Episode 10 Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution

The craftsmen and women of this country are working hard to

uphold a proud tradition.

And I want to thank them for their dedication towards Britain's

craft heritage and I want to help them.

But I need your support.

So, come on, join me, Paul Martin, in my Handmade Revolution.

We put out a call across the country,

and hundreds responded!

It's a passion, it's something that I'm just driven to do!

And we'll be finding out how special their pieces could be,

all handmade with great skill.

I do it so I can feel creative,

I do it so I can take pride in making something from scratch.

These people don't know that one of them

will be given a life-changing opportunity.

The chance to see their work at the spiritual home of the handmade.

Today's judges' favourite is...

This county, Worcestershire, was once famed for its glove-making.

The industry declined and the glove-maker's art is all but lost.

But the craftsmen and women who work here today

at the Jinney Ring Craft Centre are flying the flag for history.

Upholding our fine craft traditions.

But this is also about finding the antiques of the future.

Objects that could stand the test of time.

Later on we'll be exploring the centuries-old art of scissor making.

Is it a phoenix rising from the ashes?

They're poetry in motion.

Five fortunate amateur makers will be going before our judges today.

All eager to show off their best work.

But they have to demonstrate they have what it takes to impress.

So let's meet our judges. First is engineer turned

textiles designer and entrepreneur, Piyush Suri.

There's a revival in handmade all across Britain

and I absolutely love being a part of it.

And thoroughly modern milliner and maker, Mary Jane Baxter.

I know there's real talent out there.

There's so many brilliant British makers,

I can't wait to see what we find.

Then there's head judge, Glenn Adamson,

who is a curator at one of London's top museums.

This country has such a rich tradition of craft, and I'm hoping

to meet people who are carrying that on into the 21st century.

There's a lot riding on this, because the maker named

judges' favourite will get a unique opportunity - the chance to

see their piece inside London's Victoria & Albert Museum.

This is a privilege.

A chance that could literally change someone's life.

First up to face the judges is 64-year-old Tony Jones,

and Mary Jane is having great fun getting to grips with his work.

Tony, you know what?

I'm finding it really hard to take my hands off this.

It's such a tactile piece. It's got a lovely roundness to it.

A wonderful quality, and look at its bottom.

Do you ever see bottoms like that? I mean, it's great.

I can't say it's styled on anything in particular,

but it's achieved its objective.

Because one of the things I like about wood is the tactile

nature of it.

And it's got to say to you, "Pick me up."

And it does definitely say that to me.

Any piece of wood, to me, has got a shape hidden inside it somewhere.

If you like, a latent image inside the wood.

You're a bit of a Michelangelo, really.

-That's what he thought, wasn't it?

-It was, yes.

I'm not chipping bits of stone off to release the image.

Do you have a feeling as to what's inside your block of wood

before you start?

Sometimes. Sometimes as I start to turn, it almost...

produces itself in shape.

I'm not an expert when it comes to wood,

but I think that getting it as thin as this is quite a sign of expertise.

It's tricky. It's certainly tricky.

So that looks to me like a very good quality.

And you've chosen too to have this lovely rough edge.

Why did you choose to do that?

Well, I was intending to keep the bark on,

but there was an insect attack on the bark.

Just down into the cambium layer,

which is the soft layer just underneath the bark.

-But it hadn't gone any further.

-I see.

But to actually sell this to somebody,

they're not going to want wormholes.

No, it would put me off. Tell me how you got into this craft?

-Well...

-Because you started when you were 14, as a Boy Scout, is that right?

Well, yes, I did. I turned a bowl then.

A shallow dish, which I've actually still got.

It's probably my most important piece, in some respects.

Is it what you'd save, Tony, if your house was burning down?

-I think I better save the wife first.

-The wife, then the bowl.

I think it's good you said it that way around. She's probably watching.

How many hours, Tony, would you say it takes to make a bowl,

like this one?

That one took a long time.

Because it's very hard wood, plus the fact that this particular

one stayed on the lathe for rather a long time, cos it injured me.

As it was revolving, I got a tool caught.

Got a dig in through my hand.

So, was it whirring round as it cut into your hand?

At a great number of revolutions per minute, yes.

-I'm surprised you don't hate this bowl after doing that.

-I love it.

In spite of the fact that it injured you.

It was such a challenge to finish it.

I wasn't going to let it beat me.

When you are pricing up something like this, where do you start?

I could imagine if I was at a high-end gallery,

a piece like this might be something around £100.

