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National Makers Directory
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Alix Swan
Described as a textile artist, fine art bookmaker, sometimes a designer maker, I choose ‘paper artist’ to emphasise my love of paper, print and graphics.
Everything is made by me. I cut, sew and assemble by hand. I have a computer, digital camera and four old typewriters and my home is a treasure trove of found and second-hand materials. I am happiest working on a small, even miniature, scale and my eye for detail and finish is of great importance.
I draw upon vintage … read more
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Alys Power
I studied Sustainable Design and Practice at The University of Derby, graduating with a First Class Honours degree in 2004. Since then I have worked as a jeweller, maker, designer and artist in a variety of roles. I work from my home studio in Sherwood, Nottingham designing, making and creating. I work part-time at the moment due to the demands of my 3 year old daughter, Matilda.
My jewellery is made using materials which are reclaimed, reused, reinvented and recycled. These base … read more
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Angelab Handmade Designs
Angela is a feltmaker and fibre artist. She makes unique and individualistic felted wool & silk wraps, clothing, jewellery, bags and homewares using the finest materials and utmost care. She creates exciting textural pieces, all one of a kind. Her chunky jewellery is striking; her shawls are stunning, and her felted vessels & cushions add an unusual touch to your home. She frequently does commissions – so you can build up a design together from scratch – perhaps a shawl to match an outfit for a special occasion, or a unique gift for a loved one.
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Anna Clifton
I design and make contemporary fine and costume jewellery using precious metals and recycled materials. I’m currently combining silver with fused plastic bags to make a range of jewellery based on flowers.
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Anya Keeley
I am a creator and curator of curious creatures & whimsical wonders. I create one-off contemporary artefacts using found and reclaimed materials.
Tucked into a corner of the border city of Hereford is my little workshop, shaded by a rambling hawthorn. From the window I peer out onto a vista of ferns and a little greengage tree, watching the resident robin’s disgruntled dance as the other creatures try to steal his worms.
The workshop is stacked to the roof with suitcases of … read more -
Bridget Bradshaw
I’ve spent the last seven years learning and perfecting my craft, and spent the last four of those at The School of Jewellery In Birmingham. I love to work in precious metals but silver is my favourite. I have an extensive range of tools and enjoy using these to create designs.
I also run workshops from my home in Shropshire to suit all levels. They range from a taster session of 2 hours, where a student can learn very basic jewellery making skills, right up to an advanced level that will enable the student to design and make a piece of jewellery using a number of technical skills. All tools are provided. Metal is bought on the day by the student which is charged on the daily rate, according to a registered bullion dealer. For a whole day course, lunch is provided, and the prices start at £20.00 and go up to £75.00 depending what level the student wishes to achieve.
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Carl Wetter
I am a jewellery designer/maker using traditional techniques. I use precious metals, stones and titanium, am based in Birmingham and sell at retail fairs.
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Charlotte Hupfield Ceramics
Charlotte Hupfield graduated in 2008 with a BA (Hons) in Surface Decoration, specialising in Ceramics. Charlotte is now a Ceramic Designer/Maker based in Northamptonshire, UK where she produces unique pieces from her workshop. Her ceramics are all individual one off pieces, including contemporary vases, bowls, sculptural vessels, clocks, coasters, wall plaques, hanging decorations and accessories for the home and garden, which are influenced by her observations from the natural world. Her work can be used for decoration or function, and is suitable for interior and exterior use. Her pieces make fantastic handmade gifts as well as treats for your home.
Charlotte stocks galleries in the UK with her work, and often sells her ceramics at craft fairs and events. If you are looking for a customised unique gift, handmade especially for you or a loved one, please contact her to discuss your requirements. She would love to hear from you and will be happy to help.
See Charlotte’s work: 13th – 14th October 2012, Craft & Gift Fair, Lamport Hall, Northamptonshire. 28th October 2012, Craft & Gift Fair, The Benn Hall, Rugby, Warwickshire. 11th November 2012, Weedon Craft Market, Village Hall, Weedon, Northamptonshire. 2nd December 2012, Christmas Craft Shopping Experience, Warwickshire Exhibition Centre.
