Keen sewer Holly Paget came to Herefordshire and Ludlow College initially for a textiles short course, before completing her Levels 2 and 3 in Millinery and Fashion. During this time, Holly started her own business producing embroidered art, which she sells on Etsy, and the young seamstress has also been recognised nationally for her skills: Holly won the Innovative Use of Felt Prize at the Feltmakers of London Design awards competition.
Holly said, “I was thrilled to win the Innovative Use of Felt prize, where I combined my love of sewing and Harry Potter into a hat, creating a barred owl out of felt. In Edwardian times, ladies’ hats were usually trimmed with feathers, fruits and real stuffed birds. My version was a modern-day, environmentally-friendly take on the traditional hat using needle felting, which is now an extremely popular craft.”