Haberdashery Heaven

Last night I found myself in haberdashery heaven.

Writer and milliner Mary Jane Baxter (left) was signing copies of her new book, The Modern Girl’s Guide to Hatmaking, at Barnett Lawson, a trimmings shop just a couple of minutes from Oxford Circus.  

The basement premises are one of London’s best-kept secrets. Guests who came to the event - and tried on some of her creations, such as (below) an 'emergency' hat which uses cereal packet cardboard as a base -  discovered an Aladdin’s cave of treasures.  

Aisles are crammed with exquisite buttons, ribbons, frogging, fringing, lace, motifs, artificial flowers, decorative butterflies, sequin and diamanté trims, feathers, veiling – even feathered masks. Barnett Lawson was founded more than 50 years ago, and its present owner Caroline Marx has more than 12,000 different items in stock.  She and her helpful staff supply many leading fashion designers, theatre costumiers, milliners and stylists – as well as creative individuals like Mary Jane.

So for inspiration to update your wardrobe or start a new craft project, visit Barnett Lawson at 16 / 17 Little Portland Street, London W1W 8NE. (ph 020 7636 8591) or check out their website http://www.bltrimmings.com/
Prepare to be enchanted.

Open Gardens Day inspiration

  

In NW London, we’ve just had our neigbhourhood’s Open Gardens Day - 14 stunning back gardens, all close to each other, but usually hidden from view. As usual, the afternoon brought hundreds of Mapesbury residents and their friends out onto the streets, holding maps with garden details and exchanging recommendations with fellow enthusiasts. They found a huge range of planting – everything from formal to cottage (above), woodland and meadow - and came away with plenty of inspiration and a better idea of what thrives - or doesn’t -  in our local area. 

I didn't have time to see all the gardens, but of those I did, my highlights included these euphorbias - almost like sculptures, their lime green singing against pink and orange flowers.

I also loved the way this spectacular climbing rose gives an extra dimension to an old fruit tree.

 I've never before seen such amazing wisteria - trained into a fan, so you can actually walk underneath.

And keeping slugs and snails at bay, a little raised planter which brings fresh herbs and salad leaves to the kitchen door. A great idea!

Strawberry trials

Last year, my attempts at strawberry growing were a washout. Lots of leaves, but no fruit. So, inspired by a visit to this productive kitchen garden at the National Trust’s Polesden Lacey, near Dorking in Surrey (left),  I’m now trying two different methods of growing strawberries.

One involves an old fashioned strawberry planter with a secret weapon – a plastic drink bottle, with the base sliced off and side holes cut into it, pushed upside down into the middle to facilitate watering. I’m hoping this will get round the problem of water washing out the compost through the planting openings – a major bugbear in the past.

The second is a home-made version of the Polesden Lacey method, using a garden centre growing bag resting on two planks, which in turn are supported by bricks. It fits just 10 plants but unlike the Trust's, isn’t connected to a watering system.

So far all the plants are flourishing. But which method will produce the most strawberries?

See the results at http://greenjottings.blogspot.co.uk/2013_07_01_archive.html
More on the Polesden Lacey gardens at http://greenjottings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/a-better-way-to-grow-strawberries.html

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/polesden-lacey/

Tulip time at Chenies

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The gardens of Chenies Manor House in Buckinghamshire are a riot of colour at the moment, with some 6000 tulips in full bloom.

The sunken garden is especially lovely, with clumps of pink and blue forget-me-nots, alchemilla mollis, pansies and primroses setting off the paintbox colours of the different tulip varieties (sadly, not named).

The mellow brick house with its 22 individually cut chimneys dates back to Tudor times.

There’s a physic garden, a medieval well, two mazes. and an ancient tree known as Queen Elizabeth 1’s oak (she’s said to have lost a piece of jewellery as she sat in its shade).

In the summer months, the five acres of gardens are filled with perennials, shrubs, roses and many annuals especially dahlias, cosmos and salvias. If you take a tour of the house, be sure to ask your guide about the ghost of Henry VIII, said to roam the building searching for his fifth wife, Kathryn Howard, whom he suspected of having an affair with a courtier.

Chenies Manor House is open every Wednesday and Thursday, 2 – 5pm, and on Bank Holiday Mondays till the end of October.

http://www.cheniesmanorhouse.co.uk/

 

Get ahead - Get a hat!

Just out::  an inspiring new craft book by milliner and journalist, Mary Jane Baxter.

“The Modern Girl’s Guide to Hatmaking” is exactly that. The first section outlines clearly with illustrations the basic techniques needed to create a fabulous hat or headband, while the second part contains detailed instructions for 25 projects, ranging from very simple to more advanced. At the back of the book are full-sized templates, including some for the lovely organdy flowers featured on several creations. There’s a wide range of styles, from a sparkly mini beret to a “Fabulous ‘50s Percher” (fashioned from an old straw boater), a "Fast Feather Fascinator" (see below) and even an ‘emergency’ hat, to be rustled up if you get an unexpected invitation which requires some elegant headgear.