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Coln Valley Cushions
Coln Valley Cushions is a small rural business based in the heart of the Cotswolds producing beautifully hand knitted cushions. Veronica Dean and Wendy Farnsworth design and produce bespoke, high quality items using only the very best British yarns in 100% wool and cotton. Our Cotswold range, inspired by our surroundings, combines soft neutral shades with the traditional knitting styles of Aran and Fairisle. Our cushions enhance any cottage or traditional house as unique pieces of beauty and texture.
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Corinne Phillips
I am a fairy tale maker. Storytelling plays an integral part in my work. My ‘Time Flies’ collection uses luxurious silks and free machine embroidery to create a series of magical clocks, both wall and free-standing. Each one is cheerful and fun, completely handmade and unique, and has an original watercolour painting on linen as a shop-front window.
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Country Garden Samplers
Helen Ashton from Country Garden Samplers designs and makes hand embroidered textiles for the home, including hanging birds and hearts and pictures relating to the countryside and gardens.
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Craig Fellows
Craig Fellows is an award-winning and successful textile designer with a passion for colour and illustration, combining his fine art talents with his love of fashion prints and textiles.
Using traditional, contemporary and digital printing techniques, Craig transforms his stunning illustrations into beautiful fashion and interior pieces. Each piece is designed, made and hand-finished by Craig. Every item in Craig’s collection is completely unique and can truly not be found on … read more
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Crowns & Coronets
Crowns & Coronets is a luxury British knitwear brand for babies and children from 0-6 years. Created by English designer Helena Hubbard, who learnt to knit from her mother as a child, each sumptuously soft garment is hand knitted and hand stitched in England by master artisans from a blend of the purest Himalayan yak down and sustainable bamboo. Our Yak Collection is imbued with influences from yesteryear such as sailor collars, waistcoats and pinafore dresses. We create timeless and classic pieces to be treasured as heirlooms fit for little princes and princesses. Meticulous craftsmanship coupled with the use of rare and noble natural fibres make our garments heirlooms to treasure. Crowns & Coronets ethically sources yak down from Tibetan herders, thereby improving the wellbeing of the nomads while preserving cultural skills and maintaining sustainable rural lifestyles.
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Definitive Furniture
Definitive furniture was established in 2005, following my degree in furniture design and three years working as a cabinet maker. Specialising in bespoke, quality, handmade furniture, over the last seven years I have earned a strong local reputation for original ideas which are expertly crafted, using techniques from hand cut dovetails to steambending, to answer the specific needs of the individual client.
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Down To Earth
I create contemporary garden art metalwork. All of my work is individually handcrafted at my workshop situated on the Shropshire/Clwyd border.
Eye-catching and tactile, my sculptures have integrity and individuality - the combination of colour, texture and form produce unique individual pieces and bold statements.
My garden art can be used in any space in the garden, to create a backdrop for planting or as a focal point.
Much of my work is collaborative as I come into contact and exchange ideas with other craftspeople and artists. Inspiration also comes from the landscape: living in the country, shape and texture are around you all the time. I have flashes of inspiration and translate ideas from my sketchbook into metal. -
D.A.Hart
I work with hand selected hardwoods to design unique pieces of strong, elegant furniture. Each piece is created to meet the demands of modern living whilst maintaining an eye for the traditional principles of construction and design.
I’m inspired by the beauty of trees and the wonderful material they provide, the philosophy of the Arts and Crafts movement and the simplicity and elegance of Art Deco. I believe we all have an instinctive and historic affinity with wood and … read more
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Elephtheria Couture
Midlands based Elephtheria Couture Fashion Clothing offer you the freedom to customise their dresses, tops and skirts. You can add sleeves, lengthen dresses and change necklines. You can make your own dress to your style. You can also choose the fabric it will be made from out of in trend coloured jersey and vintage inspired prints. Your choices are endless in designing and making!
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Emily Notman
My work has always combined my love for mixing stitch, clay and found objects. I experiment using traditional methods in contemporary ways by beaching, inking, burning and trapping materials to build up interesting layers of tactile surface.
My colour palette developed from my annual trips to a fisherman’s village in Portugal, there I escape into a world of flaky paint and sea washed stone walls. I am inspired by weathered objects and places with a sense of story that to me are … read more
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Emma Learoyd
After studying Textiles Design at university, I worked in the retail industry for 13 years.
I have now found myself drawn to my first love …. Textiles and consequently Emma Learoyd Design was born.
In between looking after my three children I am designing accessories a with an emphasis on upcycling and embroidery. I have also started passing on my knowledge to people in the way of teaching.
