What has been happening at Papworth WI in February 2020

We started February with our usual monthly lunch, this time at The Three Horseshoes in Graveley. Our lunches are a great way of getting together giving us a chance to chat, catch up and get to know each other more with many a laugh and joke!

Our speaker this month was Helen Tilley who is a bespoke self-taught milliner. Helen brought along an amazing selection of hats that she has made all by hand at her home. Helen explained how she started out after she purchased a hat from a store which started to fall apart! She decided to make her own and found she really enjoyed it. She went on to purchase the wooden hat makers moulds for the crown of the hat, she described the various materials that can be used to make the hats ranging from very expensive to a more reasonable price and how she goes about making and decorating the hats.   She has attended various courses both locally and in London and currently makes around 300 hats per year. Helen makes all the silk flowers by hand and also dyes feathers and fabric to decorate the hats. Helen also offers a service to update existing hats adding her own hand-made flowers, or home-dyed feathers and various ribbons and beads. No two hats made by Helen are the same.   Following such an interesting talk, Helen invited the ladies up to try on different hats – all shapes and sizes – there was a hat to suit everyone and lots of laughs to go with them.   Helen works closely with Cream Rose in Fenstanton who sell special occasion wear.

Here are some of the hats worn by our ladies and Helen of course:

 

Many of us are looking forward to a theatre trip on 7th March to the Milton Keynes Theatre to see The King and I preceded of course by a spot of lunch!

Our March meeting will be our Annual General Meeting for members.

 

 

 

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