The Capital of Craft

Craft Festival Wales Special I met Cathryn Gwynn at her home studio in Cilgerran, a village near Cardigan in West Wales.  Her early life in Cardiff led her to a career in writing, editing and finally teaching at Preseli School. She later began an access course in art, leading to a degree in Textiles from Carmarthen School of Art in 2020. Text, texture and textile: three words which reflect sher pr...

Craft Festival Wales  Craft Festival Wales Special  Earlier in August I met with Cardigan based potter, Ella Bua-In. ⁠ ⁠ We talked about her background in illustration and how she started working with clay. ⁠ ⁠ Ella was one of the artists in last year's Craft Festival Town Trail, curated by Oriel Myrddin and this year, she will be joining us at the Castle as a demonstrator. ⁠ ⁠ Listen now and meet...

Craft Festival Wales Special  Weaver, Llio James joins me in her studio in Cardiff to talk about her life and work and what led her to work on the loom. Deeply embedded in Welsh culture, Llio's rich colour ways and confident, minimalist patterns reflect her interest in architecture.  Llio is exhibiting at Craft Festival Wales. She will also be part of The Capital of Craft Live at the Festival. She...

Season 6 of The Capital of Craft, Welsh Special. To celebrate the return of Craft Festival Wales, I chat with Head of the National Wool Museum, Ann Whittall.  We spoke about the historic importance of wool to West Wales and new projects at the Musuem.  Ann is spearheading training new apprentices who are learning to work with the looms at the impressive Weave Shed in Drefach Felindre. We also disc...

Season 5 of The Capital of Craft, Wales Special. To celebrate Craft Festival Wales at Cardigan Castle, I had a great conversation with Jem Roberts AKA On the Wing.  Writer, poet and artist, we chat about the creative juggling act needed to persue a passion for words.  Jem is our poet in residence at Craft Festival of Wales and she will be working along side Nick Hand of The Letterpress Collective...

Season 5 of The Capital of Craft, Wales Special. To celebrate Craft Festival Wales at Cardigan Castle, I was delighted to meet and chat with Belinda Knott of Pothies. We had a lovely conversation about her practise and how her love of sea swimming prompted the invention of the Cosymajig.  You can meet Belinda at Craft Festival Wales from September 6-8th.  www.craftfestival.co.uk Belinda Knott

The Capital of Craft Season 5, Wales Special To celebrate the first Craft Festival Wales at Cardigan Castle, I had a lovely conversation with textile artist and surface pattern designer, Sophie Snow. Born and bred near Cardigan, West Wales, Sophie lives in St Dogmaels and makes contemporary quilts.  I loved hearing about her creative family and how she is passing down her passion for making to her...

Welcome to Season 5 of The Capital of Craft: Wales Special. To celebrate the first Craft Festival Wales at Cardigan Castle, it was a real pleasure to interview Rosa Harradine for The Capital of Craft podcast.  Rosa is based in Carmarthen and makes brooms and brushes. We talk about her creative life and how she began making brooms. It's a lovely story and I hope you enjoy listening.  You can meet R...

The Capital of Craft 20th Anniversary of Craft Festival Season To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Craft Festival Bovey Tracey in June, here is the 4th season of The Capital of Craft hosted by me, Sarah James MBE. I am the director of Craft Festival and Find a Maker.  In this podcast I chat with the inspirational and influential founder of the Craftivist Collective, Sarah Corbett. Sarah is joinin...

The Capital of Craft 20th Anniversary of Craft Festival Season To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Craft Festival Bovey Tracey in June, here is the 4th season of The Capital of Craft hosted by me, Sarah James MBE. I am the director of Craft Festival and Find a Maker.  Margo Selby is one of the UK's most celebrated and successful textile artists. Back in 2008, Margo was awarded Best New Business. ...

The Capital of Craft 20th Anniversary of Craft Festival Season To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Craft Festival Bovey Tracey in June, here is the 4th season of The Capital of Craft hosted by me, Sarah James MBE. I am the director of Craft Festival and Find a Maker.  Alex Finberg was the recipient of Craft Festival's Making It Award 2023 and debuted at Craft Festival Bovey Tracey that year.  In...

The Capital of Craft LIVE from Cheltenham Town Hall: Bonus Podcast As a bonus podcast, listen to Sarah James MBE talk to Dr Kate Strasdin about her critically and commercially successful latest non-fiction book, The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes.  The book is investagative journalism meets fashion and social history and is a brilliant read. Sarah and Kate talks about the fascinating story of how s...

