Episode 4 Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution

For most of our history, making things by hand was the norm.

Skills were passed down from one generation to the next.

Today, some of these traditional crafts are in danger

of dying out forever.

That's why I'm issuing a call to action.

Let's keep Britain's craft heritage alive.

I'm Paul Martin, and this is my Handmade Revolution.

CHEERING

We've been searching the country to find the very best of amateur British makers.

It'd be wonderful to be able to do it full time.

And that's what I'm striving for.

And we'll be finding out just how important these items could be.

To be known for my crafts would be my number one ideal dream, ever.

What I enjoy most is people can look at them.

And it's that, "I could do that."

'These people don't know that one of them will be

'given a life-changing opportunity, the chance to see their work

'on display at the spiritual home of the handmade.'

Today's judges' favourite is...

In this series, I'm celebrating all that's great about handmade Britain,

and I'll be showing you how you can get involved.

We're at the Amberley Heritage Centre in West Sussex,

which is on the site of an old chalk pit.

For over 100 years, right up till the 1960s,

chalk was quarried here,

burnt in the kilns and used to make lime for mortar.

Today, the centre provides a setting

for a group of dedicated craftsmen and women who are championing

the traditional skills of the past,

true Handmade Revolutionaries.

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

the objects that will stand the test of time.

Later in the programme, I'll be showing you what it takes

to make an original and unique piece of jewellery.

But first, I'm on the lookout for Britain's finest amateur makers,

to help me spearhead my Handmade Revolution.

From the hundreds of applications, a handful have been selected

to present their best work to our panel of judges.

So, who's got what it takes to impress?

And the stakes could not be higher, with the prize on offer,

the chance to see their work

at the world-renowned Victoria and Albert Museum.

Before we meet our finalists, let's meet the judges who'll decide

whether they've really got what it takes.

Mary Jane Baxter is a craft writer, teacher and milliner,

who's passionate about handmade.

I can't wait to see what we find.

I know there's tons of talent out there. It's going to be great.

Entrepreneur Piyush Suri is the force behind an organisation

that champions up-and-coming designer-makers.

There's a revival in handmade all across Britain and I absolutely love being a part of it.

And our Chief Judge, Glenn Adamson, is Head of Research

at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and at the very top of his field.

This country has such a rich tradition of crafts.

I hope to meet people carrying that on into the 21st century.

Everyone here is a signed-up member of the Handmade Revolution,

all determined to keep our traditional skills alive.

But for one lucky maker, this day could change their lives.

It's time to let the judges loose.

And first up is 29-year-old Bertie Whitford,

who makes his living as a teacher.

Could his work be an antique of the future?

Wow!

-Does it open?

-It does, yes.

-Oh, wow!

I see a lot of influences in your work.

Was it deliberate, or...?

This piece is made after a bonheur du jour,

which is an 18th-century lady's writing desk,

originated in Paris.

It literally means "daytime delight."

Ladies would sit down and read and write their letters on it.

Typically, a graceful, small piece.

I wanted to recreate something along those lines,

but with a contemporary twist,

that wouldn't look too dated.

I really like curves, as well.

A lot of contemporary furniture

is quite angular, quite straight.

So I'd never made any cabriole legs before.

I was really interested in doing that,

so that was quite a fun part.

Also, the tamber,

which is a nice alternative to doors.

A sort of hidden facet of the piece.

This does remind me of a breadbasket.

It's been said before.

It has been likened to a breadbin before.

Would it be fair to say this is your first piece

where you experimented with different techniques?

Yes, quite complex techniques, as well.

What got you into furniture design?

I really enjoy doing things with my hands.

I was teaching English before,

and realised I wanted to do something slightly different,

but I wasn't sure what.

I used to make stencils and quite enjoy monotonous tasks,

and the detail of cutting out intricate things.

So I decided to do a short course

in cabinet making.

Really enjoyed it,

and went from there, really.

What is it about wood you love so much?

Every piece is unique.

That sounds a little trite,

but you take away the surface,

and you get an amazing figuring and you're not sure what's underneath.

It's an assault on the senses, as well.

In the workshop, you can smell it.

You can hear if it's planing properly,

and, obviously, feeling it is...

The most valuable tool I have is my hands.

Nothing can really tell if something's a correct curve

better than running your fingertips across and seeing if it follows the correct line.

I think you have a good attention to detail in your work,

but I do think you should stick to a limited style.

I don't know if I want to define my style.

You have lots of styles going on in one piece.

