Meet the stallholders: Tea and Cake with…Kate Barlow from Megan and Mona

Kate is a trained costume maker with a fabulous day job touring with the wardrobe department of an opera company. But because that means she’s less hands-on with the making side of things, she’s putting her tremendous skills to good use in her spare time and making all sorts of treats for you to buy. She lives in Cardiff.

Kate - the talent behind Megan and Mona

Hello Kate, do you like tea and cake? And if so what kind?

My friend Bethan makes the best Lemon Drizzle cake I've ever had and you can't go wrong with a good cup of PG Tips!

What do you make?

A mixture of things made from vintage, new and found materials. Cushions, bags, brooches, wrist cuffs, pin cushions.

A vintage-frilled tea-cosy 

What inspired you to start?

I've loved to make things ever since I was little and moved to Cardiff to train as a costume maker 10 years ago. My current job is for a touring opera company in their wardrobe department  which means I'm less involved with the costume-making side of things. I really miss being creative, so I decided to have a go at selling things. A friend told me about Etsy and I've gone from there. I've called it Megan and Mona after my grandmothers, as I get my sewing skills from one and my love of theatre from the other. Megan left school at 14 to be a seamstress and taught me to sew and embroider, Mona's mum was a ballerina and later a dance teacher putting on her own shows and making the costumes.

Handmade bracelet-cuff

Where do you get your ideas from?

All sorts of places - magazines, shops, clothes, vintage items, friends. Sometimes I get inspiration from the materials themselves and can see them made-up into finished items in my head. I love doing hand embroidery and have recently taught myself to crochet which has become abit of an obsession. Another obsession is EBay and I can spend hours searching for vintage haberdashery, embroidery thread and yarn. I'm a terrible hoarder and find it hard to through anything away. Old button tins are often full of all kinds of interesting bits and bobs!

Time for a nice sit-down

Why did you want to be part of “It’s darling!”?

I heard about it from Angharad Gamble, a milliner and costume maker who had a stall at the fair in July. She told me how much fun it was so I thought I'd have a go. It's the first time I've done something like this and I'm really nervous but excited too.

Describe your ideal Christmas day…

In North Wales with my family with lots of snow, an open fire, chestnuts and hot toddies.

Buckle-cuff

What would call “It’s darling!” in your life?

My little niece and nephews are definitely top of my list along with a yellow and cream 1950s kitchen unit that lived in my grandmothers garage for years. It was in a pretty bad state but I re-painted it and now I keep my sewing things in it's many drawers and cupboards.

If you would like to find out more about Kate click here or email her on

meganandmona@gmail.com

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Meet the stallholders: 60 seconds with....Angharad from Angharad Gamble Millinery

Angharad Gamble is a costume maker based in Barry, South Wales who also makes the most wonderful hats and fascinators in her spare time, under the name of Angharad Gamble Millinery. We would show you a picture of her but she says that there are "no acceptable photos of me available at this time, must do something about that" - so we'll represent her instead with one of her incredible pieces of headwear.

Turn heads in one of Angharad's super-stylish creations

1. Hi Angharad, how long have you been making hats?

I've been doing this for lmost ten years now, as part of my job as a costume maker. Promoting my millinery in its own right  is a more recent departure

2. What inspired you to start?

Millinery was one of the specialist skills I learnt as part of my costume making degree. I loved it and have been making hats ever since. As there aren't as many commissions for headwear as part of my job, events like "It's darling!" are the perfect excuse to make them just for the sake of it and to take commissions for people to make the hat they always wanted. And with vintage and handmade sellers and like minded creative people all gathered together in the same place on the 17th, who could resist taking part?!

 Angharad will be taking commissions to make the hat you always dreamed of

I'm inspired a lot by the hat styles of the earlier 20th century. Sometimes a trimming (usually vintage) will send me off to my stash to hunt out the perfect felt, straw or fabric to set it off. On other ocassions, it's a shape that will inspire me. I can often be found in the homewares departments of local stores turning dishes etc upside down to see if they'll make a nice hat block! My absolute favourite hats to make, however, are my miniature and tiny silk top hats. So cute.

3. What's your secret passion?

You might think that as a costume maker I would get immune to it, but I do love to dress up in a proper-no-holds-barred costume ball way. I don't get chance to that often, so the opportunity to make something for myself and to use some of those special treasures from my stash so I get to keep them is a bit of a guilty pleasure : )

4. What's your three second wisdom?

Enjoy what you do.

 A cherry fascinator

5. What's your desert island survival pack?

A VERY large sun hat, my sewing kit and my dogs for entertainment and company : )

6. What in your life would you say is "It's darling!"?

My dogs - an irresistably darling duo.

 Her best boys

Angharad is in the process of setting up a website, so in the meantime please email her if you would like to know more. And come and try some of her hats on the 17th!