Ballard Millinery Studio

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Ballard Millinery Studio

The Ballard Millinery Studio is the design studio and workshop for five Seattle milliners.

06/15/2026

Three generations, one worktable, and an afternoon full of creativity, laughter and just a tiny bit of feather-induced indecision.

This week's private millinery workshop welcomed a grandmother, mother and daughter who each created their own fascinator base before diving headfirst into ribbons, flowers, veiling and trims. The result? Three completely unique pieces and a rather splendid collection of memories.

Looking for something a little more special than lunch and a bunch of flowers? Private workshops make wonderful Mother's Day gifts, birthday celebrations, hen parties, or simply an excuse to gather your favourite people and make something beautiful together.

Tea was consumed, opinions were shared, hats were made, and not a single family disagreement broke out over the feather selection. A triumph all round.

If you'd like to arrange a private workshop for your own gathering, we'd be delighted to welcome you to the studio.This would work particularly well with a carousel of photos showing the three generations working, choosing trims, and their finished fascinators.

06/10/2026

For The Season...

Sharp. Crisp. Straw.

A delicious study in olive, for those who appreciate that sometimes less really is more.

Simple? Yes.

Daring? Absolutely.

Practical? Well, it won't get in the way of the air kisses, darling.

Each piece is handmade and can be tailored to suit your colours, your outfit, and your particular brand of fabulous.

Because arriving beautifully is one thing. Making it look effortless is quite another.

06/09/2026

This weekend's class was all about the Sinamay Tulip... and apparently, subtlety was not invited.

Armed with sinamay, wire, determination, and the occasional muttered expletive, we created floral masterpieces on a gloriously oversized scale. Why make a tulip when you can make a tulip large enough to have its own postcode?

From petal shaping to dramatic finishing touches, everyone embraced the challenge and produced blooms that were bold, beautiful, and just a tiny bit ridiculous—in the very best way.

A huge thank you to all my wonderful students for throwing themselves into the project with such enthusiasm. The studio looked as though a giant had gone gardening.

🌷 Super-sized flowers.
🌷 Serious millinery skills.
🌷 Absolutely no shrinking violets.

06/08/2026

Just had the loveliest experimental studio session with two dear friends — one a thoughtful tortoise, the other a lightning hare — as we faffed about with the idea of a new class: Icelandic Poppies. Between them, they represent the entire spectrum of humanity.

Picture dye-splattered aprons and tea gone . As we snipped, shaped, fiddled and occasionally stared thoughtfully into the middle distance, they offered wonderful suggestions, clever shortcuts, and the sort of practical wisdom that only emerges after several cups of tea and a table covered in silk petals.

The encouraging bit? The results were rather lovely. Between us, we managed to cover every tiny detail. The finished Icelandic Poppies had all the delicate charm and fluttery elegance one could hope for. This whimsical floral adventure is beginning to look very much like a real workshop.

Watch this space. Who’s in for a whimsical floral detour?

06/04/2026

What does one do with two bronze table lamp figurines of musketeers inherited from one's father?

One could display them as objets d'art.

One could sell them.

Or, in a moment of questionable judgement and undeniable brilliance, one could remove the electrics and turn them into hat stands!

The musketeers seem rather pleased with their new commission, standing guard over a pair of hats instead of illuminating the sitting room. The result is somewhere between French aristocracy, theatrical prop department, and the sort of decorating decision that causes visitors to pause politely before saying, "Well... isn't that wonderful."

A perfectly sensible solution. Not at all eccentric. Not remotely bourgeois.

How rococo.

How gloriously unnecessary.

How very Bea & Evie.

⚜️ One for all, and all for millinery.

06/03/2026

What a triumph, dahling. Our May Velvet Headpiece Workshop was simply divine: a roomful of exceptionally talented students — dare I say, practically couture-trained by the end of the afternoon — fashioned the most ravishing little crowns one could wish to rest upon one’s coiffure. The velvet behaved like a dream (which, frankly, it always does for the right hands), and the embellishments sparkled with the sort of restraint that says, “I possess both taste and funds.”

A few highlights: a midnight-green that could stop traffic on the Strand, a bejewelled pinstripe whispering very loud soirées, and a soft, rose-pink that might well have persuaded the Queen to RSVP. The chatter was equal parts tea-time wit and competitive couture critique — splendidly civilised chaos.

Massive congratulations to everyone who attended — you lot are simply brilliant. If you missed it, clutch your pearls and keep your eye out; next time, seats will be gone before one can say “champers.”

06/02/2026

Introducing New Romantics.

A collection of brimmed straw hats positively dripping with flowers, poetry, and just a whisper of glorious impracticality.

Inspired by the lush, dreamlike world of the Pre-Raphaelites, these are hats for wandering through rose gardens, gazing wistfully into the middle distance, and generally carrying on as though one has stepped out of a painting by Waterhouse.

Handmade straw brims bloom with cascades of flowers, soft ribbons, and all the romance one might reasonably expect from a British milliner left unsupervised with an abundance of blooms.

Perfect for summer weddings, garden parties, and anyone who feels modern life could do with rather more beauty and considerably fewer spreadsheets.

The New Romantics collection has arrived.

06/01/2026

🌷Sinamay Tulip Workshop
⏰️June 6, 10:00–18:00
🪡Ballard-Milinary Studio

Fancy making a slightly OTT tulip — bigger than life, made by hand from sinamay straw? Join us on June 6 for a day of crafty cheek, sticky fingers and dramatic petals. Bring your wit, we’ll bring the straws (and plenty of tea & biscuits). No prior experience needed — just an appetite for making something gloriously beautiful and utterly brilliant.

Tickets limited. DM to snag your spot — don’t be the one watching everyone else hold the oversized bloom and pretending it’s subtle.

05/29/2026

Crafters' Supply Sale — This Weekend!

Oi, crafty lot — Saturday & Sunday, 10–5! Sharpish!

Pop down and gawp at piles of proper European vintage & antique buttons — enough to make even the tidiest sewist swoon.

**When** Sat & Sun, 10–5
**What** Loads of vintage & antique buttons from across Europe
**Why** Because your project deserves a bit of history (and a dab of mischief)

Bring a cuppa, bring your mates — and don’t blame us when you leave with more buttons than sense.

Address

1149 NW 52nd Street
Seattle, WA
98107

Telephone

+16503694336

Website

http://www.ballardmillinerystudio.com/

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