Well, I think you're right.

Perhaps around £100 mark as a retail, because you've always

got to remember how much they're going to take off in commission.

Which is usually a considerable amount.

But if you're doing a craft fair or something like that,

I tend to look at what the end purchaser is likely to

pay in a place like this, for that item.

So, you're quite canny when you're pricing?

Well, there's no point pricing yourself out of the market.

That's a really lovely bowl, Tony.

I'm really happy to have seen it and I don't want to let it go,

because it feels so good.

I'm a wood man myself

and I have a soft spot for anyone who suffers for their art.

Tony's bowls are clearly beautifully made

and well worth the £100 price tag.

But will it be worthy of a place at one of London's top museums?

I think she liked it, the amount she was handling it,

I think she liked it!

From modern wooden bowls to something much more ancient.

Head judge Glenn is obsessed with ceramics

and he has discovered here at Bromsgrove

they are practising the ancient art of Raku.

This form of ceramics dates back to the 16th century and is the pottery

traditionally used by the Geisha to perform Japanese tea ceremonies.

Hey, Chris! How you doing?

This is a very dangerous technique which involves a unique firing process.

It's really exciting to see Raku firing being done

here in the present day.

You, however, are doing Raku pottery in a very modern way with gas

and lots of modern bits and bobs.

So can you tell us a little about how you do Raku pottery?

We just fire the pots to 1,000 degrees,

take them out with tongs, long tongs, so you're far enough away.

Put them into sawdust and it draws the oxygen back

out of the materials in the glaze and it's quick.

Instead of a normal pottery cycle, which would be sort of eight

hours for a kiln to fire, you're firing in 20-30 minutes.

This is a really immediate process, as ceramic making goes.

And you really get a sense of involvement,

you get a sense of excitement, a sense of surprise from it, don't you?

You're always excited when you lift the pot out cos you never

quite know if it's going to work or not.

And if you hate it, you just put it back in again

and re-fire it again, which is even better.

So, it's really that immediacy and it's also the simplicity of these objects.

It is magical.

I'm inviting young and old alike to come

and join the ranks of the handmade revolutionaries like Karen Smith here.

She's a 53-year-old teaching assistant, who has taught herself

the art of stained glass, but Piyush is going to take some persuading.

Please convince me about this piece, I'm not sure about it.

Because it reminds me of European cathedrals and religious figures.

It's not very different, I don't think, from a cathedral window.

Cos when the light comes through...

..the colours shine through just as it does in cathedrals.

-That was your inspiration?

-It was, actually.

From an early age when I used to go to Sunday school.

We sat in church and the colours coming from the stained glass

windows used to fascinate me.

So, what's the story behind the tree and why a tree?

I've always loved nature.

My family call me a bit of a tree-hugger.

So, I thought, why not make something for myself, that I love.

It does remind me a little of mosaic work, as well.

Is it a mosaic work, or is it just painted that way?

No, this is actually, although it looks like stained glass it's

actually a glass-on-glass mosaic.

I use a glass cutter, so each piece is hand-cut

and adhered to the laminated glass at the back.

It has a texture on it, yes, that makes it a little more

interesting than a normal stained glass panel.

Yeah, you've got a lot of different types of glass in this.

This is all opaque, because I made this for my bathroom window.

So I wanted a bit of privacy so, so far up this is opaque

-and more transparent glass at the top.

-So, these are all hand-cut.

Every piece is cut by hand, yes.

So, how much time did it take you to make this piece?

I stopped counting when I got to 50 hours.

Your husband is in the Navy, so you travel a lot.

So how does that influence your work?

That's been a big influence, especially recently.

We travelled to Cyprus. We've had two tours over there.

We went round the historic sights in Paphos

and seeing the mosaics over there...

-Must be incredible.

-Yeah, I found that really interesting.

That inspired me to learn about mosaics on our return to UK.

So, is it a very complex process or is it something people can do

it at home or learn very quickly?

Well, I've learnt how to do the mosaics myself.

I would recommend a course for the copper foil technique

and the leaded technique,

but I'm quite happy with the progress I've made with mosaics.

You know, I always have a problem with one thing with glass when it comes.

Why do people use such traditional colours?

Is it because it's very limited colours which are available in glass?

I disagree, I think the colour in glass today is absolutely amazing.

Just look at the streaky glass and the colours you see.

So, ideally you would want to work with interior designers or architects

to work on commissions and that's your market you're thinking of?

