I love making hats for theatre, film, opera and TV. It is a dream job, and I’ve worked really hard to get here. It all started when I made a mask for a masquerade party back in 2001. I was a first-year student on a web design degree at the time, and I completely lost myself making something 3D and using my hands. That led to me doing a one-year evening class in ceramics, and by the end of the year, I knew for sure that I wanted a job where I made things with my hands.
My second degree was the right one: 3D effects for the performing arts at the London College of Fashion. Right from the beginning of the course, I took on outside work experience and volunteered at the Little Angel Theatre (a puppetry theatre) and other costume prop-making studios. At the same time, I was temping as an office receptionist. I’m surprised my relationship with my boyfriend survived as I was hardly ever home!
I’ve had a couple of “big break” moments. One was meeting a costume designer called Hayley Nebauer, when we were both starting out in the industry. I consider myself lucky that she chose to keep working with me as her regular milliner and as her career grew to include designing for Doctor Who! That is a huge career highlight — seeing Peter Capaldi as the Doctor in a bespoke melusine felt Victorian top hat made by me. Another moment of triumph was seeing Ian McKellen wearing my giant theatre panto (pantomime) hat, designed by Liz Ascroft for Mother Goose.
You have to be resilient working in this job. I’ve had an actor tell me in a fitting that my crown makes them “feel like Postman Pat” instead of royalty. Many times, the designer will say, “Change this, that’s wrong,” etc., and you have to have a thick skin and not take it personally. Or, I’ve had to research what to do when a client doesn’t pay their invoice for months, which then led to threatening court action against people I considered friends. Tough times to be sure!
PHOTOS BY GIANLUCA DE GIROLAMO
My hopes for the future are to continue growing creatively and make beautiful headwear for the “hero” characters in film. When I look back at 20 years ago, I laugh at how small my ambition was. I just wanted to “make things with my hands for a living.”’ So, I think giving yourself permission to dream big is a key part to growing as an artist.
One of my specialty types of headdresses is large, outlandish, sculptural pieces that are anchored onto the performers’ heads using a skullcap. The trick is to keep the large headpiece lightweight and use the performer’s centre of balance. For example, the higher you go, the more difficult it is to balance. Glues and paint can add a surprising amount of weight. And make sure the skullcap grips the head and fits properly. I create a lot of these skullcaps to make headdresses for panto, opera and showgirl-esque creations.
Process for creating a hard felt skullcap
I start with a wool felt “cone,” which is sold by specialist millinery suppliers. It is different to flat felt and already a 3D shape. I thoroughly steam the felt by putting it over a clothes hand steamer for several minutes. Then, from my store, I find a milliner’s block and pull the felt over the form, securing it with pins and a loop of elastic. I have lots of blocks and they are all different shapes and sizes. You need to make sure the block you use is as close to the size and shape of the performer’s head as possible.
Next, whilst still damp, I coat the felt with water-based millinery stiffener — similar to PVA. After about 10 hours, the felt is dry, hard and ready to be cut and removed from the block.
I stitch a wire to the edge of the skullcap, and a millinery petersham over that. It is important to use millinery petersham, which you can identify by its toothy edge, rather than a smooth edge. Millinery petersham will shape, and can be stretched and ironed into a curve, shrunk with water.
The last step is to make sure the cap grips onto the actor’s head. Stitch in wide elastic at the nape of the neck and, if necessary, coat the inside of the front of the cap with Copydex. Although skip this step if your performer has a latex allergy.
And that’s it! The hard felt skullcap is really versatile. Once you have this base, you can stitch straight through the felt (using a thimble and pliers) or use glue to attach shapes sculpted in Plastazote (like my fish featured here). You could also attach big cones of showgirl feathers — or I’ve even attached plastic teapots before!
PHOTO BY GIANLUCA DE GIROLAMO
This fish headdress was made in 2010 for Watford Palace Theatre’s Aladdin (costume design by Cleo Pettitt). When I watched the show, I was very surprised to see the panto dame enter the stage wearing this headdress and roller boots! And the headdress stayed on.
My outlandish large-scale pantomime hat worn by Ian McKellen will be exhibited at Showtime for Hats at Hat Works at The Culture Trust Luton for eight weeks from early September to October 27. I will be in the space in-person for four Saturdays during the run, and I will be putting on free demos in theatrical millinery materials.
