Makers Directory

I am an artist, a collector of “treasures” and a compulsive hand stitcher. I combine these passions in making one-off wall pieces that spark a sense of nostalgia. I use materials with a history – the kind of things that lie forgotten in the bottoms of drawers. Commonplace items that were used by our mothers […]

I studied textile design at the Central School of Art and Design. I was always inspired by how colours react with each other, and also loved texture, particularly in nature. Researching at the British Museum I was much taken by the ancient necklaces in the Middle Eastern section. This inspired the development of a range of necklaces, made with handmade beads. I am interested in that which is lost, obscured, veiled, from an age long ago: much of the original colour has been rubbed off in the long journey through time but flecks of gold occasionally glimmer through the dusty neutral shades. As well as developing my range, I also run bead and necklace making courses.

My memories have formed the way I think and feel and the way in which I work. The found objects I use with the metal and clay, small and insignificant, used and forgotten, are the physical aspect of work that is based on an emotional, nostalgic concept. Tools and utensils, the things we use and […]

My name is Anya and I’m the creator & curator of a compendium of curious creatures made in wire and reclaimed materials. I moved to Hereford in 1994 to study an HND in Design Crafts and never quite managed to leave the beautiful landscape I found here. I am a twister of wire and words […]

I design and create bespoke handcrafted French Beaded flowers to treasure through stringing thousands of 2mm glass seed-beads onto fine craft-wire, with a combination of twists and wraps.

French Beading is a 19th century art form that has gone through waves of popularity. Believed to have originated in both Italy and France, the craft was predominantly favoured by women in order to earn a little money of their own and to decorate their homes. In the Victorian era French Beading became associated with the passing of a loved one as many memorials were created using the technique.

I research each bloom I replicate before I begin designing. Flowers have such a powerful impact on us, creating memories, improving our mental health and sending messages, so it is really important that my designs are as accurate as possible and that they capture the splendour of the blooms I replicate.

My work is inspired by stories, poems, over-hearings and memories. I am based in Yoxford in Suffolk. Re-using materials is an integral part of my work. I like to feel that they have ‘lived a little’ with their own story to tell showing signs of ageing and how they have been treated or, perhaps, mistreated. So my […]

Blighty Brights Studio offers original textile art, in the form of handmade, needlework cushions, made using materials found in charity shops. It is amazing how much fabric and craft materials turn up in charity shops. I’m always thrilled to find long stitch kits or old sewing baskets with tapestry wools.  It is a joy compiling something new and unique using retrieved, recovered and rescued materials.  The price range is generally under £100. The inspirations are largely drawn from childhood images with a contemporary twist.

I am a Saltaire based artist and printmaker.  My work is inspired by my travels to some of the world’s most beautiful cities including Paris, Venice and New York.  Working in a lively drawing style I aim to capture the excitement, life and vibrancy of each location I visit, documenting my travels through the use of sketchbooks and photographs.  On returning to my studio I then produce mixed-media paintings, original screenprints & drypoints, limited edition prints and handmade cards.  These are exhibited throughout the U.K. in regular solo and group shows.

Closer to home I have also produced a series of work capturing the rugged beauty and charm of Yorkshire’s much loved coastal towns: Whitby, Robin Hoods Bay and Staithes.

Angela Cotton is a mixed media artist working with new and recycled materials, such as vintage linens and maps, to create bird sculpture and other works.

Over the years her collection of vintage textiles and papers has steadily grown creating a cosy inspiring nest…perfect for creating little birds! Wedding cake toppers, woodland garlands and wedding ring pillows form the basis for her beautiful collection. Commissions happily taken.

Inspired by the changing seasons and a love of wild flowers, Debra creates textile and wire pieces in her home studio.

Debra is self taught and always experimenting, trying new ideas and methods of making.

The majority of the pieces created incorporate found vintage items, making them unique and often unrepeatable.

I am a mixed media artist based in a small village in the heart of Cheshire; I work from my studio which is filled to the rafters with ephemera, vintage fabrics, typewriters, sewing machines, threads, hand painted papers and books, I am sure you can picture the scene!
During My Masters Degree in Fashion and Textiles I discovered ‘wabi Sabi’ and the ethos of ‘beauty in imperfection’; this really captures my inspirations and the work which I produce, I am influenced by tactile aged surfaces like peeling paint on walls and fabrics which are threadbare but laden with memories and stories to tell.
I use a combination of layered surfaces, collage, drawing, machine and hand stitch to create original pieces and I like to incorporate vintage and discarded items into my work to convey messages off nostalgia.