Or do you want to just create some products and just sell?

I'm very open to ideas.

As long as people appreciate what I do,

that gives me fulfilment in what I do.

You know, when you go commercial, you have to count the hours beyond 50 as well.

-It's not 50 and you stop counting.

-I've got a lot of learning to do.

You have to keep all the record of it.

I think Karen's glasswork is beautiful. She's

working in a tradition that has been around since the 7th century

and still going strong.

We can see her work selling for around £500

and being an eye-catching feature piece in many houses.

Programmes like this, I think

it's invaluable, it's stirring an interest with younger generations.

Now, who's to say what we're seeing here today might not be

the antiques of the future?

The work of yesterday's makers is today sought after by bidders

all over the world in high-end auction rooms.

As with Karen's stained glass tree, the natural world has always provided

a rich source of artistic inspiration.

In London an unusual gilt inkstand is going under the hammer.

It's an early Victorian silver gilt inkstand, modelled as a lily pad.

With flowering buds, one forming the inkwell, which has a cover

and the other forming the pen holder.

It's made by Messrs Barnard and it was assayed in London in 1839.

Anything that's gilt normally is quite desirable.

Just because it looks quite nice on anyone's desk.

It's quite a quirky thing and I think the novelty

aspect of it is something which is also appealing to buyers.

So, I think probably the main selling point in it is the fact that it

is the naturalistic modelling of it, which is always quite collectible.

£2,000 is the estimate for the inkstand, a classic piece of Victoriana.

Those Victorians are well known for their love of decorations.

The origins of the Art Nouveau movement,

with its focus on nature, dates from this era.

Quality and quirkiness will always have an abiding

appeal for collectors.

I wonder if any of our finalists will feature in the auction

houses of the future. Jennifer McCartney Wells is a

28-year-old primary school teacher who has dreamed of being

a designer all her life.

Is her piece the one to get the judges talking?

Jennifer, I was so excited

when I heard that there was another milliner coming, I can't tell you.

And you've scored points, firstly, by actually wearing your creation.

-Yes, of course.

-Nothing worse than a milliner who doesn't show off her hat.

Give us a twirl.

Now, I think it's made, I know it's made with sinamay,

which is a sort of banana plant fibre.

That's right, yeah.

But what I'm interested to know is have you made every element yourself?

-I did make the mini top hat, actually.

-Now, that's impressive.

Take it off and show me a bit more closely.

This was actually just something recent

because I have to say I'm learning all the time

and for mini top hats what I quite often would do was buy the mini top hats pre-made.

But I decided, given the nature of this programme,

it would be better to actually make it myself.

Well done. That impresses me. I'm so happy.

If you'd come to me and said "Yeah, I got a shop-bought

"mini top hat on there," I would have cried.

I know. I know.

So, I'm really glad to see that as a milliner you've taken the time

and effort to make your own mini top hat.

Tell me what's the method you used to make it.

It's obviously got the base there,

which is a circular pattern with a circle out of the middle.

Then there's the side there which is a slightly longer piece

and then a disk for the top.

I have to be honest, that's the very first one that I've done.

Well, you've done a cracking job.

You really have, because they're not an easy thing to make

and you've done it really well.

There are bits that I think, "Next time I'll do that different."

What I like about this is that you've done something quite

sculptural here too with this piece of sinamay.

And you've wired the edges really nicely.

It's got a wire all the way through, so it holds its shape.

That's something that I really wanted to achieve,

is this idea of sculpture.

The pieces that I'm making, for me are a piece of art,

as well as something wearable.

-Isn't it fantastic making hats?

-It's amazing, it's fantastic.

I really, I have to be honest,

it was never something that I planned for.

When I was a young girl I wanted to make dresses.

Beautiful big dresses for princesses and then two years ago

I decided to do a night class

and millinery just happened to be at the local college and that was it.

-You were hooked.

-I was hooked. I fell in love instantly.

-And I haven't stopped.

-So, you've only ever done ten weeks training?

Well, it was one night a week for ten weeks.

Given that that's all you've done, I think that shows huge potential.

The little things I notice about it.

It's got a little bit of glue and stuff on it there,

it's got a bit of glue on the inside.

You know, things can be smartened up,

but as a piece to wear and as an idea, I think it's really great.

If you were going to sell something like this,

what sort of price do you think you would put it at?

Given the work you've put in.

Well, I did it over two nights,

so maybe about six to eight hours all in.