I have always had a passion for colour and texture and by combining felt and embroidery … read more
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Faisal Khouja
I am self taught and create multiple plate Linocuts using a traditional letterpress at the Gloucestershire Printmaking Co-operative where I am a member.
I draw my inspiration for my work mainly from British flora and fauna. The style of work is strong and graphic and often references the Arts and Crafts movement which has rubbed off on me after living in the Cotswolds for a decade where the movement is in evidence all around.
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Fiona West
My work is inspired by contemporary Japanese architecture that is modernist and geometric in style. Fusing 3d computer technology with traditional gold-smithing skills enables me to produce geometric shapes that are hand-finished to create a range of contemporary geometric jewellery. Each piece encapsulates the simplicity of the line.
Prior to my jewellery career I previously worked for 15 years in Human Resources for a major publishing company. Wanting to make use of my … read more
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Georgina Fowler
I’m a ceramic designer, I make slip cast earthenware vessels and bowls. These are all handmade using moulds I have also made. These are decorated with transfers with patterns that I have designed myself from my own drawings. These are inspired by fairy tales and the surreal. I studied at Hereford College of Arts, graduating in Summer 2010.
I also make ceramic jewellery pieces, which are all handmade and have my transfers on them.
Price range: £10 - £130 -
Gillian Lee Smith
My work ranges from textile character sculptures to intricately embroidered and hand painted adornments and accessories.
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Hens Teeth
Hello, my name is Viv Sliwka. My work has envolved from a lifelong obsession with collecting vintage American, French and British textiles, haberdashery and paper ephemera.
Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to incorporate a little of the past into my one off handmade pieces. Texture plays a big part in my work, softly worn printed fabrics, alongside hand woven linens. Lovely!
I design and make mixed media textile collage, accessories, needlecases and purses, finished with hand embroidery for lots more texture and colour. You will also always find a button or two!
All made in my garden studio in Staffordshire, UK.
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hl - Paperwork
In 2002, Hannah Lobley developed the award winning Paperwork; a unique recycling technique using unwanted paper layered back into a solid wood like material. Traditional wood working methods are then used to create interior objects and the surface patternation, when the objects are worked, echoes wood grain. Wood becomes paper becomes wood.
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Hollie Bailey Handwoven Textiles
Hollie Bailey is a dynamic hand weaver, producing beautifully crafted original pieces from her studio in Leicestershire.
Her fabric designs are a brilliant mix of traditionally executed construction using regular weave structures, combined with a more contemporary play on yarn properties, resulting in a unique range of woven textiles.
She is already an accredited designer whose fabrics are recognizable by their award winning unique style.
This trademark style is recognisable by its movement and individuality. The creation of these pieces is achieved by expertly manipulating the shrinking nature of woollen yarns, alongside stable yarns, creating soft textures and undulating surface qualities, resulting in wonderfully unusual one off fabrics.
Hollie indulges her unique and distinct style with sumptuous fibre choices of soft lambswool and lustrous silks, creating a well-balanced contrast of tactile textures and opulent designs. This, combined with her innate use of colour makes Hollie’s fabric desirable and divine.
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Honeypips
Honeypips Creations make fashion and home accessories using textiles and machine free-hand embroidery. Designs include cushions, badges and keyrings which can all be personalised.
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Jane Freear-Wyld
I make hand woven tapestries and paper print weaves. Design development begins with a digital photograph, which I then manipulate using a variety of computer programs. The manipulation process is totally absorbing, and I am fascinated by how a cropped digital slice can lead to a fantastic array of colours, shapes and patterns.
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janine pope
My work is about image and screenprint onto Textiles, mainly vintage linens and cottons, wool and paper using a fairly neutral colour palette to reflect my Danish heritage.
I get my image ideas from walking with my dog and screen print onto fabrics which I use to make, cushions, bags and accessories and I like to combine the printed pieces with plain and simple fairtrade gingham and stripe fabrics for contrast.
I source waste materials using leather from a handmade shoe and boot … read more
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Jennifer Collier
My practice focuses on creating work from paper; by bonding, waxing, trapping and stitching I produce unusual paper ‘fabrics’, which are used to explore the ‘remaking’ of household objects. The papers are treated as if cloth, with the main technique employed being stitch; a contemporary twist on traditional textiles. The papers themselves serve as both inspiration and media for my work, with the narrative of the books and papers suggesting forms. I tend to find items then … read more
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John Fishenden
John Fishenden works exclusively in wood, choosing native hardwoods to make his domestic and commemorative wares.
