The Makers
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This week’s #craftfocus is cut crystal glass making.
British cut crystal glass, known for its brilliance and intricate designs, has become a hallmark of craftsmanship. In 1674, George Ravenscroft, a glassmaker based in London, patented a new method for producing glass with lead oxide, making it easier to work with, heavier and more brilliant, giving it a high level of clarity and sparkle due to its increased refraction of light. This lead crystal became highly suitable for cutting, as it could be deeply engraved and polished, giving rise to intricate designs and brilliant finishes.
During the 19th century, the British crystal industry reached its height. Crystal glass was highly sought-after, and many of the cutting patterns that we associate with traditional crystal glassware today were developed. From the mid-20th century onwards, British glassmakers shifted focus from mass production to preserving the artisanal quality and heritage of glass cutting.
The glass is cut using various diamond or carborundum grinding wheels. The wheels cut grooves into the glass with straight, sharp angles to increase the sparkle of the glass by adding more light-reflecting surfaces. Surfaces can then be cut a second time, a process known as smoothing, to create a finer finish. Few people do the second cut anymore as it adds considerable time to production.
Cut crystal glass making is classified as critically endangered on our Red List of Endangered Crafts. Recruitment has become very challenging due to a lack of training provision. High setup costs and lack of specialist equipment hinder training, and insufficient job security prevents guaranteed employment after training.
https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/craft/cut-crystal-glass-making/
Images: @cumbriacrystal
#heritagecrafts #craftfocus #cutcrystalglassmaking #crystalglass
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Furniture Making Apprenticeships
Location: Hampshire
Deadline: 20 May 2026 (they advise anyone who is considering applying to make contact well before the closing date)
An Edward Barnsley Workshop furniture making apprenticeship provides a thorough practical training in a commercial environment. Almost all of their former apprentices continue to work successfully as furniture makers. Most work as employees, while some have gone on to set up their own furniture-making businesses. In recent years two of their apprentices have represented the UK in cabinet-making at the WorldSkills finals.
The majority of the apprentices’ time is spent at the bench. The rest is spent in the machine shop and helping with jobs around the workshop. Apprentices are expected to do some essential workshop tasks including sweeping up and machine maintenance. This thorough and comprehensive woodworking apprenticeship teaches the skills needed to succeed as a professional furniture-maker.
Find out more including how to apply at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/matchmaker.
#matchMAKER is the online platform for work-based training and entry-level employment opportunities hosted by @heritagecrafts and supported by @soanebritain.
From the flames of the blacksmith’s forge to the precision of the silversmith’s bench, metalworking covers a range of highly-skilled practices. Nominations are now OPEN for the Emerging Metalworker of the Year Award 2026, supported by Lucy and Laurence Butcher.
This award celebrates the talent, grit, and artistry of those in the first five years of their professional journey. It is open to any craft where metal is the primary material, including blacksmithing, coppersmithing, tinsmithing, silversmithing, goldsmithing, swordsmithing, knife making, cutlery making, bronze casting, brass instrument making … and more!
✨ Who are we looking for?
This award celebrates an early-career heritage craftsperson (in the first five years of their professional practice) who has made an outstanding start to their metalworking career. We are looking for a maker who:
• Demonstrates a high level of technical skill.
• Raises the profile of metalworking through sharing what they do.
• Shows the grit and dedication to achieve long-term success.
🏆 The Prize
The winner will receive a £1,000 cash prize and will be celebrated at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November 2026. Plus, we are also running similar awards in crafts, such as green woodworking and leatherworking, with additional prizes of £1,000 provided by Woodsmith, the Leathersellers` Company and others.
📅 Deadline: Friday 21 August 2026 (at 5pm)
➡️ Nominate someone (or yourself) today via the linktr.ee in our bio or directly at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/our-awards/emerging-metalworker-of-the-year/.
📷 2025 finalist Clare Collier @smeltdownblacksmiths
#heritagecrafts #metalworking #blacksmithing #silversmithing #bladesmithing
This week’s #mondaymaker is @laurawilkesdesigns – hand-printed wallpaper and textile maker.
Laura is a New Forest based artist and maker whose work grows directly from the landscape around her. Working from a small workshop on the edge of the forest, she creates handmade wallpaper inspired by the quiet textures, shifting light and wild botanicals of the forest and coast she calls home.
A self-taught artist and single mum, Laura has shaped her business through determination, patience, and a deep respect for nature. Each wallpaper design begins as a pencil study, before being transferred onto large sheets of lino which she slowly and carefully handcarves. Her work carries the marks of the maker – subtle variations, tiny imperfections, and the warmth of something crafted with intention.
Today, Laura continues to create from her workshop, balancing motherhood, making and a growing list of collectors, interior designers, and independent retailers who are drawn to the honesty and earthiness of her work. Her wallpapers are not just surfaces – they are stories of nature, life and the quiet beauty found in handmade craft.