I think off the top of my head the top hats that

I was selling before I sold for maybe £30.

But they were the ones that you pre-bought. This is made from scratch.

Yeah, so I guess it would have to be more, but I don't know.

Given the hours you spent making it, you'd want to,

I think be selling it for something around £120 or so.

-Oh, my goodness.

-That's what I think a similar piece would command.

-Wow.

For a couture piece, I think you'd have to charge a realistic amount.

What do you want to do, Jennifer? Would you like to take it further?

I would love to, of course I would.

I have my day job, which of course I love. I'm a teacher.

I'm a primary teacher and I love my job.

I hope you get those kids making hats.

-Get them started early.

-But this is more personal, this is my dream.

This is about my creativity and being able to exercise that.

And if I could make that my day job,

if you like, then I think that would be a dream come true.

It's tough. I have to say making a living as a milliner ain't easy.

It may not be easy but it can definitely be rewarding.

Millinery is Mary Jane's area,

so I bow to her expertise in suggestions of a price tag of £120.

She knows the amount of blood,

sweat and tears that goes into making a hat like this.

But will the other judges share her enthusiasm for hats?

I can't tell you how exciting it was to speak to someone who's obviously

much further down the road than I am and has a wealth of knowledge

and experience to pass on.

It was a real treat, it was fantastic.

There's something of a millinery theme going on here today.

And three ladies are eager to show off their skill in the hat

department - Mary Jane better watch out.

Well, congratulations to all of you. Bernie, Rita, and Pat.

-You are the Hattery?

-We are.

-And you have created this hat in a day.

That is very clever. How do you start?

We start with a flat piece of sinamay.

Like that.

And then we block it on a wooden block,

which is underneath the hat for the crown.

And then the brim is blocked on, it's actually a fruit bowl.

That is a fruit bowl, is it?

I was just about to say is that a fruit bowl or is that something special?

A giant fruit bowl.

-Do you design it on paper or does it evolve?

-No, it just evolves.

We have a shape in mind, and then we work on it and it does just evolve.

What are those things? They're like curling tongs.

They are curling tongs, but we use them to make shapes, as well.

-Just like that.

-I see, it just heats up.

-And just keep going until we get a shape we like.

-Who's made what, here?

-These are Bernie's.

-OK.

-Is that your kind of style, Bernie?

-Yes, we all have our own style.

-I bet you do.

-So, that is just a little cocktail hat.

Very nice. Lovely colours.

Does it make you feel different when they're on?

Do you sort of have a different sort of character or personality?

-You feel feminine and elegant.

-We go to Ascot in them, don't we?

We make them and go to Ascot.

You don't make hats for men, do you? Not really. A bit boring?

-Tend to be less colourful.

-Well, hey, there's a market then.

There's a gap in the market, ladies.

-Colourful hats for men.

-I'm sure you'd wear one.

-I probably would.

-A red trilby or something.

-You never know what you do of a weekend.

-It's up to you.

-Yeah, I've got one of those.

Piyush is meeting Barbara Lawler, a retired teacher,

who is a lover of the ancient art of crochet.

But can Piyush see her work in one of London's top museums?

You know, I was having nightmares

when I heard that you were coming with a crochet bag,

because it's such a cliche for women to do crochet part-time.

But I'm very, very pleasantly surprised.

Looking at the product, you know,

it's brilliant, fantastic and very clever.

Tell me a little bit more about it.

Well, I started with some photographs of fruit that I'd

grown in the garden.

Apples and plums.

And I drew them

and then I made a template to work from on the computer.

And I crocheted just into the shapes. So, it isn't a written pattern.

It has its basis in free-form crochet,

which would be too hard to actually write down written instructions.

So, you follow a template or a picture.

-Do you have the template to show?

-Yes.

This is the one that shows crochet from the template.

You see, this is how I started.

So I crocheted that shape so it fitted into there.

So, how much time does it take for you to make one apple or one pear?

-Like this, maybe about 20 minutes.

-Wow.

So, this bag must have taken you a day to make?

-No, I'd think there would be about 50 hours in that.

-50 hours!

-Expensive bag.

-Oh, yes.

That's why nobody would buy it

because you could just buy a pair of knitted gloves for a pound.

So, if you saw this bag in the market,

how much would you buy it for?

On THE market or in a market?

-In a market or on the market.

-It depends where it was.

If it was in a craft stall, £80, but I think it's worth more than that.

-So how much is it worth?

-300.

-That's fair enough.