Craftsmanship takes precedence over technology in his approach to making pieces. Included in this approach is a belief that nothing should be wasted, whether sawdust (which is composted) or off-cuts of wood, which fuel a wood-burning stove. John’s inspiration comes partly from his love of traditional slipware pottery, which used simple designs and often added messages or a design in trailed clay slip. He is also inspired to work with the grain and pattern of the timber he finds. He learnt the art of woodturning alongside artist and toymaker Robin Dale, when living in North Lancashire. John also worked as a sign-maker in his youth and consequently has a real eye for the use of lettering.
John now lives and works in rural Herefordshire, in the beautiful Golden Valley.
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Julie Vernon Mosaics
I produce vibrant contemporary wall hung mosaics working with a mixture of materials from vitreous glass and ceramic through to natural marble and slate. I also like to incorporate individual pieces of vintage porcelain or worn down ceramic found washed ashore British beaches to give my work a greater depth, with each fragment holding a hidden history or journey of its own.
I produce mosaic panels, commissioned house numbers and personalised wedding hearts and am also showing my work in exhibitions.
I’m exhibiting at the Nottingham Contemporary (Weekday Cross, Nottingham, NG1 2GB) on Sat 1st and Sun 2nd December. See www.nottinghamcontemporary.org for details.
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Kate Bajic
I started Kate Bajic Hand Made Jewellery after graduating from Loughborough University in 2003 with a first class honours degree in silversmithing & jewellery. I specialise in hand made limited edition or one off items in both silver and high carat gold with inspiration for my work coming from natural structures and forms. I like to use texture and contrast in my work so often hammer or reticulate silver and highlight it with rich yellow 22ct gold or oxidised it to give a more … read more
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Katie’s Little Unique Boutique
I love anything unique and have always loved to buy one off items, I’ve also always been creative and so I put the two together!
I started off making ‘food rings’, but have progressed onto other jewellery, decoupaging trinking/jewellery boxes, comic style shoes and bags, and small pieces of furniture in vintage decoupage and comic style such as bedside cabinets, mirrors, stools, coffee tables etc. I also ‘bling’ shoes and dresses to make them completely unique. -
Katrin Moye
Katrin Moye is a nationally recognised award winning ceramic artist, specialising in decorative domestic slipware. Her pattern designs are based on memories of domestic items from her childhood in the 1970’s, such as picture books, soft furnishings and wallpaper.
Katrin’s still life range is based on her handmade tableware collection together with the decorative domestic studio pots made by other contemporary ceramicists. She is also making an ongoing series of studies of … read more
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Kim Rogers
Kim makes colourful and decorative pieces for the home and garden using wire and beads. The pieces range from small decorations on ribbon hangers to larger sculptural 3d pieces and 2d wall pieces. She draws her inspiration from nature and animals and each piece is unique as they are made free-hand, without the use of machinery.
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Kokkino
Since 2003 Kokkino has been designing and making contemporary jewellery, developing a signature style and building a repuatation for high quality, wearable pieces that people love to wear as much as we love to make.
Based in the historic city of Worcester Kokkino (the Greek word for ‘red’) was started by Melanie Ankers. Graduating from UCE in Birmingham in 1997 with a BA (Hons) in Jewellery and Silversmithing Melanie has always had a passion for designing and making.
With a strong emphasis on simplicity of form, subtle use of colour and quality craftsmanship, Kokkino designs use sterling silver, 22ct gold-plating and many pieces feature vitreous enamels in a variety of stunning colours.
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Liliia
Hand-crafted fashion accessories and bridal wear in luxury fabrics, adorned with intricate embroidery, crystals and pearls. I like to mix traditional hand stitch and hand painting with digital techniques of stitch and print to create dresses and accessories that are uniquely crafted and inspired by fairy tales, folklore and nature.
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Liz Lippiatt
Liz Lippiatt produces printed and dyed textiles, including devore bags, wraps and stoles in rich velvets and devore cushions for the home.
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Louise Dawn Wilson
I am a wire artist based in Staffordshire. I produce 2D and 3D wire drawings of everyday objects incorporating thread in my work to add colour.
