My photo shoot with Millinery by Jen

Handmade silk flower

A couple of weekends ago I had the most fun day playing photographer on a photo shoot. It was the first photo shoot that I have ever done, as in one where it would be beneficial to get some decent, usable pictures by the end of it! I was using a much fancier camera than I normally use and when I got over being scared of breaking it I enjoyed playing the part of a paparazzo.

Handmade bead and sequin star band

 For those who know me it may come as a surprise that it didn't come naturally to direct the lovely model, I felt like I was being a right bossy pants. However, after a while, I got over that and was full of 'turn', 'twirl', 'look down', 'tilt head', 'smile', 'don't smile' etc! It was really interesting to me to find out ways for the camera, the model and the photographer to bring out the best in the glorious items which were being snapped. I really wanted to try and do them justice but I think that they speak for themselves.

Feathers

Have you guessed what I was taking pictures of? There have been lots of clues!

Royal blue beret with bow trim

Yep! Hats!! Lots and lots of glorious handmade hats. I think this beret should be snapped up by Kate Middleton.

Red, white and blue

A patriotic number! Perfect for Jubilees, high days and holidays.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

The most fabulous shape. The missing piece to complete your New Look, assuming you already have a Dior Bar suit.

Navy cloche with flower

Super stylish and time period appropriate for this season of Downton Abbey. I love that programme. It is a shame that I hadn't been told before this photo shoot that I must go upstairs to take off my hat as Lady Mary does.

Felt leaves and a fabric covered button.

So. I bet you want to know why I was taking these pictures, and more importantly, who has made all these gorgeous hats?

Red flower with spotty button

Here she is! The very talented Jen! If you are in a hat styling fix you need to call her. Seriously. She knows how to arrange it on your head just so, so that both you and the hat look great. Much better than my general plonk it on and hope for the best approach.

My auntie and I dancing at my wedding

I got married nearly two years ago and my lovely friend Jen offered to make me a wedding hat. I was really touched and snapped up the offer and I received the most beautiful hat for my wedding day. It is made from pleated purple velvet and it has 3 vintage pearl buttons nestled in the pleats. There are three white feathers in a knot of braid and the same purple and gold braid trims the hat. I absolutely love it. Jen put it on a comb for me so that I could ram it into my hair (told you I wasn't gifted in hat styling) and it stayed put throughout the service, the reception and some mighty strenuous ceilidh dancing. My shoes couldn't hack it and had to come off but that wonderful hat had no such problems.

My wedding hat and bag

Here it is in close up and next to it is a bag that was a surprise gift. Jen kindly made me a vintage style bag using the same fabric and trim which was the perfect size and went beautifully with my dress.

Green tweed with a purple velvet bow

After four years studying millinery and having a life long love of hats Jen has decided to let her hats out into the world. Hooray! Our photo shoot provided images for her Etsy shop. Feel free to head over and check it out.

Navy heart pill box with felt bird

This heart shape is so cute and is a more unusual take on the traditional pill box shape.

Navy braid swirl.

A really pretty, classic look.

Purple beret

I love the shape and the colour of this purple beret. It even looks good from the back!

Red roses

Handmade ribbon roses. I think this hat would suit all manner of occasions.

I think I took over 300 photos, made Jen do lots of posing, drank several cups of tea, ate some tasty cake and it really was a fun day. I enjoyed getting to look at all the hats up close and looking at the shapes, trims and decorations in detail. If you want to keep up with Jen's adventures in hat making you can find her here.

More vintage wedding photographs part four

I thought that it was about time to take a look at some more vintage wedding photographs as I have managed to add a few more to my collection. For others, take a look at these posts here, here, here and here.

This is such a lovely 1920's bridal party. All the women are in cloche hats, all of which are different. The men are all in three piece suits. The man on the left has his jacket open and it is just possible to make out the fob of his pocket watch. It also looks like his trousers may be a smidgen too short for him. The bride looks great in her pretty dress which looks to have silk circles appliqued around the hem and neckline. She is wearing a double strand of pearls. The bridesmaid on the right has the best shoes, t-bars with cut outs and a great heel height. She looks very similar to the bride, I think they must be sisters.

This is the bridesmaid on the left in the first picture. I was so pleased to find a second picture from this wedding. As she is standing in this photo we get a much clearer view of her outfit, such a pretty floaty dress with a handkerchief hem and sleeves. The print is floral, stylised poppies in several colours I think, with sprays of leaves that look like the foliage in the bouquets. Her hat is double layered, a sheer layer under a net/lace/straw outer. She is wearing a fine chain with diamante type jewels.

Moving on to the 1930's.

I would very much like her outfit! At first I thought it was a two piece but on closer inspection I think it is a dress made of some kind of herringbone weave material. It has fantastically huge buttons, I can't decide if they are flowers or clusters of gems. They are great though, they add glamour to an otherwise plain outfit. Topped off by a very lovely hat. Is she the bride? I don't think so but is part of the bridal party maybe. Mother of the bride? I would love to know.

Look at the groom's super shiny topper! He is wearing a tailcoat with a lighter coloured waistcoat underneath and has very fine pinstripes on his trousers and his carrying his white gloves. The bride has a beautiful floor length lace veil and an amazing paper/floral headpiece. I can't see much of her dress as the massive bouquet is in the way! She is also carrying a lucky horseshoe. They both look so very happy, great smiles!

I think this photograph is from the early 1940's.

Another wonderful set of floral print attired bridesmaids. The print looks like bunches of roses and chrysanthemums. The dresses have Peter Pan collars and sleeves which are puffed at the shoulders and gathered down the arm. They are all wearing a floral headband. The detail I like most about their outfits is the poesy of felt flowers pinned at the throat in the join of the collar. So pretty!

