My millinery making is linked to my sculptural art practice. After years in fashion/textile design education, I am very knowledgeable in multiple aspects of fashion/textile design, styling and production. My teaching is based on my research into design and experiential learning. I offer talks and workshops to encourage everyone to be creative. My own practice covers; fashion illustration, accessory designing, styling, coaching, millinery, sculptural textiles, hand and machine embroidery, pattern cutting.
I use my research on reflective experiential learning methods. I make it possible to unlock the individualcharacter within your own creativity.
I currently offer:
Organization of arts events Workshops (in textiles, art and fashion).
1-1 creativity coaching on designer/making and styling.
Teaching community workshops with enhanced DBS certification.
Member of the Chartered Society of Designers and
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and
Director of the Eden Valley Artistic Network and founder of EVAN West, encouraging connections for artists on Cumbria’s Western Edge.
This #wheelofwellness is an easy 5-a-day reminder: a means of staying well, whilst staying at home.
This wheel is a tool created to explore how to remain in good emotional health, whilst enduring this present pandemic. It is a 5-a-day method of keeping you sane. Each segment is easier to do than you think and it will enhance your life beyond the end of lockdown.
The aspects of the wheel of wellness are remembered through the mnemonic CALMS:
CARE: Connect and care for you, yours and your environment even if physical touch is out of reach. This includes taking pride in helping others, home crafts and simple tasks, eg: gardening, cooking etc.
ARTS: In this section I include all fine and applied arts, performance arts and crafts. This is on a professional or amateur level.
LEARNING: You could develop your skills or plan for a new future, including online classes, reading, writing and learning. Creative writing is particularly cathartic.
MUSIC: This is to listen and take part, to sing, play and write .
SPORTS: All sports are proven to be beneficial as indoor and outdoor physical exercise. Outdoor pursuits have particular benefits, such as fresh air, sunlight, vitamin D. But yoga, exercise classes and dance can help with mindful meditative approaches.
All of the above can be carried out in a mindful, meditative or loving fashion, hence the heart at the centre. This is because these actions are all much better done as part of a collective group, team, band, choir, class etc. During Covid-19 restrictions we were able to do that unless we did it online, which is not quite the same. This is why I am sharing the way in which I have been using this research over a period of years now. I feel it is a crucial moment for others to make it work for them even in isolation. I want to share what I have learnt through research and experience. During periods of stress we all need extra toolkits for maintenance of mental wellbeing.
“This CALMS acronym could help us structure our days and cope over the next months within our own homes. This CALMS our minds, it is important to use this simple tool regularly when struggling. An element of each aspect every day is a means to a sane approach, even helps to reduce obsessions and addictions.” M. Toner-Edgar.
It is from a research project applied to the community after being presented at the 8thWorld Congress on the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental Disorders Imperial College, London.
Maggi is a designer and maker-in-residence with the Fibre Company and a voluntary Director at the Eden Valley Artistic Network. Previously she was Principal Lecturer of the MA and BA Honours Contemporary Applied Arts at the University of Cumbria and Senior Lecturer at UCLan. Doing this time she undertook experiential learning research, which highlighted the value of the creative making process.
More information can be found on-line at https://evanevents.co.uk or you can contact Dr M. Toner-Edgar, through this blog.
My Toner Tam is a cross between a French beret and a Scottish tam
No.s 1-3 The Fibre Co Cumbria Yarn Tam pattern and wool available from ravelry.com
Beret
The classic French beret became synonymous with bohemian artists and writers in Paris. But, it was really the 17thcentury shepherds from the Basque region of France who were early adopters. They used the felted wool from their own sheep to keep their heads warm and dry. The classic French beret had a little tail from the end of the knitting which came out of the crown, the hat was knitted then felted on a wooden disc. In the 1930s Chanel adapted it for women, maybe after seeing Marlene Deitrich wearing one on stage. This made it a fashion statement for other women, including movie stars such as Greta Garbo and Brigitte Bardot. Parisian artists of the Left Bank imitated the great artists of the Renaissance, adopting the beret as part of their arty image.
Kangol hats
I grew up near the Kangol factory, where 80% of all French berets were produced. They used wool, angora and thermoplastic fibre, to help the beret keep its shape in the rain. My Tam (above) is knitted with Cumbria Fingering yarn, kindly donated by The Fibre Company through their yarn support programme. I chose the beautiful ‘Appleby Castle’ red as I felt it had the rich and confident quality which matched the style. The fibre is 60% merino wool, 30% masham wool and 10% mohair, which gives a lovely bloom, warmth and softness to the finished product. Knit using increases, decreases, 1 x 1 Rib, from the bottom up on circular needles with a back seam, but can also be worked on straight needles if you prefer.
4. Photo of white Kangol beret 5. Collage of films stars and revolutionaries
The name Kangol (started by Jakob Spreiregen), refers to the ‘K’ from Knitting or Knitted, the ‘ANG’ from angora, the ‘OL’ from wool. The textile industry in the English/Scottish Borders where I live was a big part of my history. Kangol was the reason why I first became interested in millinery. Their knitted and felted berets: an iconic fashion piece were manufactured in Cumbria from 1938-2010 by Kangol. The tam/beret remains a symbol of French and Scottish culture, youth, rebellion, revolution, defense of freedom and country due to its military traditions.
6. Example of Scottish Military Caps, the Tam o’shanter
Tam o’shanter hat
My version of the beret is crossed with the Scottish Tam o’shanter. (A name derived from the character in apoem by Robert Burns from Dumfries, in the Scottish Borders.)
“But pleasures are like poppies spread:
You seize the flower, its bloom is shed;
Or like the snowfall on the river,
A moment white – then melts forever,…” Robert Burns, 1790.
There was a white moment, with a light fall of snow as Beth modeled the hat. The Tam was used as a Scottish military cap and was called the ‘Blue Bonnet’, due to the natural dye colours used, indigo and woad. They wore the tam band an inch above the eyebrow and pulled down over the right ear. You can wear yours any way you want, pulled right back, on the top or side, over your ears, or like a slouchy beanie. I have blocked mine into a traditional disc shape for a slanted chic style.
On this occasion, I didn’t use traditional tartan, tweed or pom poms. Instead, I took the baggy shape and deeper headband of the Tam to add British style to the French beret. As for decor, I added the insignia of a yin yang badge as its balance sums up the concept of the beret, perfect for young and old and male and female alike. It is a practical hat, warm and can be tucked in your pocket when it’s not needed. But it’s more than just a head covering. The Toner Tam is meant to be a statement to add attitude, that adapts to anyone’s personal style. Wear your own personal brooch or badge. It is the perfectly inclusive hat, from performers to shepherds, rebels to artists, casual to couture the Tam can identify character and convey the mood of its wearer.