View Laura’s full profile on our Makers’ Directory: https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/maker/laura-wilkes/
#heritagecrafts #mondaymaker #wallpapermaking #textileprinting
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Apprentice Bookbinder
Location: Cambridge
J S Wilson & Son Bookbinders began life in Trinity Street, Cambridge in 1830. It is one of the oldest trading bookbinders in the UK. Its bookbinders are professionally trained craftspeople priding themselves in their work at all times.
Day-to-day tasks will include:
• Using hand-operated machines to glue and stitch
• Cutting paper to size with hand and machine cutting tools
• Checking the quality of work and meeting production deadlines
• Using hand tools to make bindings for books, sew pages, and add decorations such as gold lettering, edging, or marble endpapers
• Using traditional materials to decorate and clean discoloured pages
• Producing specialised books like family histories or books for libraries and museums
• Repairing and restoring antique books and using leather and papers to match the original materials.
Find out more including how to apply at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/matchmaker.
#matchMAKER is the online platform for work-based training and entry-level employment opportunities hosted by @heritagecrafts and supported by @soanebritain.
The art of embroidery is more than just thread and fabric – it’s a story told through every stitch. We are delighted to announce that nominations are now OPEN for the Emerging Embroiderer of the Year Award! Supported by the Broderers’ Company, this award celebrates the talent, patience, and intricate skill of those at the beginning of their professional journey. 🪡🧵
✨ Who are we looking for?
This award celebrates an early-career heritage craftsperson (in the first five years of their professional practice) who has made an outstanding start to their embroidery career. We are looking for a maker who:
• Demonstrates a high level of technical skill.
• Raises the profile of embroidery through sharing what they do.
• Shows the grit and dedication to achieve long-term success.
🏆 The Prize
The winner will receive a £1,000 cash prize and will be celebrated at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November 2026. Plus, we are also running similar awards in crafts, such as weaving and upholstery, with additional prizes of £1,000 provided by Rose Uniacke, House of Sonnaz and others.
📅 Deadline: Friday 21 August 2026 (at 5pm)
➡️ Nominate someone (or yourself) today via the linktr.ee in our bio or directly at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/our-awards/emerging-embroiderer-of-the-year/.
📷 2025 winner Sophie Boylan @soyasophie
#heritagecrafts #embroidery #textiles #needlework #heritagecraftsawards
This week’s #craftfocus is split cane rod making.
Split cane rods were developed in the USA in the 1870s. Until this time rods had been made from whole cane or solid wood, and the split cane rod was a big improvement due to its lightness and flexibility (the ‘carbon fibre of its day’). Despite the introduction of fibreglass and carbon fibre, split cane can be just as good. Today, split cane rods are a luxury good, but they still need to have all the performance that split cane rods had in their heyday.
Split cane rods are specifically made with tonkin bamboo grown in a small area of southern China. It is a very sustainable crop harvested every few years and is one of the quickest growing plants on the planet. Only a tiny fraction is used to make rods – the rest used as scaffolding and furniture.
The cane is split out from two inch diameter culms which are straightened and flattened before heat treating and planning to shape each of the six equilateral strips that make up a hexagonal section. The work is very precise with sections accurate to a thousand of an inch. Planed sections are glued and bound before finishing and adding handles, ferrules and guides.
Split cane rod making is classified as endangered on our Red List of Endangered Crafts. Bamboo rods still have many benefits over carbon, and yet there is a mindset, instilled by the carbon rod manufacturers, that cane is heavy and weak. This could not be further than the truth, especially for the traditional realm of streams, where cane rods are the unsurpassed ruler.
https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/craft/split-cane-rod-making/
Images: Edward Barder @barder_rod
#heritagecrafts #craftfocus #splitcanerodmaking #fishingrodmaking
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Apprentice Craft Technician: Ceramics
Location: Stoke-on-Trent
Based in the historic heart of the British ceramics industry and founded by a fifth-generation ceramics family, @1882ltd is dedicated to bridging the gap between centuries-old heritage craft and contemporary design.
The vacancy is for an apprentice Craft Technician: Ceramics. The successful applicant will be trained across many aspects of pottery/ceramics production. This will include learning and understanding materials, design and production techniques, finishing and packaging of goods. This is a hands-on role working within an active ceramics factory. Your day-to-day department will be the Decoration & Glazing team. You will receive extensive training in all heritage and contemporary decoration techniques and processes.
You will also be placed on a Level 3 Craft Technician: Ceramics apprenticeship. You will be required to attend training with Creative Alliance and partner organisations throughout the 18 months of the course.
Find out more including how to apply at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/matchmaker.
#matchMAKER is the online platform for work-based training and entry-level employment opportunities hosted by @heritagecrafts and supported by @soanebritain.
