You don´t need some professional tools to change the style of a hat. This was a 1960s widebrim-hat with a front damage. It suited me, so all I had to do was to change the hatband, cut out the damaged part and secure it with some ribbon, hand sewn around the now open space. A decoratíon made of art déco brass stampings, vintage ribbons and leaves, made of self-dyed gaze and framed over millinery wire.
So if you possess a hat, that is damaged or you don´t really like and also don´t want to donate, change it so something better. Use whatever you can find: Fabric, ribbon, leather, metal, chaines, flowers, veils……
You lack ideas?
There a some books that will help you. For example “Hat Tricks” by Terence Terry.
Everything is better than dump things!