Ginger & Teal

22/04/2026

Anyone interested in training to become a weaver? Located in Elgin way up in the north of Scotland, learn how to weave the traditional tartans and tweeds - exactly the types of cloth I use in my new collection coming soon.

opportunity!

Weaver

Location: Elgin, Scotland
Deadline: 29 April 2026

Founded in 1797, Johnstons of Elgin is a luxury clothing brand celebrating 225 years of experience working with the world’s finest fibres. Across three centuries, the family-owned company has carefully sourced cashmere and fine woollen fibres from around the world, applying the latest technology and highest quality craft expertise in their very own vertical Scottish mills.

They are currently recruiting a Weaver to join their busy and growing weaving department. As a Weaver, you will be operating a set of looms efficiently, as well as repairing any broken warp and weft threads. You will be responsible for monitoring the looms for any weaving defects, evenness of colour or patterns and reporting any defects to our technicians. You will also ensure that weft creels are replenished with yarn, maintain product quality standards and work with attention to detail, you will nonetheless aim to achieve the required output levels to meet their production plan. There are some manual handing tasks and heavy lifting will be required.

Find out more including how to apply at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/matchmaker.

is the online platform for work-based training and entry-level employment opportunities hosted by and supported by .

27/03/2026

Terry Pratchett got it absolutely right about hats!

Today is International Wear a Hat Day (just in case you needed an excuse 😃). The Brain Tumour Research charity here in the UK have a fundraiser going, will pop the link in the comments.

🎩

"It wasn’t the wearing of the hats that counted so much as having one to wear. Every trade, every craft had its hat. That’s why kings had hats. Take the crown off a king and all you had was someone good at having a weak chin and waving to people. Hats had power. Hats were important.” — Terry Pratchett, Witches Abroad

📚 https://tinyurl.com/discworld-novel-witches-abroad

14/02/2026

Mr Teal might just be looking for a special person on this Valentine’s/ Galentine’s/ Palentine’s Day….he has some gorgeous red hats to offer them too.

Limited slots left for the 2026 season, get in touch before it’s too late!

30/01/2026

This gorgeous printed velvet fascinator was bought yesterday by a lovely lady that I met at The Hugo Burge Foundation Makers Market in September 2024. She saw it in the Ready to Wear Collection within less than a minute of arriving for her consultation and simply said ‘That’s my hat!’

We tried several others on her just to be sure but she was absolutely right. It suits her perfectly and will really complement the fabulous Me & Em dress that she will be wearing at the wedding in March.

Love it when things just fall into place.

Get in touch if you’re looking for that perfect, one of a kind, headpiece for your own special event.

We can either make something from scratch specifically for you or, as in this case, there may be something ready made that just works. In either case you can be quite certain that no one else will have the same look that you do, and that everything has been made with great care, attention and skill. Slow fashion at its best.

07/01/2026

Just home from a lovely Scottish makers meet up in Leith with Heritage Crafts (thanks for the pizza!) and look what had arrived when I got home.

Have been looking forward to reading this for months, a most excellent Christmas present (thanks again Feline Lang).

I shall have to get it signed by James Fox next time I see him at The Hugo Burge Foundation. Makers market in the spring?

24/12/2025

Merry Christmas to you all.

2025 featured more wedding and occasion commissions than ever before along with lots of millinery training thanks to my bursary from Heritage Crafts.

Who knows what 2026 will bring but I hope it is happy and healthy for each and every one of you.

Have a wonderful holiday season whatever you are doing.

Jo
X

05/12/2025

If you are a maker within anything to do with Living Heritage there may be opportunities for you within this programme run by Heritage Crafts

Please share far and wide

Heritage Crafts is an official Community Support Hub for the new UK Living Heritage Inventory launched by today.

An area of heritage often overlooked, living heritage (or ‘intangible cultural heritage’) is a broad subject that can include everything from bell-ringing to boat-building, cèilidh to carnival, pantomime to pancake day, highland games to Eisteddfod, Lambeg drumming to long sword dancing, and dry-stone walling to wassailing.

