How to Make a Miniature Hat

I've been promising this post for quite a while, especially to members of Craftsforum. I first found the basic method for making a miniature felt hat in a doll's house magazine seven years ago. When mulling over the original article I came to realise how much I've changed the method to meet my requirements, so the how-to you now find below is my own.

Being the proud owner of a miniature Victorian pub, The Acton Bell Inn, I've had a go at making various hats over the years. I imagine there would be a fair few hanging up inside the pub's door, and my landlady has quite a penchant for ornate hats, too. In fact, the hats have arrived in the doll's house before the lady herself!

I've made hats in the style of later periods too, such as my favourite cloche.

Best of all, they're really easy to make. Here's how:

You will need:

• Felt in your chosen colour
• PVA glue
• A paintbrush
• An elastic band
• A bottle with a smallish lid
• Ribbon in your chosen colour
• Clingfilm
• Spray starch

A word about choosing a bottle - your bottle will be the mould for your hat's crown. You need a lid that will allow your finished hat to remain in proportion to your miniature project, or doll's head, and the shape you'd like the crown to be. I've always found a nail varnish remover bottle lid to be perfect, because it's the right diameter, and has a rounded top. A more flat lid will give you the shape for a boater, top hat, etc., so try different lids and see what you like best.

1. Cut out a square of felt, big enough to cover the top and sides of your bottle lid. Cover the lid in a layer of clingfilm, place your felt over the top, and then smooth down and secure in place with an elastic band.

You won't be able to smooth out every pleat in your felt, but stretch it slightly over the lid and arrange it to reduce the pleats as much as possible.

2. Coat your hat's crown in a layer of watered down PVA glue, down to the elastic band, then leave to dry overnight. Once dry and hardened, remove the hat from the bottle, and cut around the elastic band, so you are left with your crown shape.

3. Place your crown back on its mould. Cut out a circle of felt, approximately 6cm diameter. I haven't owned a compass since school so I just used the inside of a plastic bangle. We're ensuring your brim is extra big (sombrero!) so we have room to trim it into your chosen style. Fold your circle in half, then into quarters. Cut off the point of this shape, so you have a hole in the middle of your circle. Try placing it over the crown of your hat. It will probably be too small, so keep trimming a tiny amount at a time until the brim fits snugly over the crown. Then shuffle the brim up to the top of your crown, paint a line of PVA where you want the brim to sit, then glue the brim into place.

4. You now have your basic hat shape!

Trim your brim (rhymes!) to the style you prefer, then spray with starch and leave to dry. You'll have a join where you attached the two pieces, so just cover this up with your ribbon. You can then let your imagination run wild with ideas for decorating your hat. I love using feathers, mini silk flowers, and collect old earrings because they make expensive-looking embellishments.

The ribbons that are sewn into clothing to keep them on the hanger are the ideal width for miniature projects.

I'm always so inspired by the work of milliner Louise Pocock:



Above three photos from Louise Pocock's website





Visit her website and Facebook page for ideas galore.

If you'd like to see more hattish goodness, pop back later in the week!

Enjoy your Monday,

Inspiration from Mellor Ware: A Talk By a Creative Business

Yesterday I galvanised myself in the SPF50 (I know no other factor) and journeyed into Sheffield to attend a talk by Lianne Mellor, illustrator and owner of china and homewares company, Mellor Ware on the subject of 'Taking an Idea', where she explained how she grew her skills in illustration into a creative business.

Lianne's charming British wildlife illustrations are based on the idea that when us humans aren't looking, the cheeky animals come out to play. They currently feature on tea china such as teacups, teapots, sugar bowls, plates, milk jugs and cake stands, as she loves the fact that afternoon tea means quality time in great company, and a return to more traditional values and a slower pace of life. Recently she has added tea towels and oven gloves to the range, and all of her products are made in the UK.





Having recently celebrated its second birthday, Mellor Ware has gone from strength to strength. Lianne began selling her wares at art fairs, and has since got her range into Liberty, as well as Mary Portas' Mary shops in House of Fraser stores up and down the country. I stopped by Sheffield's Millennium Galleries to admire the Mellor Ware range completed just for them with the theme 'Under the Sea', too!