So if you define your style, probably, it's better.

Because, technically, it's superb, I think.

What would it mean to do this full time?

Everything, really.

The short time I am in my workshop, I find it absorbing.

And I just... Yeah,

it would be wonderful to be able to do it full time.

And that's what I'm striving for.

You're clearly very passionate about it, so goodbye to your day job now, probably?

I like that as well, but you know...

you have to make choices.

If Bertie keeps this up and makes a name for himself,

pieces like this desk could make him thousands of pounds.

I think he's very talented but what will the other judges make of it?

At the other end of the scale is 52-year-old Malcolm Wright,

who works as a graphic designer in Kent.

His love of music led him

to take up a rather unusual craft, as Mary Jane is finding out!

Whoa! So quirky, Malcolm - I love it!

It's a very different thing to see - and hear.

-Yes.

-What an incredible thing. What is it?

What is it? It's based on an old AfricanAmerican

early-1800s cigar box guitar.

The guys were taken away from their homes, they were slaves.

They wanted to create music,

so what they done was,

they would get themselves a box -

-something cigars come in, or whiskey...

-Yes.

-..Put a fence post through it.

-Put one string on it, and before you know it...

-HE STRUMS A CHORD

..they have an instrument they were playing.

That's the tradition of the cigar box guitar - made from thrown-away items.

It's a real Depression instrument, isn't it?

Yeah, but it's obviously developed since that time,

and we now come into things like this,

-which are electric, people can put pick-ups in them.

-Yeah!

The tradition is, if it's laying around and it can make a noise,

let's make a noise.

Tell me, Malcolm, I'm fascinated to know how

you go from a cigar box to a guitar.

This one is not made of a cigar box,

but it's based on exactly the same principle.

It is a wooden box - that's all it is.

If you think about any modern guitar,

all it is is a wooden box with a stick in it.

That's really the principle of it.

You don't have the sound-hole in the centre, as you would on a guitar.

How do you get around that?

With this one, I made the body quite deep.

I just cut holes in the wood.

These are bit of old radiator grille, that you put on your radiator at home.

So, again, it's the same spirit of using stuff that's lying around

-to make the instruments.

-Absolutely.

What about this part of it?

The neck can be any length of wood.

This one is slightly better - it's a hardwood neck.

The only difference that makes

is it's able to take the tension of the strings slightly better.

An important thing.

But most of it is just softwood rubbish.

Is it a difficult thing to make? In some ways, it looks quite crude.

It's not difficult to make, believe you me.

You've probably heard this a lot,

but if I can make it, anyone can make it.

I think that's quite an interesting aspect of this particular craft.

Some things involve huge processes and a lot of training,

but this is the other aspect of craft -

that it can be something very make-do,

that you just pick up and have a go at.

I guess it's part of the whole naive craft movement...

which is very inclusive.

They have a unique sound, as well, which is that very crude...

it's not like a top-end electric guitar.

-Talk about sound - give us a whirl!

-I could show you how it sounds.

-HE STRUMS A CHORD

-It's quite a tinny sound,

but as it's based on the old blues, most of them were played with slides.

So you'd have this lovely sort of...

HE PLAYS SLIDE GUITAR

Yeah.

Which is a real blues sound.

South, American, bluesy sound.

I can feel relaxation in my bones just listening to this.

You can imagine old guys sitting on the porch with this after a day's work.

You have no intention of turning it, do you think,

into a business? Do you like having it as a hobby?

I love having it as a hobby.

I wouldn't say no to selling them.

Never say, "Never".

What I enjoy most is the fact people can look at them,

and it's that, "I could do that."

-Yes.

-That's what I love. I love to teach people about them,

and tell people about their history.

Quite hard to judge in some ways,

because it is, as you say, quite simple to make,

and yet it's got this very, very pleasing

naive quality, which I'm also very attracted to,

and I love your individual touches.

You've given me a tricky one to judge.

-HE LAUGHS

-OK!

There's a massive collectors' market for antique guitars like Gibsons

and Martins.

They can sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds.

But I have seen handmade guitars like Malcolm's on sale

for over £200.

We'll find out later if he's a winner.

As Bertie and Malcolm know, the ancient skill of working with wood takes many forms.

Colin is a man after my own heart.

He's known as "the Amberley Bodger."

He's committed to keeping the traditional skill of pole-lathing

well and truly alive.

'The lathe is an ancient tool,

'believed to date from over 1000 BC.

