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Earlier I showed you how to make a vintage diamante side tiara. Next up is a hair pin made with a recycled vintage brooch. These pins look great added to an up-do and work well in thick or curly hair. Here I have used an old 1920’s brooch, two hair pins joined together, silver knitted wire and silver 0.2 wire. Firstly cut a length … Read More Making a Recycled Vintage Diamante Hair Pin
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I have been making these side tiaras for a while now, but it all started in 2013 in response to an enquiry from a bride-to-be…. Paula loved vintage marcasite brooches and wanted a statement bridal headpiece made from them. I experimented with different techniques and ended up using silver plated wire to bind all the pieces together and fix them onto a blonde coloured … Read More Wiring together a Vintage Diamante Side Tiara
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In the previous post I introduced the collaborative photo-shoot I worked on recently with Emmie Miles Bespoke Dressmaking. The second dress Emmie designed was a 1930’s style silk satin gown with a train and feature embroidery on the waistband at the front. It had a soft, regal and feminine feel to it and I decided I wanted to make a vintage diamanté tiara to go … Read More Here’s Another One I Made Earlier…..
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I was contacted earlier this year by fashion designer and dress-maker Emmie Miles to provide hair accessories for her to use in a bridal photo-shoot. Emmie was in the process of designing and making samples for her latest bridal wear collection, I saw the sketches and loved what she was doing, and instantly envisioned what hair pieces I could make to compliment them. Photos by … Read More Here’s One I Made Earlier…
Firstly, Happy New Year to you all, and thanks for your support and encouragement throughout 2013. It’s been a while since I last wrote anything on here. The last few months have been a busy time, with lots of stock and orders to make for Christmas. The Flapper style headbands have been selling well through As Long as it Sparkles, my stockist in Stow-on-the-Wold, … Read More Farewell 2013…..and hello 2014!
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No matter how much planning I do, or how much time I have, I always seem to thrive on creating work in a crazy flurry of productivity right up against a deadline…it’s like being an art student all over again! I was recently commissioned to make two bespoke head pieces for Ali and Becky, who were organising a charity fundraiser Masquerade Ball and wanted … Read More Birds of a feather
I’m a little bit nervous. I foolishly agreed to do two fairs this weekend. Yes, two days in a row, setting up and taking down my stand and beautifully displayed stock, all day spent on my feet…….I feel tired just thinking about it! I’ve been busy making new stock, finalising new designs, and juggling two current bridal commissions and two orders from stockists! (It’s … Read More Two by Two
+ Day to day, Makes
I have been collecting up old pearl necklaces, initially thinking of using them for flapper style head bands or tiaras, but after playing with coiling one round on a sinamay base and adding a diamante brooch for a bit of sparkle I came up with this design; This particular one is available at my new stockist in Bristol, Cox & Baloney (more on them … Read More Pearly Queen
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Painswick is a sleepy, picturesque, village, not far from where I live here in Stroud. It it’s known as ‘the Queen of the Cotswolds’, and once a year plays host to a Wearable Art Festival. Initially inspired by a similar, international event in New Zealand, Art Couture Painswick is now in it’s 3rd year and attracts thousands of visitors to the narrow streets lined … Read More Wearable Art comes to Town
I have recently been contacted by a bride-to-be to make bespoke fascinators for her and her 3 bridesmaids. She’d seen my work in Made in Stroud and loved the vintage style fascinators with net, like the one pictured above – perfect for Kathryn as it looks suitably bridal without having to wear a full on veil. The dress is a stunning vintage one, dating from 1929, … Read More Wedding Season Beckons
+ Day to day, Makes
With a week and a half to go, the sewing machines are whiring away here at Stafford Mill, in preparation for the Textile Trail Open Studios, taking place on the weekends of the 12 & 13th and 19th & 20th of May. The local Made In Stroud shop have already got a range of our products on display (and for sale!). They re-did the window … Read More There’s nothing like the pressure of a deadline…
One of my aims for this year was to find more shops and outlets to sell my work through. As a small scale maker it can be intimidating approaching new retailers, and it’s hard not to take each knock back personally. The best leads often come from word of mouth, through friends and family. A casual conversation can lead to an opening, an opportunity … Read More Bristol beckons!
Cotswolds milliner designing bespoke hats, fascinators & hair accessories 