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Abby didn’t start life as a Milliner, she has a degree in social anthropology and began her working life in a much more conventional manner however she got into making things in her 30s. A City & Guilds course in millinery while she was living in the Isle of Man cemented her change of direction and she has subsequently worked under some of the leading milliners of the day. Abby delights in taking a different approach to hats and firmly believes that you don’t have to be fashionable to be stylish – a hat should be an expression of it’s wearer. Having said that her headwear has been seen in some of the most fashionable of places such as Ascot!
Abby’s enthusiasm for her craft is infectious and from her village workshop in Burbage she creates some glorious confections using base materials sourced from Indonesia where the local women produce beautifully fine straw fabrics. She infinitely prefers these finer straws to what is more easily available here, every batch is different which means no two hats ever look the same. Once the shape of the hat is established it is embellished with feathers, silk flowers and silk fabric and Abby is a regular in local charity shops and online auction sites looking for interesting fabrics to re-use. All the materials used are expensive so she tries to re-use and re-cycle older fabrics when possible. Old bridesmaids dresses are a particularly useful source!
Abby believes that it is very important that people should feel good in a hat and that there is a size or shape for everyone, you just have to find it! Wide head bands are much in vogue at the moment, popularised by the Princess of Wales and as long as they are at least four inches wide, acceptable in the Royal Enclosure at Ascot. They are actually more complex to make than a conventional hat but look wonderful embellished with flowers or feathers as does the pillbox style that is also very popular. Abby has a beautiful wooden pillbox hat last especially made for her and it is her pride and joy!
The winter is spent making new hats for the summer season although Abby does make winter hats as well however the demand is less. Inspiration comes from all over and she never looks at current fashion collections preferring very much to do her own thing which usually proves to be very popular.. Abby can be found on Instagram and is more than happy to welcome visitors to her workshop.