I make copper and enamelled copper pieces such as wall hangings, bowls, tealight holders and jewellery.  I am mostly self-taught, starting from an enamelling taster course, where I fell in love with enamelling and wanted to learn more, which then inspired me to learn copper-working too.  For most items I make, I start with sheet copper which I cut and shape.  Some pieces I leave as copper, possibly with some patina, but others I then enamel using vitreous enamel.  I love seeing how each piece evolves, starting from a simple concept, but then guided by the materials themselves as they react to the processes.

“Ostranenie: encouraging people to see common things as strange, wild or unfamiliar; de-familiarizing what is known in order to know it more differently or more deeply” As a magpie of treasures that others would deem mundane and invaluable, Fran is fascinated by ‘ostranenie’. Finding beauty in surfaces and objects that are blemished and imperfect, resonates […]

I work from my home in Bethesda, North Wales surrounded by my collection of art created by friends and family, vintage treasures and charity shop finds. These are all a great source of inspiration within my jewellery making.
I have always had a fascination with colour and wanted somehow to bring it into my work. I became very conscious of the amount of colour in packaging that we simply discard and throw away, in particular the rich jewel like colours in some plastic bottles and confectionery wrappers.

Having a keen interest in re-using and recycling, I decided to utilise these materials and have since been developing my jewellery from recycled plastics, foils, semi precious stones, reclaimed beads and silver. I have been making jewellery since leaving college in 1991 and my work has been shown in many exhibitions and galleries around the UK.

I am a teacher and artist living and working in Brighouse, West Yorkshire. I was an art teacher with a degree in Visual Arts and Culture, but 10 years ago I wanted to develop my own practice away from school and discovered an outlet for my ideas and creativity through completing a City and Guilds in embroidery, and my business, HanneMADE, was started.

I love mixing media together and the theme of journeys runs throughout my work, be they my own journeys collecting inspiration or my materials’ journey, as I upcycle where possible. I use a range of techniques in my work from mono screen printing, digital printing, college, many textile techniques, print… and I love to stitch, be that with my machine or by hand. I produce a range of pieces of work from unique framed pieces, pieces to wear (brooches and pendants) and greeting cards.

Holly describes herself as an Art Jeweller, crafting pieces of delicate and detailed wearable art, celebrating the curious attraction we have to plants, places and the natural world. Encompassing ideas from outside the realm of jewellery, her work draws from illustration, great painters such as Monet and Klimt, and also from old dioramic books. Working in a mixture of copper, silver & resins, Holly combines traditional skills with modern making techniques, to develop innovative and unusual collections of work. Drawing and painting are integral parts of her creative process, so much so that she has developed exciting ways to incorporate them into some of her final collections. Holly studied in the heart of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter at the School of Jewellery, and produces beautiful works from her little garden workshop in the Cotswolds.

I am an Artist and maker. I use my sewing machine the way a painter uses a brush. Each line is guided by my hand. I create small 2 and 3 dimensional pieces in thread. Each piece is unique. They are poetic moments, a visual form of Haiku. Dream like images, contemplative, quiet, devoid of detail, suggestive of a narrative. I studied sculpture and Fine Art at Grays School of Art in Aberdeen and have a BA (Hons) and a MA Fine Art. My subject is the idea of North. My work is influenced by the wilder places, by poetry and prose. I work from my small studio within the beautiful Cairngorm National Park in the Scottish Highlands. Unique embroidered artworks from £25.

I work full time handcrafting statement jewellery from my makeshift studio in Devon. Obsessed with fashion, music and art, my work is fundamentally inspired by street culture, graffiti and skateboarding.

Graduating with a Fashion & Textiles degree from University in Bristol in the 90’s, I started out designing streetwear and became connected to the cities reinventing underground music and art scenes. My addiction to street culture is at the heart of everything I do, so I choose to work with traditional graffiti techniques, spray paint, paint markers and acrylics, while using materials more commonly associated with skateboarding such as plywood and grip tape. I love taking these raw elements to craft beautifully designed one of a kind statement pieces.

Jessica is a contemporary embroidery artist who works from her home studio just outside of Leeds, West Yorkshire.  Her colourful and contemporary work has been exhibited in various galleries across the UK and Europe and she is a a member of the Crafts Council’s Makers directory and renowned textiles group – Art Textiles Made in […]