Do you have a local craft event near you? We love visiting the big shows, but there are some fantastic small craft fairs around the country where you’ll find exceptional makers. We are very lucky to have a few here in Devon and one of our favourites is Crux Craft Fair, which takes place before […]
Our April gift ideas are now live. Each month we’re enjoying curating collections of gift ideas for you. There are some beautiful pieces in our April collections. These 4 are all in our under £50 group…. Yellow Bowl by Rebecca Perry. This expressively decorated pot is perfect for a small sized plant. It has been […]
Whether you’re a craft lover planning creative trips for the year ahead or a maker exploring exhibition opportunities, the news that MADE London and Brighton are returning this year is very exciting for the contemporary craft industry. These shows are significant events – they present innovative, beautiful and exceptionally well made craft in an accessible […]
We’ve launched a new Gift Ideas section on our website where you can find curated collections to help you choose gifts for your loved ones. Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start when shopping for presents, but you might have a price range in mind, so these collections are organised by price […]
We’ve had the huge pleasure of meeting and working with craft champion Anne-Marie Shepherd over the years. She understands what it’s like to be a maker and has been supporting creative businesses in different ways through her career. She’s worked with show organisers Tutton & Young and The Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen. Her knowledge of […]
It’s almost time for one of our favourite shows. The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair is a curated event celebrating makers and making. It presents a variety of handmade craft, from jewellery to glass, textiles to ceramics, prints, sculpture and more. It oozes quality, yet the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly and you’ll find a […]
A couple of years ago we started a new project called Risk Makers which brought together a group of our makers for support and challenge… to play, take risks with their work and develop their practices together. Our makers are based all around the UK and lots of them spend most of their time working […]
‘Craft Says Something’. This is the triumphant statement of the team behind The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair in Manchester. It says that Craft has an impact, but it also invites us to question what that impact is. We caught up with the show’s directors to find out more, with just over 2 weeks to […]
A year spread out ahead can be both exciting and refreshing and daunting and overwhelming. Lots of makers and artists are busy making exhibition plans, designing new ranges and developing their skills, whilst others are finding it hard to find that elusive post-Christmas holiday mojo! Whichever position you’re in, January is a time when we […]
Two of our makers, jeweller Libby Ward and ceramicist Alex Allday, are based at the historic Middleport Pottery, Stoke-on-Trent. They set up their studio called FourMakers back in December 2014… four graduates all based in the midlands, looking to create a platform for contemporary crafts in the area and a studio space where they could […]
We’re now well and truly into show season and last night we enjoyed a fantastic opening evening at MADE LONDON in Marylebone. Showcasing some of the very best and most original makers of high quality contemporary craft and design, MADE LONDON is a must for makers and craft-buyers alike. As always, this is a beautifully […]
Drawing inspirations from nature and antiquity, jeweller Lucy Spink works from her small workshop in Cornwall. We saw Lucy’s work at The Contemporary Craft Festival in Devon last summer and we were really drawn to the contemporary forms and textures she creates, using very traditional techniques and old hand tools. These organic textures make light and […]
It’s nearly time… The award-winning Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair (GNCCF) will very soon be opening its doors for a celebration of cutting-edge craft and design at the Upper Campfield Market, a Grade II listed Victorian building in the heart of Manchester. This event will begin with a special preview evening on Thursday 11th October […]
This was the beautiful yurt from Yurts for Life that framed the early stages of our Risk Makers project so perfectly at the Contemporary Craft Festival last weekend. It was such an eye-catching structure, all handmade in Devon. The steam bent woodwork created a curved roof shape with fabulous light and headroom, and we were […]
It seems unbelievable that a week has already passed since the opening night of this year’s Contemporary Craft Festival here in our hometown of Bovey Tracey in Devon. As with every year, we were excited to catch up with all our maker friends, we were in awe of their incredible work, the town was buzzing […]
In just over 2 weeks it’ll be time for the fantastic Contemporary Craft Festival here in our hometown of Bovey Tracey in Devon. It’ll be the fifteenth year of the show! We’re really proud to be sponsors of this event and our director Katie will be joining the judging panel again for a very privileged […]
We loved hearing how Hannah Lobley became a paper artist by accident! Hannah originally specialised in wood working during her degree, but when she accidentally left a favourite book in the rain and was reluctant to part with it, she started to investigate how she could preserve the papers and celebrate their qualities. This led […]
In September 2017 we brought together an amazing group of contemporary craft makers from our community on madebyhandonline to explore different approaches to sharing contemporary craft and skills with the public. We had a day of exploration and nourishment in order to discuss ideas for a new model of workshop and to analyse current challenges […]
Lots of our makers will be exhibiting at a new craft and design show in Cheltenham next month, including ceramicist Katie Lowe. Katie uses slip casting to make miniature vessels with a focus on creating subtle gradients of colour. Her stands are always very attractive as she displays her vessels in ‘waves’ of colour, from […]
The new year often inspires changes, but jeweller Sue Gregor has been working on a significant change to her practice for some months now. Sue is based in Bristol and she’s been making contemporary jewellery using acrylic, silver and real plants since 2005. This year is a kind of renewal. Her process of embossing remains […]