The Capital of Craft with Keith Brymer-Jones and Marj Hogarth. To celebrate the end of our good friend, Keith Brymer-Jones', storming national tour, we are releasing a podcast to end Season 3 of The Capital of Craft. Recorded live earlier this year at Craft Festival Cheltenham at the Town Hall,  Keith is in conversation with his partner Marj Hogarth, talking in great depth, with humour and poignan...

Recorded Live at Craft Festival Cheltenham March 2023 The Capital of Craft Podcast with Sue Pryke Sue Pryke is an award winning homeware designer and ceramicist with over three decades of experience. Sue talks with me, Sarah James from Craft Festival and Find a Maker infront of a live audience at Craft Festival Cheltenham at the Town Hall in March 2023. Sound qaulity reflects a live setting.  We t...

Our latest podcast features the brilliant basketmaker, Hilary Burns MBE. Hilary is one of the UK's most respected makers. Recipient of Heritage Crafts Maker of the Year in 2018, she was also awarded MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2021, in recognition of her dedication to her craft.  She talks with me, Sarah James from Craft Festival and Find a Maker from her Devon home. We talk about her earl...

This weeks podcast is with the  brilliant, Lauren Aston. We met at her home and chatted about how she started out her chunky knit empire, with Craft Festival playing an important role in her starting her business. IAlways good to hear! You can follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/craftfestival/ You can watch our films on https://www.youtube.com/@craftfestival1035/featured You follow us...

Sarah James from Craft Festival and Find a Maker meets with lecturer, designer and maker Keeley Traae. We met at her home in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire, UK. Keeley has had a varied and illustrious career in design having worked for ceramic industry giants Wedgewood and Royal Doulton. She set up her own making practise, Keeley Traae Design in 2020. She has extensive experience in ceramic d...

The Capital of Craft Sarah James of Craft Festival and Find a Maker talks with visual artist, potter, curator and lecturer, Peter Bodenham from St Dogmaels Pottery.  Peter trained in Ceramics and 3D in the mid 1980s at Camberwell School of Art. In the mid 1990s he completed an MA in Fine Art at Cardiff Metropolitan. Peter lives near Cardigan and runs St. Dogmaels Pottery in West Wales. He is an ex...

Season 3 of The Capital of Craft Sarah James of Craft Festival and Find a Maker talks with maker, gallery owner and teacher, Jennifer Collier.  We talk about her practise and how she moved from textiles to paper and how her gallery, Unit Twelve, founded with her partner Iain Perry, has moulded her making life.  Paper pioneer, Jennifer Collier, creates exquisite sculptures from vintage recycled mat...

Season 3 of The Capital of Craft Sarah James of Craft Festival and Find a Maker talks with maker and shop owner, Becky Prior.  They speak from her shop, Prior in Cabots Circus in Bristol. Becky's journey as a maker is interwoven with stories of overcoming great personal setbacks and is truly inspirational, told with great humanity and humour.  @priorshopbristol @priormade @craftfestival @find.amak...

Welcome to Season 3 of The Capital of Craft. Earlier in the year at Craft Festival Cheltenham, Sarah James of Craft Festival and Find a Maker interviewed potter and Pottery Throwdown Judge, Keith Brymer Jones in front of a live audience.  We talk about his autobriography "Boy in a China Shop", his Welsh roots and the journey from Highgate to becoming a treasured TV Potter.  We'll be opening the do...

In the final episode of Season 2 of The Capital of Craft, Sarah James of Craft Festival and Find a Maker talks with weaver and educator, James Donald from Pick One.  They speak from his workshop in Coburg House in Leith, Edinburgh. James talks about his journey into textiles and his early life in Brechin in Angus, which as well as having access to countryside and freedom, it also established his l...

This week on The Capital of Craft, Sarah James from Craft Festival and Find a Maker chat's with Dr Nicola Thomas from University of Exeter.  Nicola Thomas is Professor in Historical and Cultural Geography at the Department of Geography, University of Exeter. Her research interrogates the ways in which geographical perspectives can help make sense of 'craft'. This includes the relationships between...

In this week's episode of The Capital of Craft Podcast, Sarah James from Craft Festival talks with Find a Maker member and jeweller, Tanja Ufer.  Based in Brighton, we chatted whilst Storm Eunice did it's worst. You might hear her in the background.  Tanja's makes beautifully constructed and abstract jewellery. Born and trained in Germany, Tanja moved to Sheffield to complete her MA Studies and ha...

This week on The Capital of Craft, Sarah James from Craft Festival and Find a Maker chat's with award-winning ceramic duo RAMP. ⁠ Based in Silverton, Devon, Make South West members and regulars at Craft Festival, they talk about their career in making. R.A.M.P, which stands for Roop & Al Make Pots, is a creative partnership between Alice Hartford and Rupert Johnstone. Roop specialises in the throw...