Elastomeric hat blocking form

In combination,

• a hat having a hat band for encircling and contacting the head of a wearer and a hat crown having forehead and rear regions extending upwardly from said hat band to rest atop the crown of the head of a wearer,
• a hat drying and blocking form having a longitudinally forward end and an opposite longitudinally aft end comprising a compressible and elastically resilient structure having a finished product density of at least about 1.0 pounds per cubit foot and having a base and an arcuately curved crown projecting upwardly from said base and having a continuous arcuate convex surface rising abruptly from said base at said longitudinally forward end thereof and curved rearwardly from said longitudinally forward end so that said aft end is more rounded than said forward end, and said base is formed with a plurality of transversely extending ribs that extend across the entire width of said hat drying and blocking form, each rib having a bottom surface of contact of minimum width and broadening in width with increasing distance above said bottom surface of contact, and said ribs are arranged in longitudinal separation from each other across said base from said longitudinally forward end to said opposite longitudinally aft end, and
• said hat drying and blocking form is inserted into said hat and resides within said hat in a partially compressed condition with said hatband encircling said form and with said crown of said hat located in contact with said convex surface of said crown of said form, whereby said partially compressed form exerts outwardly directed forces against said hat.

A method of blocking and drying a hat which has a hat band for encircling and contacting the head of a wearer and a hat crown for extending over the crown of the head of a wearer comprising:

• washing said hat with a laundry detergent,
• inserted into said hat while it is still damp a compressible and elastically resilient hat drying and blocking form having a finished product density of at least about 1.0 pounds per cubic foot and having a form base and an arcuately curved continuous form crown projecting upwardly from said form base and wherein said base is formed of a plurality of transverse ridges arranged across the entire width of said base and said ridges extend across the entire width of said form, each ridge having a bottom surface of contact and broadening in width in a longitudinal direction with distance from said bottom surface of contact, and said crown of said hat form is inserted into said hat by partially compressing said form so that said hatband encircles said base of said form and said crown of said hat resides in contact with said crown of said hat form while partially compressing said hat form,
• releasing said hat form within said hat so that it remains in a partially compressed state and thereby exerts outwardly directed forces on said hat while said hat remains mounted on said hat form,
• allowing said hat to dry, and
• removing said hat from said form once said hat has dried fully.