MontanaHats.com
Title
Cowboy hats and custom cowboy hats made in Twin Bridges, Montana cowboy hat shop.
Description
The following is an excerpt from a plaque presented to Sheila in 1992 during her induction into The Cowgirl Hall of Fame.
"To be a custom-hatter must be a tedious and exacting vocation, but one also steeped in pride and integrity, rich in satisfaction. Sheila Graves Kirkpatrick who plies the hatter's trade in Montana's remote Big Hole Basin would be the first to tell you that.
The daughter of South Dakota rodeo announcer Lyle Graves, Sheila grew up amid cowboy hats and the people who wear them, acquiring very early a feel for the importance of a hat's appearance. At age eleven Sheila decided the hat her dad had bought her didn't reflect quite-the-right-touch of her personality. Using the trial-and-error system, Sheila overhauled it, unaware that she was discovering skills and learning techniques she'd someday use in her vocation. Others soon discovered her knack for getting the hat 'just right' and asked her to shape theirs. 'I worked with hats so long, I just kept getting better,' she noted. 'I didn't think I was doing anything special. It took me a long time to realize it's an art.'