Here are some of Lianne's top tips to bear in mind if you're thinking of starting a creative - or any - business:

• Don't try to do everything. Concentrate on what you're really good at and don't saturate your company with too many products and services to begin with. Lianne really worked at developing her china range, only adding her textile items once she had created a name for herself.

• Be true to yourself, and make sure you're passionate about what you do - you can't possibly expect success otherwise.

• If there's something you're not so good at, whether it be accounts or photography, make use of someone else's talents - it'll free up your time to do what you do best.

• Have a plan, and make use of lists. Break down daunting tasks into smaller ones. This method will also help you to overcome your fears around progressing within your business and failure.

• Don't allow yourself to become isolated - it can happen easily when you work for yourself. Make sure you have a support network.

• Don't become reticent. It's a good idea to constantly review all the elements of your business to make sure they're working efficiently and that you're doing the best you can.

• The harder you work, the luckier you get.

Check out Mellor Ware's website and Etsy shop. If you're near Sheffield they are also holding Jubilee Workshops on Saturday 2nd and Monday 4th June where you can learn to decorate bone china with transfers and on-glaze transfer methods in your own design. The sessions include afternoon tea! Email Hello@MellorWare.co.uk or call 0114 221 0581 to find out more.

Hope this has helped to fill your Friday with inspiration. I'm certainly looking at the squirrels playing in my garden in a whole new light!

All photographs featured in this post are the property of Lianne Mellor at Mellor Ware.

How to Make a Teapot Necklace

You know I have a bit of a thing for tea, right? Of course you do. You may also know that one of my many crafty hobbies is making miniatures for my doll's house. (If you fancy a look around my house click here).

A couple of years ago the fashion world went crazy for all things tea-related and quirky - probably because the new Alice in Wonderland film came out - and I bought a teapot necklace from Accessorize. I've had compliments and comments about how 'me' it is every time I've worn it. But then I thought, 'hey, I make miniatures all the time, why shouldn't I have a go at making my own teapot necklace? That way, I can have one in as many different colours and designs as my heart desires!'

Seeing as we're all gearing up for the Jubilee and the nation has once again gone potty (ahem) for all things British and tea, I thought I'd show you how to make a teapot necklace of your very own.

You will need:

• A necklace chain - you can use one you already have and just remove its pendant, or you can buy them cheaply on eBay. I prefer a long one so it hangs just above my navel, but it's entirely up to you.
• Fimo modelling clay. Fimo comes in all the colours of the rainbow, and one square pack should make four teapots. A square is £2.29 from Hobbycraft, or if you resent the supermarket of the craft world as much as I do, eBay or independent craft shops will sell it too. You can buy any colour you like, but I chose white, and then painted my teapot in my chosen colour afterwards. Transparent white looks great if you want to go for the classy porcelain look.
• A craft or Stanley knife
• Acrylic or ceramic paints in your chosen colours (shop in the kids' section, it's cheaper and you may be able to get those dinky little selection pots!)
• A clean baking sheet. I work a lot with Fimo so I use an old bathroom tile because then I can transfer my model straight into the oven without damaging it- if you find one in a skip keep it!
• A fine paintbrush.
• Matte or gloss varnish, depending on the finish you prefer. Clear nail varnish works well.
• Clean fingers and a clean work surface. The red tools you see above are entirely optional.
• Sandpaper or an emery board

1. Use your knife to cut about a quarter of your Fimo off the block, and spend a few minutes kneading it until it's pliable. Cut a chunk again and roll yourself a ball to make the body of your teapot. I made mine around 2cm diameter, but there are no rules, it depends how big you want your finished pendant to be.

2. Roll a very thin sausage of clay, curl it into a ring slightly smaller than the diameter of your body, and press the body onto the ring to make your teapot's foot.

3. Make another small ball. Roll it as you would to make a log, but taper it so it's thinner at one end than the other. This will be your spout. It's the trickiest part, but take your time until you're happy - the best thing about Fimo clay is that if it doesn't work you can just start again! Cut a V in the thinner end, and press it onto the body of your teapot, using your fingers to blend over the join.

4. Make another very thin log, and attach it to make a handle. Positioning the top of your handle so that it faces downwards will make for a stronger bond - important as this is the part from which your pendant will hang. Make sure your handle is large enough for the end of your necklace chain to fit through. It can sometimes help to use a small paintbrush handle to help you get the curved shape you need. 