I'm sure there are a lot of craft lovers who would spend that

amount of money.

I don't think I'd like to sell it.

So, what's the purpose of making if you don't want to sell it?

Because I have an idea in my head and I visualise it in my head

and I need it to come out.

But is it a hobby craft, or do you want to take it to the next level?

Because you certainly have the skill and also the imagination.

So, a little bit of tweaks here and I think it could be very professional.

What would the next level be, then?

You need to just minimise a little bit.

Maybe the back fabric could be just plain fabric

and you are stitching those.

And it becomes commercial.

-I see.

-Maybe leather handles, instead of crochet handles.

So, you are reducing the manpower,

but you are still making the product which people will buy.

Don't you think it would detract a little from its, I don't know,

charm or appeal if you did that?

-I don't think so.

-I'm not...

-Little bit, make it more contemporary.

I do think it's amazing skill - what you have done is brilliant.

But it's a little bit becoming crafty.

It has got a very rural feel to it, with the shape of the bag

and things.

Again, I'm coming back to my point about certainly you have the

skill, but why not take it further.

I don't know where to go from here.

I'm quite happy just thinking things and then actually creating them.

But isn't that what a designer does?

There's no doubting Barbara's green and nimble figures.

Piyush is hard to please, but it seems Barbara's won him around.

If she were to sell her template in kit form she'd

encourage others while also making money.

It's just like an expression, it's something that comes out of your head,

and you make it with your hands.

What making can give you is not only satisfaction

but a unique piece to show off your effort at the end of the day.

We've invited makers

of all kinds to bring along their work today.

Rosie is a recent arts graduate...

-Where is this?

-This is Droitwich Spa High Street.

-Is it really?

Obviously inspired by your local surroundings.

Yes, I live in Droitwich.

I love the higgledy-piggledy cobbled stones

and the way it evolves into the houses.

It's all very organic.

Yes, this painting's called "Wonky Droitwich"

because they used to extract the brine for the salt.

And it's ruining the foundations of the buildings. So, it's all sort of tumbling inwards.

Yes, but I've obviously exaggerated it.

Good social history point there. And what's this one?

This painting's called "Salt Day" and it's in Salt Borough Market,

which is again in Droitwich.

I think you've come up with a great idea of representing your local town.

I love your style and that's quite unique, isn't it?

-How long have you been painting in this style?

-For a few years now.

It's really since I finished uni that I developed.

You just stumbled across it and thought this is really good.

I know you've sold the originals at an exhibition you had.

-These are of a print run. Good luck with these.

-Thank you.

-I think you've got a promising career.

-Oh, thank you.

-Stick at it.

I will do.

Creating a limited edition

print from your original painting is another way to generate revenue

as an artist. And if you're in the market, it makes art affordable.

Now, last of the day for Mary Jane is Rachel Norris,

she works in medicine, but is inspired by the zoological.

Could her piece be a classic design?

Rachel, one look at this and I'm thinking red carpet.

Thank you so much.

That's just the impact that I wanted to create with it.

A beautiful impact piece.

You wouldn't need to wear anything else, apart from a dress.

I have to admit, I've never made anything out of wire before,

so talk me through wirework jewellery.

How would you start making something like this?

Well, it starts with a reel of wire

-and a little heap of little gemstones you select.

-Yeah.

And you weave and you use sort of basket weaving techniques to

actually weave through the piece.

So, it's basket weaving techniques, is it?

It actually is an extension of that.

From the minute human beings could work with metal

they used those techniques, because they couldn't necessarily solder.

So, this is a way of making jewellery without soldering

the metal together.

So, it's a really ancient form of jewellery making?

The traditions that are being used in all of these crafts are not

lost, they're progressing.

They're being handed on to the next generation in a contemporary way.

I love this lazy lizard who's slithering over this lady's bosom.

But he wants this dragonfly.

How many hours would it take you to make a piece like this?

Because I'm a mum of three and I've got a busy working life,

if I was sitting down and I had two days to myself,

it would take about two and a half to three days to make.

Do you get really absorbed in what you're doing?

Yes, I can totally lose myself.

From that point of view, I would thoroughly recommend it to anybody wishing to take up

wirework and jewellery making or any craft, actually.

It is that part of release of creativity that may be pent up

in you for decades.

But that's what's so great about craft is it releases so much.

It's a fantastic way of expressing yourself.

It's a great way of distracting yourself from tough stuff

that's going on in your life.

And a way of making something beautiful. What type of wire is it?