'This type, the pole lathe, which relies on pedal-power,

'has been used to turn wood since the Middle Ages.'

Colin, this looks fabulous, and smells fabulous, as well.

Look at all this!

Yes, if anyone misbehaves,

we get them to sweep it up at the end of the day!

PAUL LAUGHS

Tell me a little bit what you're doing.

There's two or three of us in the group down here at Amberley.

Basically, I'm keen to put forward these crafts to people who come and visit the museum.

I'm a member of the Association of Pole-Lathe Turners.

750-odd in the country. Keeping the craft going.

And it's all happening on the downward stroke of that treadle, isn't it?

Absolutely.

When you get tired on one leg, do you swap legs?

-Yeah, I'm "legbidextrous", so there's no problem there.

-THEY LAUGH

I like the fact you're working with the green wood,

so it's what you're finding,

it's fresh, it doesn't blunt the chisel so quickly.

-What is it? What have you got there? Beech?

-Actually, we have ash here.

We're very fortunate. As a group,

we work as volunteers for the National Trust every year...

in the winter, helping them clear fell.

-We get the wood in the summer, which is the proper way of doing things...

-Exactly.

Cutting the woods in the winter, use in the summer.

-What are you making there - a small chair leg?

-A garden dibber.

I have been making some chairs.

There's one up on my other table over there,

I've been making today.

I make anything in the round, basically.

I have no plans, I don't design. I just think, "OK - chair, chair leg."

Well, I'll leave you to it, OK?

I'll watch for a little while, though,

because this, for me,

really is poetry in motion.

Next up is 25-year-old Jessica Melville-Brown,

a waitress from Bristol.

Could her handmade jewellery take pride of place

in a world-famous museum?

Let's see what we've got here.

Wow. Interesting.

Thank you.

Why don't you tell me a bit more about this.

This is an enamel piece.

It's kind of a Japanese style, which I started off with,

and it's based on origami.

So, enamel is using powdered glass and copper.

This copper I use is really thin copper, so it worked as paper,

or card, so I could mould the shapes.

When I put the enamel onto it, then it strengthens it.

It makes this really hard surface,

so all of the shapes I have made will stay.

So how did you get into all this?

I was at university, and I did drawing and applied arts,

which is like a craft course.

In the first year we got to choose different subjects.

One of the subjects I chose was enamelling.

Then in my second year I was lucky enough to go to Barcelona.

I went to this amazing art school, that's, like, 225 years old,

that had loads of kilns, floor to ceiling enamels,

and that was where I learned more of the colour techniques

with the lead-based enamels.

Why are you so passionate about enamelling?

What inspires you about it?

What inspires me is the fact it's such a diverse craft.

You can pick it up straight away,

and you can do something really simple.

And with industrial enamel... it's very easy.

You can paint it on, get it in the kiln and get a nice effect.

Also with enamel, it's kind of a lost ancient craft,

and even in my uni, the enamel research department closed down

because of educational cuts.

So I want to bring enamel out there,

to be known as a really important craft, because it's so ancient.

So you want to focus on traditional methods of enamelling?

Yes. At the moment I'm working with lots of recycled metals.

So lots of the jewellery I've made recently is antique pieces,

which are old door handles or key chains.

But why jewellery?

With your technique and inspiration about origami,

I can see beautiful, large sculptures. Why don't you do that?

So many people do jewellery.

There's such a wonderful talent out there as well,

so I do think it will really help you to create big pieces,

sculptural pieces, which can show your talent.

So, do you want to take this full time as a career now?

I'd love to take it full time.

Now I've got my big kiln, I can start making massive sculptures.

Look forward to seeing the pieces.

Jessica sells pieces like this for £70.

She's exactly what I'd hoped to find today -

young people embracing ancient traditions

and putting their own slant on them.

I think craft is sometimes forgotten about in the art world.

At uni even, if I was doing craft, it's a bit sneered at.

I just think it's really important.

It's not just about making pretty things, it's about the process.

In these days of mass production,

it's easy to forget there was a time when everything was made by hand.

Talented makers, like the people here, were the norm,

rather than the exception.

Their work is now highly sought after in upmarket auction rooms

all round the world.

Some of the most famous are in London.

By honouring the history of her craft,

Jessica has become part of a rich tradition of enamelware.

Since ancient times, enamelling has been renewed

and reinvigorated by craftsmen and women like her.

A particular flowering of the skill was during the Art Nouveau period.

Here we have a pair of Art Nouveau Edwardian photograph frames

with the mark of Horton and Allday.

