Welcome to the blog part of my website.
Here I have written posts about how to make hats and headdresses, where to buy the materials, and places you can go to find research about headwear, costume and fashion.
There are pictures and reviews of exhibitions I have been to and also some posts about where I find my own inspiration and designs.
Plus a bit about health and safety, and what I have learned about business skills for artists – how to keep track of costs and budgets and where to teach yourself business skills.
If you think there should be something added to a blog post, or if there is something which helped you solve a millinery problem – feel free to add a comment and I can reply to you there.
All about millinery felt – how is it made, how is it different to ‘normal’ felt
'Normal' felt is flat. If you try to use this flat felt to block a 3D shape - like a standard domed crown - it will have to have a seam. It...
Millinery supplier – Petershams in London, UK
A couple of weeks ago (November 2017) I was at Cockpit Arts in Deptford as part of their 'LCN' (London Creative Network) programme. Less than 2...
Great people to follow on Pinterest for hats, fashion and costume
When you are on Pinterest you sometimes find a great board. And my advice would be to also see who these people are following themselves. But...
Facebook groups and pages to connect with people online over millinery, hat making and costume
I believe the internet is a wonderful thing! Here are a few of the facebook communities who love hats and costume. If you can recommend others...
Recommended tutorials and films on the internet about how to make hats and work with millinery materials
Some of the links below are to processes that you won't be able to recreate at home, they are factory processes - but you can still learn from...
Head template to use when designing hats and headdresses
Sometimes when you just want to sketch down lots of ideas for headdress designs, you don't want to get bogged down with trying to draw the same head...
Timesheet for artists to keep track of hours and materials on a creative project
I developed this timesheet so that I could easily keep track of time that I spend on a project and also the materials. It would also help other...
Luxurious Embellishments at the Jean Paul Gaultier Exhibition
Going through my archive of photos, I found some wonderful examples of embellishment techniques at the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition from...
Mohicans, mohicans, mohicans!
Mohicans! Need I say more?! I will let the photographs speak for themselves. Here are some of the mohicans that caught my eye at 'The Fashion...
My favourite hats and drawings that I have created over the last few years
Since graduating from university in 2007, I have made a fair number of things. Whilst working with creative coach Mark McGuinness, I decided...
Open Studios – 2013 – my inspirations for new work
My Open Studios are just around the corner! The dates and opening hours are: 3 - 6 October 2013 18.00 - 21.00 Thur (Private view) 11:00 -...
Where to learn business skills when you are an Artist
Business. Money. Profit. They can seem like dirty words. Well, as an artist who has been practicing her craft since 2007, I have some advice. You...
How to make a swirly whirly, organically shaped, hat block
Those of you who have read my previous blog posts will be familiar with my method of making a pattern for a hat block using a cardbord former. Its a...
Feather Dyeing Workshop at Milliner Warehouse (London Victoria)
A couple of weeks ago (in November 2011) I went to an evening class at Milliner Warehouse called 'Feather Dying Techniques'. It ran from 6.30 - 9.30...
The First of my Mohicans – making a hood with a horse hair mohican
Earlier this year I made 4 mohican headdresses for Shooting Flowers (a styling company). The headdresses were commissioned for 'Thriller' the...
Liberty and Selfridges window displays – January 2011
Walking through London last week a couple of window displays grabbed my attention. The first was Liberty's. The mannequins had lace masks, and the...
What is plastazote and how do I use it?
What is plastazote? I think plastazote is an amazing material. Plastazote is a similar material to what camping mats are made from. In fact when I...
Sculptural, big, over the top hats made from plastazote patterns
In my last post I wrote about how to make a cardboard former for a sculptural hat. This former can be used to generate a pattern, which is...
Making a cardboard former for a hat
This is the method I use to create patterns for my large plastazote headpieces. See the photo at the end for an idea of the finished shape. It's a...