It looks like some sort of copper wire to me.

If I could afford to work in silver and gold, oh, my goodness.

That would make this a hugely expensive piece.

-At £10 per metre of silver.

-£10 a metre for silver?

-Yes.

And I used 60 metres of wire in this. So, I work in copper.

One day, if someone commissions me to make a silver piece,

I'll make a silver piece.

Or a gold piece. Imagine, it would be fantastic.

It's a difficult thing to place in a way, because I imagine smaller

pieces at craft shows could sell for, I don't know.

What would you normally sell smaller pieces for?

I would like about sort of £70 or something.

-£70 for just a smaller piece.

-But again...

You tend to probably end up being at 30 or 40 pounds.

You'd like something a little bit more for it.

That's why I'm sort of thinking perhaps you should be

aiming at galleries or perhaps higher-end outlets in order to

maximise what you could.

Because it's such a huge amount of work.

It's also an investment of part of yourself goes into a piece.

And to let it go would be absolutely heart-breaking,

unless it was worth letting it go.

-Do you do cats?

-I haven't done a cat yet, but I'd love to do a cat.

Could I have a cat? That's my favourite creature.

-Yes, well, I'll do one.

-It's been lovely to meet you.

Thanks for coming in.

Rachel's pieces are so striking

and her attention to detail is phenomenal.

If she wants to sell her work for what it's worth, she should aim to persuade a high-end retail or

gallery to stock them.

It's a very positive feeling actually having somebody talk about the pieces that you're

making in such a lovely way.

It's important that the handmade revolution spurs you

all on to have a go.

And I want to show you how easy it is to get involved.

There are many talented teachers up and down the country, all

eager to pass their craft knowledge on to complete novices, like me.

We often associate a handmade tradition with a rural way of life.

But, it's central to our urban industrial heritage, too.

As I found out when visiting

a place at the very heart of British industry.

Today I'm in Sheffield.

For centuries it's been home of the British steel industry.

I'm meeting up with the last few remaining master cutlers

and I'm going to have a go at making a pair of scissors.

This is the only remaining scissor factory in Sheffield city

centre. It was founded in 1902

when Sheffield was world renowned as a cutlery town.

And there were 150 thriving scissor companies.

Nick Wright, the fifth generation of his family to be in the cutlery

trade, is determined this factory will survive.

In the '60s we probably had about 80 employees.

-Yeah, and how many do you have today?

-Three, skilled.

-Wow.

Why is that? Why is that? Cos the demand is still there, surely.

If you look back to the 1950s

and '60s the world came to Sheffield for scissors, but since the

event of globalisation, you've got the whole world making scissors now.

It's got a lot harder trying to compete with the foreign imports.

Where are they producing now? China, I would imagine?

China, India, Pakistan,

they're all big centres of industry for scissors now.

We are in the UK very small,

but we like to think that ours are as good as anyone's.

It's all about quality. I see the smile on your face.

At the end of the day quality counts and it will always last.

I'm keen to see these master craftsmen at work.

Ian started in the scissor factory in the days

when, if you took a job, it was a job for life.

He's now past retirement,

but he's stayed on because of the shortage of apprentices.

And for the love of scissors. How long have you been doing this?

46 years. With this company. I came here in 1968.

When Nicky's grandfather had the company and now we've got Nicky.

How many different types of scissors are there that you work on?

That I work on?

-More than 100, easily.

-Really?

And what's the most common pair of scissors?

-Is it that one you're holding now?

-This is the most common one.

-What do you call that?

-An eight-inch dressmaker's.

An eight-inch dressmaker's pair of scissors.

-Purely for dressmaking, for cutting fabric?

-Yes.

-Well, let's have a go.

Ribbon cutting ceremonies, dressmaking,

haircutting and even the odd pair for left-handers,

all the scissors made here are made for a specific purpose.

Wunderbar.

Now that we've put an edge on the scissors to make them

fit for use, it's on to the next stage.

-Eric.

-Paul.

-Pleased to meet you.

You are one of the last master cutlers here as well.

-Part of the trio, carrying on the long tradition.

-56 years.

-56 years.

How many pairs of scissors do you think you've made in your life?

-Millions, I must have touched.

-And you never get bored of it?

-A little bit.

Sometimes.

What have you been working on today? I've been bow dressing.

-What does that mean?

-Bow dressing is just polishing the bows up.

-So these have to be done and these have been done.

-That's right.