Mary Jane (a judge in BBC 2's recent Handmade Revolution series) has been creating hats since she was a teenager. Her first collection was sold in Harvey Nichols, and she has since created bespoke hats for many well-known personalities.
The book is published by Kyle Books (£18.99), just in time for Ascot and all those summer weddings. Mary Jane even includes a useful section on how to find a hat style that suits you best.

There’s a review by Vicky Frost on the Guardian website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/apr/25/april-craft-review-books-shops?INTCMP=SRCH

The View from the Shard - and some alternatives

This week sees a new icon on the London skyline open its doors to the public for the first time. The View from the Shard - the visitor attraction at the tallest building in Western Europe – is, at 244 metres, twice the height of any other viewing platform in the capital and has 360’ views which can extend 40 miles or so on a clear day. You zoom up via two lifts to level 69, with its floor to ceiling windows, and if that's not high enough, there's an open air viewing platform on level 72. Keen photographers should note though that for safety reasons this is surrounded by glass walls and unless you have a tripod (or similar) to raise your camera above them, you will be shooting through the glass, Pre-booked tickets cost £24.95 for adults and £18.95 for children. To book, visit www.theviewfromtheshard.com

But the Shard’s not the only place for a view of London rooftops.
Up at the 02, on the Greenwich Peninsula, combines an outdoor challenge with a unique perspective. Visitors climb over the roof of the 02 (originally the Millennium Dome) via a tensile fabric walkway suspended 53 meters above ground level. An observation platform at the summit gives wide views of the city and its many landmarks, including the Olympic Park, Thames Barrier, The Shard, Greenwich and Canary Wharf. Tickets start at £22 for adults and children. To book, visit www.theo2.co.uk/upattheo2

One of the capital's most popular tourist attractions is the London Eye, the giant Ferris wheel just across the Thames from Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament. It's 135 metres tall and has 32 sealed and air-conditioned cabins that revolve continuously, but so slowly you hardly know you’re moving. One ride lasts about half an hour. It’s been in operation since 2000. Online adult tickets start at £17.28. Details at http://www.londoneye.com/

The eyecatching red ArcelorMittal Orbit sculpture, a feature of the Olympic Park during the 2012 Games, is 115 metres tall and has two viewing platforms at 76 and 80 metres high. It was created by artist Anish Kapoor who used 560 metres of tubular steel to form the twisted lattice superstructure. During the Olympics tickets were £15 and it was climbed by 130,000 visitors, including the Queen and Prince Philip. It re-opens in 2013 as part of the park’s redevelopment. For more information, visit www.arcelormittalorbit.com

A much cheaper (but still exciting) option is the Emirates Air Line cablecar. This opened in 2012 and runs across the Thames from the Greenwich Peninsula to the Royal Docks on the north side. Each of the 34 cabins can hold 10 people, and accommodates wheelchairs and baby buggies. They run continuously, slowing right down at the terminals to allow passengers to board and alight, then swinging up and out over the river to reach a height of almost 100 metres. The operators, Transport for London, say up to 2,500 people an hour can be carried in each direction, though post-Olympics, it’s not running at anything like full capacity. Fares start at £3.20 for a single fare using an Oyster travel card/Freedom pass or £4.30 without. A ride lasts 5 – 10 mins. http://www.emiratesairline.co.uk/

Finally, for a spectacular view of the London skyline which is absolutely free, take the glass lift to the roof terrace of One New Change, the shopping centre to the east of St Paul's Cathedral.

                                             Have fun!

A snowy wassail in north-west London

A warming moment on our snow-bound high street - dozens of people braving the freezing temperatures to take part in a wassail. This is an ancient custom held at the start of the year in orchards to bless the trees and make them fruitful, but storyteller Rachel Rose Reid (here addressing the crowd) has adapted it for the urban environment to show support for local businesses and bring neighbours together.

For the fourth year running, wassailers paraded along Willesden Green High Rd, stopping to wish independent shopkeepers all the best for the coming year with songs and poetry.

 The event ended at the Library Centre, wassailing the crab apple trees planted there four years ago but sadly now under threat from a proposed redevelopment opposed by many residents. This would see Brent council give the site to developers who would demolish the 1986 library and build more than 90 luxury flats there, in return constructing a smaller library at the very front of the site. (Brent has already closed 6 of its 12 libraries.) If this goes ahead, the small open area which serves as a town square and where the wassail and other events take place would also be lost.
See http://keepwillesdengreen.blogspot.co.uk/
www.rachelrosereid.com/