6 Weeks, 5 Favourites, 1 Red List and A Competition Deadline
Written: 17 September 2019
Beth Goodrham, stylist and fashion blogger has cast her eye over our 140 makers and has chosen her 5 favourites from Craft Festival Cardiff. Follow Beth on Instagram @bethgoodrham_stylist
The Owlery
I love the animal prints – the colours, their uniformity and their beauty. The fact that they could be used in a child’s room or in a more sophisticated setting really appeals. The styling of the pieces in a mid century setting works really well – it’s a great juxtaposition. The use of video on the website gives a lovely 3D feel to Benjamin’s work. I like his lovely smiley picture on his site too!
Toni de Jesus from StartUP
I wanted to choose a start up maker, as I believe that people who are just starting out really benefit from a little additional exposure.
I loved Toni’s approach and his philosophy to his work. He has clearly thought very deeply about his pieces within the home environment, how they are perceived and the role that they serve. His pieces are beautifully contemporary, yet traditional at the same time. It feels like Toni makes his pieces from the soul. His talent is incredible.
Williams Handmade
The stylish, simple, elegant pieces in fabulous colour combinations and at varying price points really appealed to me. I particularly loved the sunglasses cases and the bags – well in fact it was all fabulous! I love the entrepreneurial spirit shown by the business in terms of running workshops and make it yourself kits. It’s an all inclusive business approach with a community feel to it, along with wonderful products.
LDB ceramics
These pieces so reminded me of the colours in oyster, mussel and ormer shells. The pieces are beautifully calming and restful but with a depth of colour and design to them which really appeals. They are like mindfulness in a piece of ceramic.
Lowri Davies
Lowri’s pieces are serene, delicate, beautiful and calming. I loved the colours and the intricacy that Lowri uses in her designs, as well as the designs themselves. They have a beautiful innocence about them and are both functional and practical. I can envisage displaying them on a beautiful shelf or using them when friends come round.
BOOK YOUR CRAFT FESTIVAL TICKETS HERE
The Red List of Endangered Crafts
In March this year, the Heritage Crafts Association launched the latest edition of its Red List of Endangered Crafts the first research of its kind to assess craft skills by the likelihood they'll survive into the next generation. Alongside Red List researcher Daniel Carpenter and HCA colleagues, at CRaft Festvial Cardiff, there will be demonstrations from makers from the Red List. Come and see them at work and chat to them about their experience of practicing rare crafts.
Many craft skills are under threat in the UK, often as a result of sole traders and micro-businesses not having the capacity within their business to take time away from production in order to train up the next generation, and government-sponsored training schemes proving unsuitable for such niche professions. The HCA is dedicated to highlighting these cultural gems and facilitating discussions about how they might best be carried on into the future.
Want to learn something new?
A trip to Craft Festival, wouldn't be complete without having a go at making yourself. The brilliant Make it in Wales have put together a tasty timetable of two hour workshops. Enjoy free-stitch embroidery, working with leather, paper-cutting and feltmaking. Some are already sold out so don't hang about. CLICK HERE TO BOOK
Your Craft Festival Needs You!
We need a small army of volunteers to help power Craft Festival. We have a range of roles from meeting and greeting our makers, selling tickets, setting up, giving out information and helping in the children's workshops. If you can help us, we'd love to hear from you. CLICK HERE TO VOLUNTEER
FINAL CHANCE TO ENTER OUR Say Something in Welsh Competition
Have you seen other people learn Welsh successfully? Do you feel that you just don’t have the time to become a Welsh speaker? Are you worried about making mistakes and does that put you off learning Welsh?
SaySomethinginWelsh will ensure you are not learning in isolation but will provide you with all the friendship and encouragement you need to stay motivated.
We have been given a flagship SaySomethinginWelsh course to give away to one lucky entrant. CLICK HERE TO ENTER OUR COMPETITION