My Happy Place headdress stems from my love and fascination with straw as a millinery material; the versatility of straw is incredible.

I didn’t have a definite design when I embarked on the headdress, but I knew that I wanted to use a variety of straw work techniques and I also knew I wanted to create something inspired by nature; a straw hedgerow.

The foundation bandeau was blocked from a piece of leftover vintage capeline. The headdress decoration was entirely handmade using traditional wheat plaiting techniques. The 5 straw spiral plait, for instance, is commonly used in corn dollies and here, it works as a frame along the edge of the bandeau and supports the leaves and flowers twisting like a bramble; the straw dragonfly is a favourite motif. The flowers are more refined and delicate in style and are made using techniques typical of Swiss straw work.

The headdress is the culmination of time spent: – grading the straw according to width so that the work is as even as possible when plaited, dampening the straw to soften it, splitting and smoothing it on the inside so that the straw is pliable and finally plaiting or twisting it over a dog comb (as in the flower petals called Spreuers).

The piece embodies for me memories of my childhood spent on my grandmother’s farm along with my enduring love of the British countryside and traditional craft.

Note: Entries have been not been edited or proofread to protect the integrity of the maker's original meaning.