A children’s story illustrated and written by Jill Barklem in 1980, Brambly Hedge was an integral part of my childhood growing up in the countryside. It chronicles, in beautiful illustrative detail, the lives and adventures of a community of mice who live in the hedge. Brambly hedge is in an idyllic spot where old values flourish, and self-sufficiency is the order of the day.

My production objectives for this production were for it be and outdoor performance in Epping forest. It is a special area of conservation and is well loved for its unspoilt and beautiful expanse of woodland. I designed the set and production to be performed within the forest as a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the books but also to raise awareness and funds for climate change and deforestation of land. I therefore designed all of the costumes to be made from natural, recycled and secondhand fabrics and embellishments as well as trying natural dyeing techniques and using locally and sustainably sourced fabrics.

For the choice of period and style, Jill Barklem created the mice of brambly hedge with quite an eraless look but after contacting the team at brambly hedge I discovered the main influence for these stories was the regency period. I love the silhouettes of this era and wanted to really call upon it in my designs. I kept the classic silhouettes of the era with exaggeration to shapes and styles such as high collars for the men and oversized bonnets for the women. In regard to the textiles for the fabrics they are highly textural fabrics and layering of different mediums. I incorporated the textures of nature such as the scaliness of tree bark, wispy grass and the plump berries of autumn.