Ginger & Teal

01/08/2026

How does a milliner who hasn’t been allowed to make anything for nearly two months due to surgery celebrate her birthday? Why, shopping the Petershams Millinery Supplies summer sale that starts on that very day of course!

And ooh, the goodies arrived within 24 hours!!! Such potential in that brown box with the striped paper bags…the excitement…the exclamations…the ooh yes as I find the vintage beauties that are in need of renovation (but like me really!) Seriously good customer service from an utterly marvellous supplier that is essential to what we all make. Thank you 🙏 Thank you 🙏 Thank you 🙏

28/07/2026

Excellent episode of The Great British Sewing Bee tonight.

Loved the emphasis on Reduce Reuse Recycle and was blown away by some of the Made to Measure outcomes.

Upcycling forms a huge part of my life for many many reasons - and always has done. Great to see it now being such a mainstream thing. There are more than enough materials in existence already, just takes a bit of imagination to repurpose them - and an equal amount of creativity and determination to find them in the first place.

In earlier incarnations of Ginger & Teal I made a lot of things using materials found in charity shops and Scrapstores as can be seen in the images.

These days I concentrate on the hats, upcycling both bases and trims and I always enjoy the challenge of doing so! And believe me, there can be a LOT of challenges along the way…

22/07/2026

This happened to a fellow milliner and creative. I can only imagine how devastated she was (and still is) at losing a piece that means so much to her.

Please share the original post by Mill House Millinery and raise awareness so that this glorious creation finds its way back where it belongs.

08/07/2026

I was honoured to be one of the recipients of a training bursary from Heritage Crafts back in 2024 (sounds such a long time ago, but really isn't). I have been welcomed into the fold with open arms, something I very much appreciate when embarking on this precarious journey.

It is a truly wonderful thing to be a part of the maker community that exists in Britain right now, with the emphasis on skill development for both individuals and on conserving those skills for the future. I have met fabulous inspirational people who truly enjoy what they are doing and hope that I am playing my own small part in passing on an appreciation for the skills and craft involved with millinery.

Please do take a few moments to look through this post and understand why The Red List of Endangered Crafts is so important.

01/07/2026

Celebration time!

Yesterday there were not one but two Jo Hills creations at the Holyrood Garden Party in Edinburgh.

In the words of my client ‘the big pink hat met the king!’ while the smaller baby pink fascinator met the Princess Royal.

The rain held off when it mattered and a good time was had by all.

The silence on here from me for much of this year is due to my having had a tough time recently due to some long term health issues (am now on the mend following surgery last month) so it was a wonderful pick me up to receive these fabulous photos that remind me why I do what I do.

Thanks for sticking with me and if anyone is thinking of a new hat for next autumn/winter please do drop me a message. I may need to work a bit slower than usual for a while but I will be back!

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!