Well where do I start with this one? I just processed and sorted images from Tajfest the carving festival I taught at in August at the national folk craft school in Sweden. The next couple of blog posts will be mostly images of the things i found inspirational. Much of the focus of the event was on lectures, I gave…
What you may ask is a shrink pot? Well it’s an old method of making wooden tubs by hollowing a log out then fitting a base. The ingenious thing is if you hollow the log out whilst it is green, cut a groove for the base to fit and put a loosely fitting dry base in then the pot shrinks…
Here are a few pictures from Elvaston woodland festival, some of the best craftspeople in the country were there. Owen Jones swill basketmaker probably the craftsperson I most admire, everything about what he does is simply fantastic. website John Lord flint knapper I spent a day with John a few…
yesterday I picked up my new boots from William Lennon and son. Well I picked them up from Libs, William Lennon’s great grand daughter actually. I am really pleased with them. They feel a perfect match for my made in Wales Hiut jeans. Both are stiff and tough and will take a while to wear in but will then give…
For a long time it has been possible to buy clothing cheap and not know the true costs, by that I mean the thousands of Indian cotton farmers that have committed suicide in the last ten years or the thousand killed in the horrific Bangladesh factory collapse. Well there are alternatives. Today my new jeans arrived in the post and they were made…
My mate Barn Carder carves spoons. The BBC just made a lovely little video of his work and his London spoon shop. You’ll have to visit the BBC site to see it, I hope it works outside the UK too here is the link Barnaby Carder – who calls himself Barn the Spoon – spends his days sitting in a…
These are my work clogs. They are about 10 years old and going strong, the thick supple leather is like saddle leather and the stitching unbustable. The wooden soles are great so long as you keep something underneath them. I am not good at the stitch in time saves nine stuff and wore through the treads and have been walking…
With my Heritage Crafts Association hat on I helped organise 18 different craftspeople demonstrating over the 18 days of the Ideal Home Show in London. Here are some pictures.Phil Gregson Wheelwright Wendy Shorter Upholstery Beth Tilston Scyther a bunch more of Phil with my daughter Jojo helping out
This place is a real find and just down the road from me at Stoney Middleton. Folk know about them in the USA, Japan and London, I have driven past the door thousands of times but only just heard they were there, so join me on a tour of William Lennon bootmakers. They have been making boots in this old…
Middleport Pottery is one of the best craft experiences I have had and a fascinating insight into a craft evolving into industrial manufacture. The pottery has a long history which is well documented, it was faced with closure and in 2011 was saved by the Prince’s Trust for Regeneration. The idea was not to keep it as a museum but…
