Festive Happenings at Sara Gadd Millinery...Love Christmas is here!

We're getting all festive at Sara Gadd Millinery and....It is here....the week of Love Christmas!

This Wednesday 25th November at The Cecil Street Project in Carlisle, "Love Christmas" a street market with a difference is taking place.

It's the perfect places to get some Christmas goodies and presents, there'll be stores selling many different items from millinery to baby goods, ladies fashions, interior goods, dancing and more.  There'll be refreshments available and you may get lucky and win a prize from the raffle!

Everyone is welcome so please come along and support local businesses.

There are also new items on sale now from my Misi store including Christmas cards and Luxury holly Gift Bows!

There are also lots of hats for winter weddings and festive fascinators, why not take a look at http://www.misi.co.uk/handmade/saragadd.html

Viking Inspired Hats - Grampus Workshop

Sara Gadd Millinery has been out and about again .....!

... I spent the start of this lovely sunny week working at Grampus in Threapland, Wigton, Cumbria, with a lovely group of hard working Romanian students.

This time we have been inspired by Vikings!

Expect to see Viking inspiration in my forthcoming autumn/winter collection, here's a hint of what to expect! (Here's my creation above!)

Working with hand made felt, natural fabric, yarns and fur we created a simplistic collection of contemporary Viking headwear!

We also had the luxury of working with David Watson of Moor Forge, who created fabulous Viking inspired brooches.

The hats will be worn with Viking inspired outfits. The students are in England working towards this project for four weeks and so far they seem to be having fun!

A great start to the week and a welcome break from the norm!

Akrotiri Basket Weaving

The women of Akrotiri have been basket makers through the years.

We visited a traditional basket maker in the Cypriot village of Akrotiri.

This traditional way of life is now endangered due to dwindling trade, and the traditional craft is at risk of disappearing.

The baskets were once used in cheese making and for olive pressing along with other traditional uses,however plastic equivalents are now replacing these beautiful items.

Projects like this are trying to ensure traditional ways

do not vanish all together and it is up to us all to help and support in any way we can.

Perhaps finding new uses and purposes for the baskets in today's modern society, be it functional or decorative, is a way forward. After all the baskets would look perfectly at home in any traditional or contemporary interior and mass produced copies simply do not compair.

Thank you for taking a few moments to see how we learnt about this traditional way of life and think how you might possibly help support their work.

Cyprus Trip – Working Holiday! Akrotiri

I have just returned from a jam packed week in Cyprus, staying in Limassol, working in Akrotiri and visiting Lefkara and Pafos!
The week has allowed me to indulge in creativity and craft, learning about local skills and traditions…..

Working with creative people from England, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Cyprus….

Limassol Inspiring things

… Meet new faces; make new friends and new contacts …

…All whilst guzzling Cypriot coffee with one or two ice creams, Scottish tablet, shortbread and other such delights! Really what more could a girl want?!

Stalies Farm, Anogyra, Limassol

Here are a few images from the trip to inspire and offer a flavour of Cyprus.

Expect Sara Gadd Millinery to be influenced by the trip and watch out for further related posts, there’s simply too much to put into one post alone!

...to be continued.