The inventory is being set up by the Governments of the UK, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland following the UK joining the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage last year. Its purpose is to raise awareness and start a conversation about the value of this heritage, paving the way for future efforts to improve its safeguarding.

A call for submissions has opened communities in the UK to submit their traditions and heritage practices at www.livingheritage.unesco.org.uk. During the next four months until Friday 27 March, we are offering online workshops and support for organisations, groups and individuals who wish to make a submission. You can also get in touch with us if you have specific queries about your craft and the inventory.

Heritage Crafts Community Support Hub Information Sessions and Q&A – come along to hear about the project and ask any questions you might have

• Thursday 18 December, 3pm to 4.30pm
• Thursday 18 December, 6.30pm to 8pm
• Wednesday 14 January, 3pm to 4.30pm
• Wednesday 14 January, 6.30pm to 8pm
• Thursday 12 February, 3pm to 4.30pm
• Thursday 12 February, 6.30pm to 8pm

Heritage Crafts Community Support Hub Surgeries – come along to discuss your application with other groups making submissions

• Wednesday 28 January, 3pm to 4.30pm
• Tuesday 24 February, 6.30pm to 8pm

Sign up via https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/living-heritage-community-support-hub/.

03/12/2025

It’s been a while since I introduced myself on here and since I am in the middle of an online marketing challenge, I thought I would share the intro I wrote for that.

Deep breath. Here goes.

“Hi, I’m Jo and I make hats. And headpieces. And headbands. And caps. And pretty much anything you could wear on your head, for men as well as for women, for either a special occasion or just to nip to the shops or keep your head toastie (but stylish of course) on a cold winters day. Millinery is a heritage craft and I am honoured to be carrying on that slow stitching, traditional skill today.

Ginger & Teal can create a hat that is as unique as you are, that fits properly and will last a lifetime. We make bespoke and ready to wear pieces and absolutely love collaborating with other creatives.

I’m also a recently (late) diagnosed neurodivergent, ex over-achiever who has really struggled since COVID. But millinery has saved me and I love every single aspect of it.

I live and work in the glorious Scottish Borders, near Duns and have absolutely no regrets about jacking in that high pressure previous life as a Project Manager several years ago.”

Over the next few days I will be sharing some new images of everyday hats that are in stock and available right now, in time for Christmas. And don’t forget, I have gift vouchers available too so you could give the gift of a bespoke hat - or ask for one yourself!

Buy Less. Buy Better. Buy Handmade and Shop Local where you can. YOU can make a difference.

29/11/2025

As a maker who needs to sell what I make I probably ought to hesitate about posting this, but it so entirely reflects who I am, my values, the ethos behind Ginger & Teal and how I approach all that I make that it feels appropriate to share it here with all of you.

But if you do need to buy something, shop local, shop small business, shop handmade!

Did you know that today is "Buy Nothing" Day? This graphic provides suggestions to counter some of the crazy consumerism that can happen on Black Friday.

27/11/2025

I was honoured to receive a training bursary from Heritage Crafts last year that has made an enormous difference to my skill set and ultimately to the quality of the hats and headpieces that I can create.

Please support your local craftspeople. We all need income and through buying direct you know you will be getting a high quality item made with skill and care by a trained artisan.

YOU can make a craftsperson do the happy dance to celebrate a sale! Go on, you’ll love it!

27/10/2025

How many pairs of scissors and other cutting implements can a milliner use in a day in the studio? Apparently, this many….and many of them have tales to tell…my 21st birthday present from my Japanese home stay family…another birthday present from after the arthritis in my hands took hold…an inherited tool from someone way back…and several less exciting ones from a certain Swedish shop that have taught me how much difference it makes to have good tools. But they were all I could afford at the time and still serve a very valuable purpose. Just not for cutting cloth.