The focus of my work is the line of an object, it’s this that I find the most interesting about everyday objects and is so often missed within the environment.
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Lucy Jade Sylvester
Lucy Jade Sylvester has always had a love of nature – her long walks in the countryside are evident in her studio, which is full of old glass jars filled with seed heads, fallen leaves and dead insects.
From her Oxfordshire studio Lucy transforms the fragile forms, creating wearable pieces using poppy seed heads, acorn cups, sycamore seeds, bees, stag beetles, and flies.
The pieces are created through taking moulds from the natural forms, then filling the remaining cavity with … read more -
Martin Urmston : Handwood Furniture
When asked at school which O levels I wanted to take top of my list was woodwork simply because I enjoyed it. An A level then a college diploma with City and Guilds from High Wycombe College ( now Bucks Uni.) followed. After 7 years the luxury of life as a student finished I however continued woodworking practicing and honing my skills. The desire to design and make my own furniture professionally never diminished and in May 2008 I took the plunge. I now spend my days in a … read more
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Michaela McMillan
I create sculptural forms, wall pieces and jewellery. I use textiles, found objects, collected personal and family memorabilia and recycled materials mixed with new.
Much of my work is stimulated by the materials, both their physical appearance and qualities, and the story of their original uses and functions, and often, my own associations with them. Influences include Grayson Perry, Andrew Logan, Tim Walker, a 70s childhood, music and friendships.
Contact me on : [email protected]
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Milly Moore
My current jewellery collection is based on the theme of impermanence, and specifically the memories of poignant events. I hope to capture, interpret and translate fleeting moments.
My vibrant one-off pieces are made using various symbolic cultural imagery in silver, gold, pearls, gemstones and ribbon alongside antique jewellery treaures such as Italian micro mosaic brooches, pillboxes and other things that are re-worked into something new.
Since setting up my studio in the year … read more
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Mirjami Design
I make handmade collectables such as woollen animal paperweights, giant leather bookends and quirky bookmarks. Having worked as an upholsterer for several years, many of my sewing stuffing and design skills were easily transferable in terms of creating my products.
I am inspired by nature, particularly woodland animals and also British and European folklore. I use natural and ethical products where I can such as British woollen fabric from our local mill, leather from a local wholesaler and recycled polyester.
My products range in price from £7.50 for an animal bookmark to £300 for a bespoke large traditionally made Teddy Bear with tailored clothes.
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Myra Hutton
Trained in Textile Art & Design at Ilkley College, I like to think of my rich felted landscapes as a traditional craft with a contemporary twist capturing the essence of a place or scene. I create my canvas in a ‘painterly’ way, building up textured layers of fibres, and use the sewing machine as a drawing tool to bring the picture alive. Other work is screen-print and stitch.
Inspiration comes from my natural surroundings and experiences, drawing on hues, shapes and textures of landscapes, tumbledown buildings, unruly wildness, broken gateways against fertile greens and browns of rolling landscape or the dark earthy secrecy of a wooded area, moss and lichen covered walls.
Although I have several themes all pieces are one-offs. -
Nautilus Driftwood Design
The unique quality of each piece of driftwood inspires my handmade designs. My aim is to create natural, individual art and design that evokes memories of the seashore. As well as the wood, I try to use as many recycled materials as possible, using wooden pegs and natural glue.
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Needles and Hooks
Sara Fowles from Needles and Hooks uses traditional techniques (embroidery, applique and lace knitting) to produce contemporary homeware items, pictures and accessories.
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Nobuko Okumura
Nobuko graduated from Birmingham City University with a BA in Jewellery and Silversmithing in 2007.
Since 2008, she has had a workshop to create her own collections in Birmingham, Jewellery Quarter. Her inspiration comes from her childhood such as toys and the things she used to collect. Nobuko’s pieces become mementos of the past, informed by the things she used to treasure. This process has been a rich source of ideas. Her current work features connected small cubes. The idea behind this was born from a snake toy she used to own. With that feature she has created her Vertebrae Collection.
Her second collection, Treads Collection, features thread like delicate intricacy and has a very lightweight construction. She continuously explores her life’s interests.
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Point Vintage
Having worked as a Product Designer for 8 years (specialising in Kitchenware) I left full time employment 2 years ago to renovate retro furniture and become a freelance designer.