It used to be a female's job, a woman's job. It used to be.

-Of course, they've all gone now.

-It's a dirty old job, isn't it?

It is a dirty job, yeah.

In its heyday in the 1960s,

Hundreds of thousands were employed

in the cutlery industry here in Sheffield.

The techniques used to make scissors here haven't changed since then.

Takes your fingerprints off.

Here the blades are being polished,

which give the scissors their smooth and shiny surface.

I wouldn't want to have a go at that.

You have to have the right amount of tension holding those scissors,

because they'll just go flying off everywhere.

And as it looks now, it is a fantasia,

a symphony of scissor sparks.

You won't do that all day long, will you?

-No, I don't do this all day long.

-Are they hot?

-They are hot, yes.

-Oh!

The final stage is for the scissors to be smithed -

or straightened - and assembled, ready to go in the furnace.

Cliff works as a master scissors-putter-togetherer -

yes, that's his official title.

You did a five-year apprenticeship, didn't you?

You've obviously served your time throughout your life.

-You can safely say you are a master cutler.

-Yeah.

But I wouldn't say it was a five-year apprenticeship,

more like ten or fifteen-year apprenticeship.

-Do you feel that you never stop learning?

-You don't.

You never stop learning and I'm still learning now.

-What's the first thing you do?

-We go round it like that. See, like that.

-Now, it don't look very neat.

-No, it doesn't, does it?

But when I put two more processes after this, you wouldn't know. Right.

Let's see. Now then. See how that's come flat?

You can run your fingers down and it is flat.

-That's pretty good, isn't it?

-I'm happy with that.

-These will last 100 years, won't they?

-They would do, yeah.

It really annoys me when you go to the cheap shops and you see three pairs of scissors

for £2.50 and you use them once

and they don't even cut a piece of paper and you chuck them.

-Everything's solid on that.

-Make it once and make it last a lifetime.

Granddaughter works at college doing dressmaking, etc.

And I make her scissors.

And she says they're brilliant and I said they're not brilliant, them scissors,

they're poetry in motion.

There's hope that this craft will be passed on into the next century.

Because the factory has recently taken on a new

generation of scissor maker.

Jamie, you are the new apprentice.

You are the fresh blood that's come here.

Did you think that you want to work with your hands,

"I want to be a master cutler" or what?

-Something practical, mainly.

-And how did you find out about the job here?

Through the council. They've got an apprenticeship scheme just started this year.

What was going through your mind as you were walking through the door for the first time?

I didn't think it was going to be as complicated as it is.

There's a lot more to it than what meets the eye.

-And because there's a challenge, has that made you keener?

-Yeah.

How is he doing, by the way?

Come on, first impressions.

He's coming along slowly, but he's coming along.

-Does he make a good cup of tea?

-Very good.

-That's his first and foremost job.

-You know, I knew he'd say that.

Scissor making is a huge part of Sheffield's social history

and heritage.

And it's great that companies like this are fighting to keep

local production alive.

They're passing on the skills of these masters to the next

generation of handmade revolutionaries.

Is there a lot of pressure on you to carry on the family tradition?

Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

There's certainly light at the end of the tunnel.

It's been hard, but I'm absolutely passionate about it.

-I really want to do it.

-But it starts right here, right now.

Yeah, exactly.

-You've got a cracking team.

-We have, that's what's most important.

Three of the last surviving master cutlers, eh?

I've been told to bring a penny in, I don't know why?

But there's your penny.

I am going to give you the gift of a pair of scissors.

Thank you very much. These are the ones I worked on.

The old myth is you give the gift of a blade and it can sever a friendship.

So, if I take the penny off you, we should stay friends for ever.

Thank you.

Look at that. They just feel fabulous. Great British skills.

That's what it's all about.

I appreciate that not everyone can have a go at scissor making,

unless of course you fancy an apprenticeship in Sheffield

but it's so important that quality industrial craftsmanship is

still being championed.

But now it's crunch time for our five finalists.

This is where one of them will earn a privilege that could change their life.

It's time to find out who will be judges' favourite.

A wide range of stuff to choose from, but only one of them can be

our favourite today.

So, Piyush, maybe you could start by telling us about the people you met.

This is a stained glass panel by Karen.

But it's a mosaic pattern because small little colour

pieces of glass are actually glued on the other glass.

So, it's a lot of work involved in that.

So, it's actually two sheets of glass and not one, which is what is looks like.

-Yes.

-So a bit more unusual.

