Bea & Evie Millinery

This weekend's class was all about the Sinamay Tulip... and apparently, subtlety was not invited.

Armed with sinamay, wire, determination, and the occasional muttered expletive, we created floral masterpieces on a gloriously oversized scale. Why make a tulip when you can make a tulip large enough to have its own postcode?

From petal shaping to dramatic finishing touches, everyone embraced the challenge and produced blooms that were bold, beautiful, and just a tiny bit ridiculous—in the very best way.

A huge thank you to all my wonderful students for throwing themselves into the project with such enthusiasm. The studio looked as though a giant had gone gardening.

🌷 Super-sized flowers.
🌷 Serious millinery skills.
🌷 Absolutely no shrinking violets.

Just had the loveliest experimental studio session with two dear friends — one a thoughtful tortoise, the other a lightning hare — as we faffed about with the idea of a new class: Icelandic Poppies. Between them, they represent the entire spectrum of humanity.

Picture dye-splattered aprons and tea gone . As we snipped, shaped, fiddled and occasionally stared thoughtfully into the middle distance, they offered wonderful suggestions, clever shortcuts, and the sort of practical wisdom that only emerges after several cups of tea and a table covered in silk petals.

The encouraging bit? The results were rather lovely. Between us, we managed to cover every tiny detail. The finished Icelandic Poppies had all the delicate charm and fluttery elegance one could hope for. This whimsical floral adventure is beginning to look very much like a real workshop.

Watch this space. Who’s in for a whimsical floral detour?

✨ Flashback Friday ✨

Wedding season is upon us, and while hats may steal the limelight, there's something rather lovely about quiet confidence.

A beautifully crafted headband adds just the right touch of romantic glamour—understated, elegant, and utterly effortless. No fuss, no flouncing, just a whisper of occasion dressing that says, "Yes, I made an effort," without shouting about it.

Perfect for weddings, garden parties, and accepting compliments with modest delight.

What does one do with two bronze table lamp figurines of musketeers inherited from one's father?

One could display them as objets d'art.

One could sell them.

Or, in a moment of questionable judgement and undeniable brilliance, one could remove the electrics and turn them into hat stands!

The musketeers seem rather pleased with their new commission, standing guard over a pair of hats instead of illuminating the sitting room. The result is somewhere between French aristocracy, theatrical prop department, and the sort of decorating decision that causes visitors to pause politely before saying, "Well... isn't that wonderful."

A perfectly sensible solution. Not at all eccentric. Not remotely bourgeois.

How rococo.

How gloriously unnecessary.

How very Bea & Evie.

⚜️ One for all, and all for millinery.

Introducing New Romantics.

A collection of brimmed straw hats positively dripping with flowers, poetry, and just a whisper of glorious impracticality.

Inspired by the lush, dreamlike world of the Pre-Raphaelites, these are hats for wandering through rose gardens, gazing wistfully into the middle distance, and generally carrying on as though one has stepped out of a painting by Waterhouse.

Handmade straw brims bloom with cascades of flowers, soft ribbons, and all the romance one might reasonably expect from a British milliner left unsupervised with an abundance of blooms.

Perfect for summer weddings, garden parties, and anyone who feels modern life could do with rather more beauty and considerably fewer spreadsheets.

The New Romantics collection has arrived.

🌷Sinamay Tulip Workshop
⏰️June 6, 10:00–18:00
🪡Ballard-Milinary Studio

Fancy making a slightly OTT tulip — bigger than life, made by hand from sinamay straw? Join us on June 6 for a day of crafty cheek, sticky fingers and dramatic petals. Bring your wit, we’ll bring the straws (and plenty of tea & biscuits). No prior experience needed — just an appetite for making something gloriously beautiful and utterly brilliant.

Tickets limited. DM to snag your spot — don’t be the one watching everyone else hold the oversized bloom and pretending it’s subtle.

Crafters' Supply Sale — This Weekend!

Oi, crafty lot — Saturday & Sunday, 10–5! Sharpish!

Pop down and gawp at piles of proper European vintage & antique buttons — enough to make even the tidiest sewist swoon.

**When** Sat & Sun, 10–5
**What** Loads of vintage & antique buttons from across Europe
**Why** Because your project deserves a bit of history (and a dab of mischief)

Bring a cuppa, bring your mates — and don’t blame us when you leave with more buttons than sense.