For the Love of Craft
Written: 12 February 2020
For the Love of Craft
With 5 Weeks Until Craft Festival Cheltenham, Katie Honnor, founding director of madebyhandonline.com chooses her 5 Faves
As Katie explains, "There are so many talented makers coming to Cheltenham this year and it’s very nice to be asked to pick five favourites again. A tricky task! I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone".
Kathy’s characterful minimalist prints are so beautifully poised and rich. She teaches us to look! Whether it’s a withered leaf, seed head or a household item, she brings such colour and charm to things some might easily overlook. Nature is clearly a big influence on her work and she uses a variety of different printmaking techniques. I especially love her mono prints and I’m really excited to see that she’ll be demonstrating during the show.
Meeting Marna and working with her over the years has been such a huge privilege. She treats thread and stitch like paint... layering colour and texture creating depth and detail. I’m in awe of her talents! I’ll always love her landscapes, but her latest collection of stitched portrait brooches is incredible.
My taste in jewellery is really varied, but Zsuzsi’s work has always been a favourite. Her level of finish is immaculate and everything just seems to fit perfectly. I’m gradually building a collection of her enamel, silver and gold stud earrings. She has a huge range of rich, eye-catching colours; I love her mismatched shapes and she clearly cares greatly about comfort as well as style. You’ll know what I mean when you buy a pair!
The husband and wife team of Takahashi McGil make elegant functional vessels, spoons and furniture celebrating the natural beauty of the sustainably sourced woods. They combine Japanese and European woodworking techniques and, through their use of hand tools, the human touch is always present in their work, making it even more of a joy to use.
Anya has been busy with her MA this past year, so it will be really good to see her and her new collections at Cheltenham. Her work pulls at childhood memories and allows us to be playful. Accomplished craft creates emotional and physical responses, and humour is really important. I love Anya’s characters and their stories, and can see the pleasure she’s had in creating them, which to me is as important as the pleasure of the eventual lucky owner.
BOOK YOUR CRAFT FESTIVAL CHELTENHAM TICKETS HERE
Workshops at Craft Festival Cheltenham
Want to learn something new? A trip to Craft Festival, wouldn't be complete without having a go at making yourself. The Gloucestershire Guild and New Brewery Arts have put together a tasty timetable of two hour workshops. Enjoy jewellery making, book binding, porcelain pottery, screen printing and more. Space is strictly limited and advance booking is essential BOOK YOUR WORKSHOPS NOW
Join the Team at Craft Festival Cheltenham
We need a small army of volunteers to help power our Craft Festivals. If you love craft, enjoy working in a team and having fun, we'd love to here from you. Roles include Front of House, setting up duties, assisting the children's workshops, stewarding and Being Really Friendly! CLICK HERE TO VOLUNTEER
Preparing to Sell
LAST FEW PLACES LEFT! Are you a Maker who wants to sell more? Want to conquer Instagram? Want to plan a Marketing Campaign? Want to write a press release and approach the press but don't know where to start? Want tips on how to sell directly to the public?
Join us at Preparing to Sell on Tuesday March 3rd at Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter for a fun and friendly day of business and marketing advice. We will be joined by Craft Festival Director, Sarah James, Craft Festival Press Officer, Fran Moorhouse and Dr Kate Strasdin, Lecturer and Fashion Historian, curator and writer with over 122K followers on Instagram. CLICK HERE TO BOOK PREPARING TO SELL
BOOK YOUR CRAFT FESTIVAL CHELTENHAM TICKETS HERE
WIN DINNER AT THE IVY & TICKETS TO CRAFT FESTIVAL CHELTENHAM
Just a short walk from Cheltenham Town Hall, you can Win Dinner up to the value of £150 at The Ivy Montpellier Brasserie Cheltenham and a Pair of Weekend Tickets to Craft Festival Cheltenham. To enter our very tempting competition, please CLICK HERE TO WIN DINNER AT THE IVY