It would give me satisfaction,

I think, and contentment to have my craft recognised and appreciated.

I'd be overjoyed.

It's a lot of texture there.

She's got some three-dimensional bits down at the bottom.

Which I'm not sure about, but, yes, it looks pretty.

I'd like it in my conservatory,

but would I think of anything more to it than that?

I'm not quite sure. It's pretty, as you say, but is that enough?

Maybe just pretty, OK. What about the next?

This is Barbara, which pleasantly surprised me

because I was having nightmares about crochet.

You were worried about crochet?

I personally don't like crochet, but she's a very clever lady.

What she's done is developed patterns of crochet.

-And then you can colour it yourself.

-It's a passion.

It's something that I'm just driven to do.

It think there's a lot of innovative ideas she's throwing in this bag.

-What's it made out of?

-It's acrylic yarn, which I am not sure about.

OK, Mary Jane, what about you?

Well, Jennifer has been studying millinery for a short time.

Great to see another hat maker. It's not my favourite material.

It's made out of sinamay, which is terribly high street,

to be honest, but she's done it all by hand.

She's made the mini top hat by hand

and I appreciate that she's done that.

And it's more than just a fascinator.

-It's got more to it than that.

-This is my love, millinery.

And, yeah, I would love to be a full-time milliner.

There's no doubt about it. If I could make this my life, I would do it at the drop of a hat.

-She is clearly a quick study.

-I think she's got a lot of potential.

-I think it's very well executed.

-Yes, definitely.

-OK, how about the bowl?

-Then there's Tony's bowl. So tactile.

Turned on a lathe and I think he's got a very lovely finish on it.

It's a beautiful thin quality.

And to be honest, I couldn't take my hands off it.

I think for an amateur, he's done a really good job.

And he's really exploited that thing you can do in turning where

you expose the profile of the tree by leaving its edge there.

And I think that works nicely.

This is something that I can actually succeed at.

If I was chosen as the judges' favourite,

I would be absolutely thrilled to bits.

It's very simple.

I think it's something that I would buy

but not necessarily very inventive.

-You do see a lot of things like this.

-You do.

-OK, the necklace.

And then Rachel's necklace.

Interestingly, Rachel is a vascular ultrasound specialist,

so she spends her time looking inside people.

And I think her wirework necklace is also doing that.

It's looking inside the creatures.

She's used over 60 metres of wire in this. It's a lot of work.

And she loves using these images from nature, so creatures.

She said that this gecko is endlessly chasing this dragonfly.

-It's lovely.

-It is really nice.

-Very quirky. Yeah.

Quirky, catwalk, red carpet.

My goodness, it would be an ultimate accolade to be successful.

I don't for one minute think I will, because I've seen

the standard of everyone here, but it would be a tremendous privilege.

-So, are you left with a clear choice?

-There were a few possibilities.

Swinging between one or the other, but I think I know what I'm going to choose.

It's very difficult for me in this one.

I think for technical skills and the amount of work involved,

I think I know what I'll go for.

It's a tough choice this time around.

They seem very evenly balanced to me, but I think I'm going to

go for one that's very well-executed, very well-made, but also has

a little bit of spirit to it, a little bit of the unexpected.

So who will be judges' favourite?

So judges, have you reached a decision yet?

-What do you think, guys?

-I think we have.

-I think so.

-You sure?

-Yes.

We have a decision for you, Paul.

Right, I can see that was a tough one.

It's now time to bring in the finalists.

Come on in.

Firstly, a big thank you to all of you for sharing your wonderful

work with us today.

Your talent and your zest for making is clear.

Now, before I reveal the results of the judges' deliberations, let me

tell you about the opportunity we have in place for one of you.

Today's judges' favourite will have their work

put on display in the V & A shop.

In the heart of the world-renowned Victoria & Albert Museum.

Now, let me tell you for an unknown maker, it doesn't get any better than that.

So, fingers crossed.

The judges have made their decision.

I'm pleased to announce today's judges' favourite is...

..Rachel and her necklace.

Well done. Well done. That's a great result, isn't it?

I'm absolutely totally thrilled and extremely honoured. Thank you so much.

To be judged by people who have made it in the field

and who are the best in the field, it is an extreme honour.

Your work's now going to be rubbing shoulders with the best.

Well, I never cease to be amazed how much flair

and talent there is out there.

All waiting to be discovered.

Who knows, maybe there's a master maker in you, wanting to burst out.

So come on, come and join us in our handmade revolution.