Meet the maker Sheila Hallatt

All things to do with fabrics...
After completing my training at Cambridge School of Art and London College of Fashion, I embarked on a professional career based on my interest in fabrics and the crafting of materials into artefacts and clothing.

I was employed in my first freelance position as a Costume Maker for the television series 'Spitting Image', a job which continued for a further six years, alongside other freelance work in the film and television industry.

For a substantial part of my career, I freelanced for 'Jim Henson's Creature Shop' (the London base of the Jim Henson Company), working on a wide variety of Film and TV projects including 'Farscape', 'The Flintstones', 'Muppet Treasure Island', '101 Dalmatians', and 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy'.

For more than 20 years my freelance career has brought work on projects which have ranged from feature film work, to making more conventional costumes for opera singers and ballet dancers for the stage. Recent commissions include costumes for English National Ballet, Scottish Ballet and the Royal Opera House.

Over this time, I have amassed quite a large collection of Vintage clothing, accessories and other reference material. These have been the inspiration for my own Bespoke Silk Bags, Purses and Buttons, which I design and hand-make to order from my studio.