I love making hats for theatre, film, opera and TV. It is a dream job, and I’ve worked really hard to get here. It all started when I made a mask for a masquerade party back in 2001. I was a first-year student on a web design degree at the time, and I completely lost myself making something 3D and using my hands. That led to me doing a one-year evening class in ceramics, and by the end of the year, I knew for sure that I wanted a job where I made things with my hands.
My second degree was the right one: 3D effects for the performing arts at the London College of Fashion. Right from the beginning of the course, I took on outside work experience and volunteered at the Little Angel Theatre (a puppetry theatre) and other costume prop-making studios. At the same time, I was temping as an office receptionist. I’m surprised my relationship with my boyfriend survived as I was hardly ever home!
I’ve had a couple of “big break” moments. One was meeting a costume designer called Hayley Nebauer, when we were both starting out in the industry. I consider myself lucky that she chose to keep working with me as her regular milliner and as her career grew to include designing for Doctor Who! That is a huge career highlight — seeing Peter Capaldi as the Doctor in a bespoke melusine felt Victorian top hat made by me. Another moment of triumph was seeing Ian McKellen wearing my giant theatre panto (pantomime) hat, designed by Liz Ascroft for Mother Goose.
You have to be resilient working in this job. I’ve had an actor tell me in a fitting that my crown makes them “feel like Postman Pat” instead of royalty. Many times, the designer will say, “Change this, that’s wrong,” etc., and you have to have a thick skin and not take it personally. Or, I’ve had to research what to do when a client doesn’t pay their invoice for months, which then led to threatening court action against people I considered friends. Tough times to be sure!
PHOTOS BY GIANLUCA DE GIROLAMO
My hopes for the future are to continue growing creatively and make beautiful headwear for the “hero” characters in film. When I look back at 20 years ago, I laugh at how small my ambition was. I just wanted to “make things with my hands for a living.”’ So, I think giving yourself permission to dream big is a key part to growing as an artist.
One of my specialty types of headdresses is large, outlandish, sculptural pieces that are anchored onto the performers’ heads using a skullcap. The trick is to keep the large headpiece lightweight and use the performer’s centre of balance. For example, the higher you go, the more difficult it is to balance. Glues and paint can add a surprising amount of weight. And make sure the skullcap grips the head and fits properly. I create a lot of these skullcaps to make headdresses for panto, opera and showgirl-esque creations.
Process for creating a hard felt skullcap
I start with a wool felt “cone,” which is sold by specialist millinery suppliers. It is different to flat felt and already a 3D shape. I thoroughly steam the felt by putting it over a clothes hand steamer for several minutes. Then, from my store, I find a milliner’s block and pull the felt over the form, securing it with pins and a loop of elastic. I have lots of blocks and they are all different shapes and sizes. You need to make sure the block you use is as close to the size and shape of the performer’s head as possible.
Next, whilst still damp, I coat the felt with water-based millinery stiffener — similar to PVA. After about 10 hours, the felt is dry, hard and ready to be cut and removed from the block.
I stitch a wire to the edge of the skullcap, and a millinery petersham over that. It is important to use millinery petersham, which you can identify by its toothy edge, rather than a smooth edge. Millinery petersham will shape, and can be stretched and ironed into a curve, shrunk with water.
The last step is to make sure the cap grips onto the actor’s head. Stitch in wide elastic at the nape of the neck and, if necessary, coat the inside of the front of the cap with Copydex. Although skip this step if your performer has a latex allergy.
And that’s it! The hard felt skullcap is really versatile. Once you have this base, you can stitch straight through the felt (using a thimble and pliers) or use glue to attach shapes sculpted in Plastazote (like my fish featured here). You could also attach big cones of showgirl feathers — or I’ve even attached plastic teapots before!
PHOTO BY GIANLUCA DE GIROLAMO
This fish headdress was made in 2010 for Watford Palace Theatre’s Aladdin (costume design by Cleo Pettitt). When I watched the show, I was very surprised to see the panto dame enter the stage wearing this headdress and roller boots! And the headdress stayed on.
My outlandish large-scale pantomime hat worn by Ian McKellen will be exhibited at Showtime for Hats at Hat Works at The Culture Trust Luton for eight weeks from early September to October 27. I will be in the space in-person for four Saturdays during the run, and I will be putting on free demos in theatrical millinery materials.
