A voice for craft

This week’s #craftfocus is tile making (wall and floor tiles).

Tile making (wall and floor tiles) is the creation of clay tiles by hand or in small batches for functional or decorative purposes on walls and floors.

Once the clay has been extracted from the ground, unwanted matter is removed and it is mixed to the right consistency. The clay is then shaped in a mould and sand is used to prevent sticking; it is vital that no air is trapped inside the clay. Excess clay is removed by running a wire over the mould. The tile is dried until it is ‘white hard’ and then fired.

Tiles can also be made in a mould with a pattern carved in relief to indent on the clay slab. The slab is dried and the impression is filed with white pipe clay, shaved flat after further drying, glazed and fired.

Tile colour is determined by the chemical composition of the clay, the fuel used to fire the tile and levels of oxygen available during the firing process. Iron oxide provides a red colour, very high levels of iron oxide give a blue colour, limestone and chalk added to iron gives a buff/yellow colour, magnesium oxide gives a yellow colour, and no iron or other oxides provide a white colour.

Wall and floor tile making is classified as viable on our Craft Inventory, but threats include a lack of courses at colleges. The market for handmade tiles comes and goes depending on fashion, and it is very difficult to make a living exclusively from the craft, especially as customers may opt for cheaper mass manufactured tiles.

Different regions have different traditional tiles depending on the local clay; some clay streams are at risk of disappearing. Similarly, certain types of tile are coal-fired to achieve the right finish and there are currently issues in the supply of coal.

Images: Tom Chamberlain

#heritagecrafts #craftfocus #wallandfloortilemaking #tilemaking

This week’s #mondaymaker is Elizabeth Ashdown – a passementerie maker.

Elizabeth studied woven textile design at university and came to passementerie by chance, learning the craft through trial and error as there was no formal teaching available. Supported by training bursaries from Heritage Crafts and the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust, Elizabeth has honed her skills through many years of learning and development. She has now been running her business for eleven years.

If you want to read an exclusive interview about Elizabeth’s work, become a member of Heritage Crafts and learn more in the members portal: https://www.heritagecrafts.org.uk/join-us/

#heritagecrafts #mondaymaker #passementerie

Over 36 posts we are profiling the recipients of our recent round of training bursaries.

Maria Herbert-Liew @mariaherbert_lw, from North Ayrshire, is a self-employed artist and illustrator who has recently taken up the craft of marionette making. Maria will use the bursary to undertake one-to-one training with Oliver Hymans at @littleangeltheatre in London and John Roberts at PuppetCraft in Devon.

Maria’s bursary is supported by the William Grant Foundation.

Maria said: “I am overjoyed to have received this funding, and looking forward to developing my skills in this wonderful craft with some of the best people in the industry. One leap closer to making this career a reality, and keeping the art of marionettes in the UK alive!”

Blacksmith Alex Sowden has won the second annual Robin Wood Changemaker Award, supported by the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation, including a £1,000 prize awarded at a special presentation at @wentworth_woodhouse on Monday 17 November 2025.

The award celebrates a maker whose unwavering dedication makes a lasting change to a heritage business, craft or sector in ways that will reverberate for years to come. It is dedicated to Heritage Craft’s first Chair @robinwoodcraft, who, prior to co-founding the organisation in 2010, revived the craft of pole-lathe bowl turning after seeing the lathe of the last maker George Lailey at the Museum of English Rural Life in Reading. Today pole-lathe bowl turning is on an upturn and was recently taken off the Red List, and Robin has turned his attention to toolmaking, including the first axe to be forged in Sheffield in over 30 years.

Alex Sowden @hammerandhoundforge is an award-winning blacksmith whose expertise has been recognised through appearances on television shows such as Sky Arts’ The Prince’s Master Crafters. He has used his skills to forge metal for the Ukrainian army, demonstrating an ethical framework and global civic duty to his young students. His pioneering policy of allowing accompanied minors onto his basic courses gives teens real-world experience at the anvil, working with high-temperature metal in a commercial, yet safe and controlled environment – helping young people discover their abilities, overcome adversity and develop their self-esteem.

The Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation supports innovative people working in field-based science, art and craft, teaching and protection of the natural world.

Read more via the linktr.ee in our bio.

📷 @robertwadephotography and @yvonneconchie

Northern Ireland plasterer Bernard Cunningham @bcs_plastermoulding_71 has won the third annual Emerging Metalworker of the Year Award, supported through a donation by Lucy and Laurence Butcher @lucyloo37, including a £1,000 prize awarded at a special presentation at @wentworth_woodhouse on Monday 17 November 2025..

The award, now in its third year, celebrates an emerging metalworker who has made an outstanding start to their craft career. The winner is highly skilled amongst their peers, whilst raising the perceived value of their craft through sharing and awareness raising. They have given themselves a fantastic chance of achieving long-term success, perhaps overcoming disadvantage or setbacks along the way.

Bernard Cunningham is a traditional plasterer with 37 years’ experience, but his nomination was for his emerging business crafting bespoke, stainless-steel metal tools for heritage and fibrous plastering. The tools, which include hard-to-find items for scagliola and pargetting, cannot be bought in shops, and he is now expanding his range and planning to open a training facility for the next generation.

The three other finalists for the award were Claire Collier @smeltdownblacksmiths, an exceptional blacksmith who successfully transitioned careers from primary school teaching to pursue her passion for metalwork, and who has appeared on BBC Make it at Market, @rebeccaoldfieldjewellery, who blends traditional silversmithing with contemporary design to create innovative, high-standard pieces, as well as serving on the committee of Contemporary British Silversmiths, and Bradley Stuart Wills @b.w.blacksmithing, an artist blacksmith who has been named ‘one to watch’ by both the Guild of Enamellers and the Goldsmiths’ Centre, and has starred on Sky Arts’ Bill Bailey’s Master Crafters.

Read more via the linktr.ee in our bio. We will be posting about each of our awards over the next few days.

📷 @robertwadephotography

Embroiderer Sophie Boylan @soyasophie has won the 2025 Emerging Embroiderer of the Year Award, supported by the Broderers’ Company, including a £1,000 prize awarded at a special presentation at @wentworth_woodhouse on Monday 17 November 2025.

The award, now in its second year, celebrates an emerging embroiderer who has made an outstanding start to their craft career. The winner is highly skilled amongst their peers, whilst raising the perceived value of their craft through sharing and awareness raising. They have given themselves a fantastic chance of achieving long-term success, perhaps overcoming disadvantage or setbacks along the way.

Sophie Boylan is currently completing the prestigious @chanelofficial and @kingsfoundation Métiers d’art Fellowship, and has already contributed to high-profile projects for designers including Simone Rocha and Erdem. She is pioneering the development of bio-based sequin alternatives, ensuring the future of luxury embroidery is technically refined and environmentally responsible.

The two other finalists for the award were @_katerinaknight, a needleworker who received the prestigious Burberry Design Scholarship for her MA, was selected as a New Order of Fashion Graduate of the Year, and is distinguished by her commitment to slow craft and working in harmony with nature, and @alicelong.studio, whose developed exceptional hand embroidery skills at the Royal School of Needlework and on the CHANEL and King’s Foundation Métiers d’art Embroidery Fellowship, and whose work has been showcased at Selfridges and featured in Vogue.

Sophie is pictured here with award judge @hannynewton.

Read more via the linktr.ee in our bio. We will be posting about each of our awards over the next few days.

📷 @robertwadephotography