5. Use your knife to score a circle in the top of the body to give the impression of a lid. Or the lid of a Sharpie marker works perfectly (make sure it's ink-free) - just press down. Roll a tiny ball and press on to make your lid's handle. 

6. Now you have the shape of your teapot! Use your fingers to smooth out any creases, but don't worry too much because you can sand it after baking. Once you're happy, pop it in the oven, on 130C for 20 minutes. You'll find it's soft when you take it out. If it doesn't harden as it cools, it needs a little longer in the oven.

7. Once your teapot is cool use your sandpaper or an emery board to smooth away any imperfections. Now you get to paint! You can go with simple white, or paint it all over or with elaborate designs... whatever you like. Gold paint looks amazing too.

8. If you've used ceramic paint like I did, pop it back in the oven for 10 minutes. Once your paint's dry, you just need to varnish it and let it dry again. Thread it onto your chain, and hey presto - you'll be getting compliments galore!

You can experiment with different size teapots on different length chains.

Enjoy a tea-filled Wednesday!

P.S: If you fancy a teapot necklace of your own but don't want to make one, I'll be selling them in the Etsy shop I plan to have up and running before too long, so just bob me an email to register your interest and I'll be in touch when it's all set up! x

Chocolate Digestive Crunch

This recipe's been in my family for a few generations now, and nobody seems to know where it came from. All I know is that if it got any easier to make...well, it can't. The only thing easier than this is bunging some chocolate digestive biscuits on a plate and having done. And where's the fun in that?!

You will need:

4oz/113g butter
8oz/225g plain digestive biscuits
2 tbsp drinking chocolate
1 tbsp syrup
1 tbsp caster sugar
8oz/225g plain or milk chocolate

Grease a shallow tin or dish, then pop your biscuits in a sandwich bag and bash them with a rolling pin until you have fine crumbs. Alternatively you can use a food processor, but that won't let you unleash the stress of the day, now, will it?



Pop everything but your chocolate and crumbs in a pan and heat until the butter has melted and you have some syrupy goodness - don't allow your mixture to boil. Remove from the heat, pour in your crumbs and mix well together.

Now all you have to do is press your mixture firmly into your tin or dish, leave to cool, then pop in your fridge for an hour to set...

And finally melt your chocolate, pour over the top, and leave to set.

Enjoy! That's my Monday chocolate fix sorted.

A Beatrix Potter Collection

Beatrix Potter's stories have always played a quiet yet significant part in my life. I've always loved reading  The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tailor of Gloucester and The Tale of Mrs. Tiggywinkle, loved the life-like watercolour illustrations, and how each story was the perfect length to be read before bedtime.

My mum loves Beatrix Potter too, and although neither of us set out to collect Beatrix Potter items, she's ended up with quite a stash, and I find myself turning to the stories time and again for artistic inspiration, or escapism. They always make me want to leave my busy life behind and go on a country adventure.

These books were given to my mum by her grandparents when she was small.

My mum collects the Beswick Beatrix Potter figurines, though because they're highly sought after they've always been kept by my parents as investment pieces. Their number has swung between three and two hundred, according to demand at the time! Peter here is a limited edition, and is special because of his gold buttons.

My childhood Beatrix Potter treasury.

This is the only figure I own, and I chose her because I love the original illustration from my favourite of the tales, The Tailor of Gloucester.

These buttons have been hanging around my parents' house since the 1970s. I'd like to use them on a special  project, but the right one hasn't come along yet!

When I visited a friend's hometown in Wales I thought this edition of Mrs Tiggywinkle would made a quirky addition to my mum's library.

This picture hangs on the wall in my parents' dining room. It always makes me smile.

This cup was a gift to celebrate my birth.

I remember watching the television series at my grandparents' when I was little. After a day of scampering around the welsh beaches and woods they were such a tranquil way to end the day.

As well as admiring her stories, Beatrix Potter was a lady of many talents, and you can read my blog post about why I find her so inspiring here. Her furry namesake now wears her name on her ID tag with pride!

Miss Beatrix herself

Are you a fan of the Beatrix Potter stories?