Crystals Pearls and French Knots

 

It's been a hectic week with ladies picking up their hat boxes filled with a wide variety of head wear. Some are off to the palace to take tea with the Queen and about 1000 other garden party guests.! The navy blue little fine straw button hat was embroidered with scarlet french knots as the trim.
Others have special family weddings and days out. I have a lady arriving from Germany on Friday to pick up her cocktail hat and it will be first time we meet.! The Navy blue and big pink silk covered button headband with a silk clutch bag has been posted to Oxford so fingers crossed it arrives tomorrow.
Lastly I was given a precious piece of old lace from a grandmas wedding dress to create a new heirloom for a bride. So it had to be stiffened and wired and cut and beaded and teased ! turned out ok I think.

New designs New on line shop

 

As it is now officially summer wedding season here in  the U.K. I like many other milliners am very busy making hats and head wear for lovely summer weddings. It's unseasonably cold at the moment [no change there really] but the ladies are not letting that stop them from wearing gorgeous outfits and creative head pieces.
I am also busy re stocking my shop on What I always wanted  here's a couple of the designs modelled by artist Julia Ogden  who is aslo my neighbour. They will all be for sale next week on their site.
My other project is keeping me up late at night and as the words describe I shall soon have my own on line boutique where there will be a selection of everything I sell in the real shop from head wear to scarves and accessories. I will post a 'fanfare' when it's good to go.!
Also this week in the post was a Finnish wedding magazine that I have been featured in, I can't read it but never mind. All those ace pic's from Toast of Leeds speak for themselves.

Magenta Magic

Just finished and for sale in the shop a sculpted sinamay hat with a circular trim which as such isn't a trim but somehow stands out much more.
I do love hats that have a strong shape and little or minimum trims they are always the ones that I like to wear myself.
I bought myself a little button hat block last week and I shall be using it to block a new piece [can't wait to use it] I will post a picture soon.
I also made a pretty ivory crin headband with a coral lace frond that has little seed beads sewn up the spine.
Lastly a big teal pedal straw hat perfect for anything outside, if we ever get a summer again !

 

 

 

Polka Dots

I have been using some polka dot 'crin' which is a woven fibre to make a few headpieces including this 50's styled headband. It's secured with small crystals and has a black crin bow as a trim also with a cluster of crystals in the centre. It sold on Saturday to an American lady for the Derby.Hope it brings her luck on the horses.

A Town Hall Affair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whilst having my hair cut a few weeks ago I asked Debbi owner of Zeitgeist if she would be interested in a photo shoot I was thinking of putting together. So we sorted out a few details, which day, times, models etc. I then asked Shelly from Toast Photography if she was free to come over to Hebden Bridge to shoot it for me, and she was.!

 The tweed suit and jacket were kindly loaned by Libertyfreedom  urban tweed is one way of describing their fab gear. Debbi cut Kim's hair, with incredible precision and Danielle had her red hair pinned up into a great shape. All the jewellery was hand made by my pal local jewellery designer Rachel Lucie and the models had their make up expertly applied by Alison Clegg who came over from York for the morning.

I should add that I made the head wear.!

Holly my right hand girl helped me with just about everything including getting everyones lunch.She also made the heart quill you see in the picture taken by the tiled wall in the town hall stairwell.

The Town Hall is a wonderful spot for any shoot, lots of dark wood and huge windows, ours took on a real Mad Men look don't you think.?

I could wax lyrical about the shoot but I think it's better to let the pictures speak for themselves.

Cheers Shelly not sure if Patch the dog [on loan] stole the show.!

Vintage wedding Fair

 On Sunday I left home bright and early to go to East Riddlesden hall for their vintage wedding fair.

 Shelly from Toast photography was set up across from me so there were plenty of laughs and witty chat in between the flow of wedding fair visitors.

Holly my intern came along with me and made her very own head wear which was much admired

 

There were so many lovely set ups including Emma bespoke wedding flowers 

 Beautiful jewellery from Saving face jewellery

I was next to a lady who made hand made wedding pies. Not your average pie, these were pretty if a pie can be pretty.

 I was able to use my lovely hand drawn sign again by artist Julia Ogden

Gorgouse table settings from Simply Vintage Events

I took along my woodland crown, cuffs and corsage which is hand crocheted, wired and strewn with crystals. One bride is coming to try on at the shop with her dress, this is a very particular wedding style so she was very happy to find it.

Hand painted signs from Barn Studio Signs

 

A whole table full of treasure from Vintage Strawberry who had some incredible vintage gowns.

 

The whole event was really lovely

 

What a beautiful timber roof.

So after much chatting to ladies who are now coming to the shop to sort out their upcoming wedding head wear, I went home very happy and with very tired feet.

Sunny trip to the museum

 

On a cold but Sunny Bank holiday Monday we went to visit our local museum Banksfield Museum

There was a delightful exhibition on of the wonderful illustrator Quentin Blake's work as well as the Botanical Threads textile pieces by artist Vivienne Brown. A lovely time was spent reading Roald Dahl books surrounded by all the illustrations.

Lots of lovely inspiration to be found on my doorstep, well almost.