I am currently working on new ways to up-cycle old interesting items and also design a range of retro inspired clocks and furniture to complement the original pieces on sale too. -
Print Garage
Print Garage is the dark and dusty underground lair of Iain Perry: self-styled, swashbuckling squeegee warrior.
I create vibrant screen prints investigating the minutiae of my surroundings. I draw inspiration from old technology, tools and toys, cinema, record sleeves and the world of science. Originally trained in painting I have since discovered that screen printing is a million, billion, trillion (all the ‘illions’) times more fun - I have found there can be a real joy in … read more
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Rachel Stowe
I produce unique hand-painted and printed silks and velvets from scarves, ties, cushions, mirrors, brooches and cards.
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Rare Notions by Phiona Richards
Book Sculptor and Paper Artist
Having been brought up with a ‘make do and mend’ mentality I tend to collect and gather materials including books near the end of their existence to use within my work. I take my inspiration from needlework techniques which historically form part of a woman’s ritual domestic routine. I utilize redundant books and re-purpose them into beautiful tactile structures using origami, needlework and bookbinding.
Please be assured that all my … read more
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Rhea Clements Designs
Rhea Clements specialises in creating design led innovative knitwear. Made from 100% cotton and inspired by nature, traditional techniques are used to create a contemporary look. Function drives the design of each item, creating an easy to use and functional product. Each piece is handmade in her studio in Nottingham, using a hand powered knitting machine, and then finished by hand creating a high quality product.
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Rosemary Rose: Handmade Textiles
The aim behind my collection is to produce designs that are made with care and attention to detail, that celebrate individuality and enrich the interior space in which they are placed. Designed to look from another time containing a history of their own and inspired by the idea of antique textile fragments found or passed down. Designs include framed pictures and cushions.
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Rosemary Rose Handmade Textiles
I design a range of textiles for the home that explore fragments of memories through images and words, that are multi layered inspired by wallpaper peeling away exposing layers of different patterns that could evoke a lost past. Each piece has a story to tell, tempting your imagination to assign a narrative. Designs are applied using a collage of techniques which include printing, appliqué, free machine and hand embroidery onto a bed of hand rolled felt where I trap open weave fabrics, particularly lace, so that they look delicate and eroded by time. Or onto boiled vintage woollen blankets which have a felted soft surface which is ideal for drawing onto with stitches and creating furnishings in contrasting fabrics. The techniques I use have been developed over the last 12 years since I graduated from Winchester School of Art with a BA in Fashion and Textile Design.
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Ruth Allen
I graduated in 1997 with a degree in textiles and illustration. My work is based around the theme of both architecture and interiors. The main inspiration for the ways in which I develop my techniques, processes and use of colour comes from the 1950’s textile prints and interior design. My interest in the 1950’s has developed over the last ten years and the work of Lucienne Day has formed a vital component in the development of my own art practice.
In reference to my … read more
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Ruth Singer
Ruth Singer creates one-off textile artworks and products using sustainable and recycled materials. Ruth’s work is inspired by historical textiles, museum objects, personal heritage, memory and stories. Ruth uses hand-stitched construction techniques such as pleating, gathering, appliqué and structured stuffing to create dense surface texture and she explores scale, proportion, structure and repetition using hand-cut, stitched and assembled elements. Many of her techniques are developed from the study of historical textiles, based on her own research and first career in museums.
In 2010 Ruth completed her first public commission from Derby Museums and Arts Service, to create new work inspired by their previously unseen African collections. Ruth created a group of four works exploring the hidden stories embedded in the objects, and our response to them as curators or viewers. Ruth’s current work includes the series Monumental Folly which explores love and the sense of place associated with a particular building. In 2011, Ruth completed a site-specific paper piece for Unit Twelve gallery, which was her first publicly-shown work in paper, called Sewn Up, made from folded and stitched pages from the proof copies of her book Sew It Up. Ruth continues to create exhibition work including a pair of aprons exploring layers of times and the transparency of women in written history.