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I love making hats for theatre, film, opera and TV. It is a dream job, and I’ve worked really hard to get here. It all started when I made a mask for a masquerade party back in 2001. I was a first-year student on a web design degree at the time, and I completely lost myself making something 3D and using my hands. That led to me doing a one-year evening class in ceramics, and by the end of the year, I knew for sure that I wanted a job where I made things with my hands.
My second degree was the right one: 3D effects for the performing arts at the London College of Fashion. Right from the beginning of the course, I took on outside work experience and volunteered at the Little Angel Theatre (a puppetry theatre) and other costume prop-making studios. At the same time, I was temping as an office receptionist. I’m surprised my relationship with my boyfriend survived as I was hardly ever home!
I’ve had a couple of “big break” moments. One was meeting a costume designer called Hayley Nebauer, when we were both starting out in the industry. I consider myself lucky that she chose to keep working with me as her regular milliner and as her career grew to include designing for Doctor Who! That is a huge career highlight — seeing Peter Capaldi as the Doctor in a bespoke melusine felt Victorian top hat made by me. Another moment of triumph was seeing Ian McKellen wearing my giant theatre panto (pantomime) hat, designed by Liz Ascroft for Mother Goose.
You have to be resilient working in this job. I’ve had an actor tell me in a fitting that my crown makes them “feel like Postman Pat” instead of royalty. Many times, the designer will say, “Change this, that’s wrong,” etc., and you have to have a thick skin and not take it personally. Or, I’ve had to research what to do when a client doesn’t pay their invoice for months, which then led to threatening court action against people I considered friends. Tough times to be sure!
PHOTOS BY GIANLUCA DE GIROLAMO
My hopes for the future are to continue growing creatively and make beautiful headwear for the “hero” characters in film. When I look back at 20 years ago, I laugh at how small my ambition was. I just wanted to “make things with my hands for a living.”’ So, I think giving yourself permission to dream big is a key part to growing as an artist.
One of my specialty types of headdresses is large, outlandish, sculptural pieces that are anchored onto the performers’ heads using a skullcap. The trick is to keep the large headpiece lightweight and use the performer’s centre of balance. For example, the higher you go, the more difficult it is to balance. Glues and paint can add a surprising amount of weight. And make sure the skullcap grips the head and fits properly. I create a lot of these skullcaps to make headdresses for panto, opera and showgirl-esque creations.
Process for creating a hard felt skullcap
I start with a wool felt “cone,” which is sold by specialist millinery suppliers. It is different to flat felt and already a 3D shape. I thoroughly steam the felt by putting it over a clothes hand steamer for several minutes. Then, from my store, I find a milliner’s block and pull the felt over the form, securing it with pins and a loop of elastic. I have lots of blocks and they are all different shapes and sizes. You need to make sure the block you use is as close to the size and shape of the performer’s head as possible.
Next, whilst still damp, I coat the felt with water-based millinery stiffener — similar to PVA. After about 10 hours, the felt is dry, hard and ready to be cut and removed from the block.
I stitch a wire to the edge of the skullcap, and a millinery petersham over that. It is important to use millinery petersham, which you can identify by its toothy edge, rather than a smooth edge. Millinery petersham will shape, and can be stretched and ironed into a curve, shrunk with water.
The last step is to make sure the cap grips onto the actor’s head. Stitch in wide elastic at the nape of the neck and, if necessary, coat the inside of the front of the cap with Copydex. Although skip this step if your performer has a latex allergy.
And that’s it! The hard felt skullcap is really versatile. Once you have this base, you can stitch straight through the felt (using a thimble and pliers) or use glue to attach shapes sculpted in Plastazote (like my fish featured here). You could also attach big cones of showgirl feathers — or I’ve even attached plastic teapots before!
PHOTO BY GIANLUCA DE GIROLAMO
This fish headdress was made in 2010 for Watford Palace Theatre’s Aladdin (costume design by Cleo Pettitt). When I watched the show, I was very surprised to see the panto dame enter the stage wearing this headdress and roller boots! And the headdress stayed on.
My outlandish large-scale pantomime hat worn by Ian McKellen will be exhibited at Showtime for Hats at Hat Works at The Culture Trust Luton for eight weeks from early September to October 27. I will be in the space in-person for four Saturdays during the run, and I will be putting on free demos in theatrical millinery materials.
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