The Makers

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

Angel Nkomo @iamangelnkomo, from London, began her interest in fashion at school as a fashion leader, but her hopes of moving into an apprenticeship or junior position within the industry were prevented due to a lack of qualifications. Her bursary will fund her place on the Level 1 and 2 sewing courses at the @fashiontechnologyacademy.

Angel’s bursary is supported by the Capri Holdings Foundation for the Advancement of Diversity in Fashion

Angel said: “I’ve been working towards diving deeper into sewing and fashion design but unfortunately ran into some barriers. This bursary represents the chance for me to grow my skills and take my craft more seriously. It’s a big step towards me building the future I’ve dreamed of.”

Earlier this year, we awarded @ruthfarrisdesigns and @bea.uprichard of @fishbone.sycamore an Endangered Crafts Fund grant to develop new products and routes to market for silk woven at Macclesfield’s historic Paradise Mill @silkmuseummacc.

Now they have launched a new range of scarves made from one hundred percent deadstock silk using heritage machinery at the mill. They are soft, vibrant, and easy to wear, and every purchase helps save heritage jacquard silk weaving in the UK.

https://fishbone-sycamore.square.site/

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