My interest in fabrics and costumes was helped by my being left joyfully alone, as a child, in the V&A while my father visited the Natural History Museum. Also, my uncle designed costumes and sets for the Folies Bergeres and the Moulin Rouge. I have written, directed, designed and made historically correct costumes for my young 8 grandchildren and 3 older cousins to make four films: Pride and Prejudice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Importance of Being Earnest and She Stoops to Conquer.

Moved by the gloom of seeing Disney Princess and Superhero costumes in shops, I made two little 18th century coats for my grandsons aged at the time 2 and 3, from a pattern adapted from a 1950’s style coat. The boys loved wearing them and looked tremendous. I therefore designed all the costumes for a film of Pride and Prejudice starring a 4-year-old Mr Darcy. Making little girls’ costumes for the film was comparatively easy. I converted ruched silk harem pants from Greenwich Market into rather chic Jane Austen dresses. Hats had to be constructed from first principles, using cardboard, steaming sinamay to bend it, often over a large can of tomatoes, and being inventive with silks and ribbons for the little girls’ bonnets.

Costumes have been made inspired by many costume books. Patterns were almost impossible to come by, except in the excellent series “Patterns of Fashion” by Janet Arnold and the US “American Duchess Guide”. Adapting any pattern for children is difficult; I relied on tucks and lacing, and made toiles from calico before using silks and authentic-looking cottons. Fabrics and trimmings came from Paris fleamarkets, Thailand, the US, as well as London Berwick Street fabric stores (now located elsewhere), especially the fabulous Cloth House in Camden, and Goldhawk Road. For the latest film, “She Stoops to Conquer”, I had to learn 18th century stitching such as butted whipstitch and English stitch: I also obtained help for boys’ suits from the excellent Summertown Tailors.