The bride is wearing a dress made from beautiful lace and has a double layer veil in two lengths. She looks to be wearing a heart shaped locket. The groom is wearing a marvellous pin stripe suit with a paisley tie. Snappy dresser! The woman on the right is wearing a dress worth a second look. I like the contrast stripe at the edge of the crossover front. There is floral applique on each shoulder which matches that on her cummerbund style belt. I would rather like that dress for myself. I am guessing but think that she is the bride's mother and the bridesmaid sat in front of her is the bride's little sister.

Here we have a wartime wedding. The bride is wearing a two piece suit which looks to be made from velvet and is very simple in design. Her headpiece looks like it may be made from ruched velvet, it is very pretty. She is carrying a lucky horseshoe. The men are all in three piece suits, the one on the left appears to be plain and the other two are pinstriped. The man on the right is holding gloves inside his hat.

I know that these two are called Jack and Gwendoline as I bought this photo and the next from a relative of theirs who had several copies of these photos. It is so nice to talk to someone who knew all about the people in the picture and to find out some things about them. Another wartime wedding here with Gwendoline in a two piece suit which has more detail in it's cut then the one in the previous photo. I like the curved pocket detail. She is wearing a triple strand of pearls and her corsage looks to be made from three orchids. I really like her hat which has some veiling and a double rose bloom detail. Jack is in a three piece suit and is wearing a stripey tie. I think it is such a lovely photograph.

This is Tony and Irene. Tony is Gwendoline's brother and he used to tease her, saying that she had fat legs, and always called her Jumbo! What a lovely brother! If you look at the previous photo I think you will agree that there is nothing out of the ordinary about Gwendoline's legs so I hope she didn't have a complex after being called Jumbo.

Irene is wearing a very simple but beautiful V necked dress with a ruched bodice, long sleeves and a long lace trimmed veil. She is wearing a triple strand of pearls. Her hair flowers look like lilies. Irene is carrying a massive bouquet of red carnations, ferns and heather and is holding a lucky horseshoe.

Tony is wearing pinstriped trousers with a dark jacket, a white shirt and a checked tie. He is carrying white gloves. he has obviously taken great care of his hair!

I think this next photo is either from the late 1940's or the early 1950's, probably the later.

I like this photo of a very happy couple posing outside the church which in my head, is a tiny countryside church. The bride is wearing a dress with a shirt like, long sleeved, wide collared bodice and a flared, floor length skirt. The dress material looks interesting, it has a raised/embossed pattern on it, I can't tell what that pattern is sadly. The bride's veil is almost floor length and where it is attached to her hair she has curved sprays of flowers which are really pretty.

The groom is in a dark tailcoat, a lighter waistcoat, a white shirt and pinstriped trousers. He is really grinning at the camera!

The final photograph is from the 1950's.

This looks like the parents of the bride and groom with the best man, bridesmaid, flower girl and page boy. It isn't possible to see much detail of either the bride or groom's outfits. The bride does appear to have a long veil, long sleeves and to be carrying lucky horseshoes. I really like the bridesmaid's dress, with it's wide skirt and it's pretty shawl style neckline. The page boy seems to be chuckling away to himself!

That is it from my latest vintage wedding photograph findings. There will be another post when I have managed to track down some more!

Vintage knits with Handmade by Kate-Em

I love to knit. It makes me happy and relaxed. I love starting with a gorgeous ball of yarn and ending up with a beautiful garment. I can be found knitting most of the time, even when I am supposed to be doing something else. I also love vintage clothes, particularly those from the 1940s and 1950s. I like the elegance, the cut and fit, the fabrics, the quality and the attention to detail. I enjoy the glamour, the hairstyles, the make up and the accessorising. A while ago I realised that I could combine both these loves into one fabulous, enjoyable, exciting experience. I decided to make good use of my collection of vintage knitting patterns and started to make up the garments. I try to keep as close to the original pattern as possible, using the correct weight of wool and needle size. If colours are suggested I often try to use them, to see what the garment would have looked like to the person who designed it.

At present, I make what I love to sell at vintage fairs and I also knit to order. It is wonderful to see the old patterns come to life and I thought you may like to see them too. My mum also enjoys making from vintage patterns so some of the items are made by her, especially the crocheted ones.

On Sunday I had a stall at Halifax Vintage Extravaganza. The following pictures are of items I had there.

You might recognise these from my previous post.
 They make a gorgeous colourful bouquet.
Displayed in a cut glass dish from a charity shop.

The stall in full.
Notice I have used a carnation as an accessory and to hide my belt buckle!

A 1950's petal cap.
Each petal is knitted individually then sewn together.
It is worn towards the back of the head and pinned in place.

The green pom pom hat, you can see it is in the original colourway.
From the 1940s.
Best worn at a jaunty angle.
Handmade by my mum!

1940's moss stitch turbans.
There is a cap part that sits at the back of the head.
The long strand is then twisted to form a knot and looped over the cap to secure it.

A 1940's leaf beaded leaf band and matching beaded bag.
In cream, it would suit a vintage bride.
Handmade by my mum.

Several leaf bands and a gorgeous beaded snood.
The cabled scarf is a 1940's lady's cravat.
The gold hat is a 1950's Juliet cap.

A 1940's cable edge cap.
Also to be worn at a jaunty angle.
Lined with vintage Chinese brocade from my great auntie's curtains!
Handmade by my mum.

Look out for more vintage knits in future posts.