Recently I’ve been doing quite a lot of work via Bristol Costume Services for Glasgow Transport Museum.

Some of the hats have been for display stands and some for the tour guides. These are for tour guides who will be dressed as suffragettes.

One of the great things about this kind of job is that except for a period and a vague colour way, I am free to create as I like. My favourite type of job!

So with the help of Mr S-T I’ve added a new plugin to organise it and then I’m going to get cracking. Watch this space….

And quite a week to start in, it’s been non-stop. Work has started in earnest on Welsh National Opera’s exciting new production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. It’s a full on Wagner number directed by Richard Jones, staring (amongst others of course) Bryn Terfel, has a chorus of 80, with an estimated running time of 6 hours (yes 6, normally it’s about 8 but in the name of sanity it’s being trimmed) and of course, because it’s Bryn, it’s 110% sold out. Not actually opening until June 19th, all the cast and chorus have hats, the women’s chorus have three. Naturally. So we’re starting now.

The designer is Buki Shiff and we have some very exciting designs to work from. Most excitingly I get to use my wire working skills again in a combination of millinery and also collaborating with WNO’s wig department to create wig frames for their hair pieces.

At WNO this week, we have also started technical rehearsals for the spring season. First up is The Abduction from the Seraglio. The cast features Wynne Evans as Perillo. Wynne is well known to us as a WNO regular but he’s becoming known countrywide for amusingly being the curly-tashed tenor from the Go Compare adverts!

In other news, Bristol Art Fringe are on track for the second Montpelier Art Trail.  We’re still looking for artists and performer to get involved.  And of course I need to make some work to exhibit myself. I have a terrible habit of forgetting about that part until it get too late. This year I shall probably be exhibiting in Hamilton House so I will hopefully have more space than usual. Therefore I am very tempted to make something huge out of wire. There will be workshop on during the weekend too, so I am trying to work out if I shall have enough time to run a workshop myself along side the Chair commitments of the weekend. I’ll keep you posted, so to speak!

Now it’s almost officially the weekend, so I am looking forward to a relaxing dinner tonight with my husband, sister-in-law and some good friends. Then a visit to St Werburghs City Farm tomorrow and a 30th birthday party in the aptly named Hatters. Naturally, guests must wear a hat which I finding problematic as I cannot decide which one……!