My new tam

[Hocfutue]

Joined up some time ago, and been lurking. Inspired by the recent tams made and posted here recently, I decided to give it a try.

Many thanks for the great instruction links! Made the job MUCH easier!

Hardest part was doing the math and cutting out the material. Fabric was a remnant I had laying around collecting dust. Heading to the fabric store soon to hunt up more wool.



Steve in WA

[BoldHighlander]

Nice job!

&

...from the far nw corner of Washington state!

[tripleblessed]

Looks well done!

[Old Hippie]

I love the intense 'I've got a sewing machine and I know how to use it!" look.

Nice job!

I gotta ask a clarification question, though...

I was always given to understand that berets, tam-o-shanters and Balmorals were basically the same hat, EXCEPT:

A beret has no band, simply edging around the base of the "disk."
A tam is like a beret, with the addition of a toorie.
A Balmoral is like a tam, with the addition of a short band below the disk.

Which would make me name your hat a Balmoral.

That's what I think I know, anyway -- but I've gotten in trouble before, thinking I know stuff. Whatever you call it, it looks a good job. What's your next one?

Somebody want to clear up the taxonomy here?

:ootd:

[Tartan Tess]

Damn, I can't get away from math on this website!
Great job!

[Hocfutue]

Not sure of the terminology differences. The WWII tam I have has a band of the same material as the rest of the hat and a toorie. No dicing.

Left the toorie off of this project because, well, the toorie doesn't do it for me. Which kind of makes mine more like the mid- to -late WWII British "General Service" cap, also known as the GS, or "General Silly", or "Cap, Ridiculous."

But the GS cap had a multi-piece underbody, no toorie, and a quilted lining. May try making one of those next once I can figure out the construction details and find the right wool.

[gary meakin]

It looks good no matter what it's called

[BobsYourUncle]

Really an excellent job. To add to the confusion, I am not sure that Old Hippie's attempt at taxonomy holds any water, with all due respect to Old Hippie, who is a gentleman and a scholar. I've seen many non military tams that have a band below the disk, including at least one of the offerings on the Scottish Tartans Museum web shop...now everyone can start throwing things at me...

[Spartan Tartan]

Looks great! I'm impressed. I can't patch a hole, let alone actually MAKE something. Thanks for sharing.

[Ryan Ross]

It's a very nice job that you've done, good sir!

Really an excellent job. To add to the confusion, I am not sure that Old Hippie's attempt at taxonomy holds any water, with all due respect to Old Hippie, who is a gentleman and a scholar. I've seen many non military tams that have a band below the disk, including at least one of the offerings on the Scottish Tartans Museum web shop...now everyone can start throwing things at me...

I agree. While I'm not quite sure on what all the proper nomenclature is, here's the idea that I have:

A Basque or millitary beret has no seam at the outer edge(meaning not cut and sewn) and just a bit of edging material or a bead around the, for lack of a better term, "head hole".

A Balmoral is a formalized style of bonnet which has no seam at the outer edge, does not have an overly large outer diameter, has a band bound with ribbon, has a toorie, has ties in the back, has a cockade, and commonly has a quilted lining and dicing around the band.

A tam is a cut and sewn bonnet, usually with a band and a toorie.

Bonnet, I believe (in our context), is a more general term that describes traditionally Highland Scottish headgear that is descended from the old and ubiquitous broad bonnet, which is knit and felted, has a band, was (and is) seen in a variety of outer diameters, and may or may not have a toorie; to this idea, all of the above, save the beret, would be considered bonnets, as would the Glengarry and the so called "Hummel".

Does that sound about right to anyone? Or completely wrong, for that matter?