Every custom hat carries the Sword.
Every custom hat from The Workshop Ledger is finished with our signature Standard Sword ornament, available in your choice of silver or bronze finish. The Sword is included with the hat and serves as a distinctive mark of The Workshop Ledger.
For those who want something more individual, Custom Sword ornaments may be commissioned in materials such as brass, sterling silver, copper, 14-karat or 18-karat gold, or combinations of metals. Precious and semi-precious stones may also be incorporated into the hilt.
Custom Sword ornaments are individually quoted based on the materials, design, and fabrication required. Availability and production times may vary.
Ordering a Custom Hat
Custom hat orders starting soon.
Your hat begins with a conversation. Contact The Workshop Ledger to tell us what you have in mind, whether you already have a particular style in mind or simply an idea you’d like help developing.
We’ll work through fit, felt, color, crown and brim proportions, crease, finishing details, availability, and final pricing before your order is placed. Clear communication at this stage is important. Each hat is made to the specifications established with you before construction begins, so this is the time to make sure the design reflects what you want.
A 50% deposit confirms the order and reserves its place in the workshop schedule. When your hat is complete, finished photographs will be provided for your review. Minor adjustments can be made at that stage before final payment and shipment. Major changes or changes to the previously agreed design may require additional work and materials and may incur additional charges.
The remaining balance is due after the finished-hat review and completion of any agreed adjustments, and before shipment.
Because each hat is made specifically for its wearer, deposits may become non-refundable once materials have been ordered or construction has begun. Complete order, cancellation, and adjustment terms will be provided before a deposit is made.
When you’re ready to begin, tell us about the hat you have in mind.