Ruth also designs one-off fashion and interior accessories for books and magazines including quilts, cushions, bags and clothing. She has has written two sewing books, Sew It Up (2008) and Sew Eco (2010). Ruth is a passionate and engaging educator, specialising in working with adults and community groups, collaborating with museums and in developing innovative and challenging creative projects. Ruth has worked with a wide-range of audiences through her museum and textiles career including schools, families, targeted communities and young people. In addition, Ruth works as a creative consultant and project manager for arts and heritage projects, both small and large.News in 2012: Ruth Singer Studio is a new craft & making venue in Leicester City Centre. Late last year, Ruth won a Dragon’s Den style business start-up competition to secure a £1000 award and a month’s free shop unit in Leicester’s Haymarket Shopping Centre.
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Sally’s Shed
I specialise in hand-painting street scenes and individual buildings, shops and churches onto wood, allowing the beauty and character of the wood to complement my art work.
My inspiration comes from the buildings and architecture of Lichfield, and also my garden, where I design and create my products in my little brick built shed: my creative haven.The wood I use is either donated by friends and family, or found in the ‘unloved’ section at local timber yards. Each piece is unique.
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Sarah Allen hand woven textiles
I studied Textile Design at Nottingham Trent University and specialised in woven textiles. My work combines my love of traditional processes with contemporary design. All my fabrics are designed and meticulously crafted in my Nottinghamshire studio.
I use the inherent properties of natural yarns and carefully considered weave structures to create covetable accessories. I enjoy exploring exciting colour combinations and draw inspiration from bold architectural shapes.
I work on a … read more
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Sarah Jennings
I gained a first class BA(Hons) Craft degree from the University of Derby in 2010 and am currently working as a maker from my base in Derbyshire.
My sculptures are inspired by the shapes, textures and colours of both urban and rural landscapes. As a result they often reference ornithology and the human figure; their intriguing forms inviting the viewer to touch and find their own interpretation or meaning.
My work is very much technique-led, and is the outcome of the interaction between myself and the processes and materials I am working with. Biomorphic forms have evolved from play with flexible materials and containers and are the result of the actions I perform on materials. The forms are continually evolving and every new maquette is an experiment: I am never entirely sure of how the final form will look or in what direction it may take my work.
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So…Marcia
‘So…Marcia’ started early in 2010. Her current collection focuses on a range of clasp purse designs, each handcrafted in Marcia’s home studio.
The designs are characterised by the strong use of colour, texture and the layering of techniques, such as appliqué, hand embroidery and machine embroidery. The inspiration for Marcia’s designs come from her everyday surroundings, and they are resolved using materials that have integrity and richness, such as pure wool fabrics.
Each piece is carefully handmade, and finished to a high standard and the collections are often limited, so there is a sense of exclusivity to owning a ‘So…Marcia’ design.
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Squash Bespoke Cushions
Squash Bespoke Cushions are machine-knitted and hand-finished in a beautiful mercerised cotton yarn, some featuring knitted-in glass beads.
Designed by Isobel Anderson, she has used her previous experience as a knitwear designer and love of colour to create a unique collection of sumptuous cushions. Despite the traditional techniques used the bold designs and vibrant colours give a contemporary look.
Available in several striking colourways or as the name suggests, they can be ordered in your own choice of colours for that perfect match. A free yarn shade card is available to help you!
The cushions can be seen at Wooden House Arts and Crafts in Welford-upon-Avon which is joining the Warwickshire Open Studios event. See www.warwickshireopenstudios.org -
Sue Christian Handweaver
After a life-long interest in textiles – sewing, knitting, spinning – I finally have the time to devote to my main love, weaving.
Currently I have two looms; a small one that I use for sampling and for narrower items like scarves, and a much larger Swedish loom that is both my main workhorse and a beautiful example of wooden engineering.
Using natural fibres such as silk, wool, linen, and cotton, I create one-off hand woven original textiles. I am enthused by colour and … read more
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Ted Bruce
Ted Bruce designs and weaves strong, attractive, willow baskets for domestic and garden use. His work is strictly functional, combining simplicity of design with excellent craftsmanship and reflecting contemporary styles whilst retaining traditional techniques. He grows most of his own willow and works mainly to commission.
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Tink*Glass
Tink*Glass is a unique collection of handmade contemporary glassware and sculptures, individually created by Lizzie Norton. The pieces are inspired by magical, otherworldly and phenomenal elements of nature.
Lizzie uses hot glass blowing and sculpting techniques without the use of moulds making each piece completely unique. Since graduating from Staffordshire University in 2005, Lizzie has continued to develop her skills and has also taken classes in the USA and Canada.
“I am … read more