They were assayed in Birmingham, in 1903.

Enamelling was very popular in the Art Nouveau period.

It allowed for a form of decoration

which meant that items

didn't have to be encrusted with jewels,

but they were able to pick out colours and highlights,

and make things more decorative at a reasonable price.

The enamel itself would have been hand painted on,

and that in itself is quite a skill.

But what about the big question of its value?

The prices for Art Nouveau photograph frames varies substantially.

Them being a pair, that increases the value.

The enamelling is of good quality,

so makes them more valuable than others.

This particular pair is expected to sell for somewhere

in the region of £4,000.

Our head judge, Glenn, has been combing the site for makers

with one eye on the past.

I always liked going to visit churches and church windows,

wondering how they put the glass together.

I wanted to replicate a Victorian leaded window for my home,

so I went to night school.

When they make a window they use lead.

These are made with copper foil,

which is how they make the Tiffany lamps.

You know, a really interesting thing about stained glass

is that most crafts we think you need to preserve the craft

to keep the skill alive.

Stained glass is a craft that has been kept alive

because of preservation,

because when you have old buildings,

obviously the windows get broken,

so you need to keep relearning the skill of stained glass.

So William Morris and his colleagues in the Arts and Crafts movement,

they were reviving stained glass really for old buildings,

to put new glass in old buildings.

Then again, after World War II, lots of rebuilding

because of bombed churches, like in Coventry,

and that's how these crafts of stained glass keep with us today.

Here, Mary, I have this shield that you made featuring this lion crest.

Can you tell us a little bit about it?

Yes, it's a copy of the badge of an airline that I worked for in the early '70s

and that was British Caledonian Airways,

and the lion was actually sandblasted onto the glass

and that takes the top layer of the glass off and that turns it that sort of milky white colour.

And when you're done it looks almost like two completely different materials, doesn't it?

Yes, as it changes, as it gets darker in the day, the lion seems to get whiter. Yeah.

Of course that's so important with stained glass, the way light comes through it.

-Yes, definitely.

-If you're in a cathedral on a fine day and see the light

streaming through the windows it's so fantastic, nothing can beat it.

There's nowhere else to hang stained glass other than in a window. It has to be in a window, yes.

With that image in mind,

and to prove that anyone can get involved, we thought it would be fun

to get the crowd here at Amberley to turn their hands to making one.

-David, hello.

-Hello, there.

-What's everybody been up to today?

Well, basically, throughout the day, people have been coming in, slotting a piece of glass in.

Doing their own section?

Basically, and cutting a piece of lead across the top

and then capping it off and then straight on to the next one, whoever comes in.

Brilliant, so they've all been part of this.

And you're using my favourite colours. Look at this -

blue and red, look at that! There we go.

There's one panel left, look. Is that down to me? Can I have a go?

-Certainly, yes!

-OK, what do we do? Take these nails out?

-You start taking the pins out that side.

-Nice pins, big lead pins.

-Well, they're horseshoe nails.

-Lovely, aren't they?

-We'll have to put this back together again.

-And then with this one.

-If we just literally do that...

-There we go.

-Can I take this one out?

-Yes.

-It's rewarding work, isn't it?

-It can be.

It can be quite stressful as well at times! No, it's therapeutic.

Of course it is. You got that in straight away, that's good.

It's just a case of then pushing that back into place.

There, like so.

-There's the window.

-And there's the window.

-So all you have to do now is solder the joints together.

-I've got to solder each joint

and then I've got to put a black gunk in, which is lead-like cement.

-So it's not so flexible, it actually tightens the whole thing up.

-Yes.

-Within a day, that'll start to go off.

-Yes.

And then that'll be it.

You can hold it up to the light and go, "Yes! This is Britain's Handmade Revolution!"

This is what it's all about, it starts here.

-I'm going to catch everyone outside and see what else is going on.

-OK, great stuff.

Well, there's no denying traditional skills put a smile on your face.

If you'd like to try your hand at arts and crafts then visit our website

for videos to inspire you, or download our how-to guide for crafty tips.

Our next item is rather, well, a unique one made by 53-year-old Karina Stoitzner.

Has it got what it takes to make it through?

Karina, I gather you've been looking after a flock of sheep.

This sheep is made out of wool from that flock

-so right from the start he's been home-grown.

-Yes, yes.

Tell me a little bit about the method you've used to make it.

It's a Japanese form of crochet, isn't it?

It is, it is called amigurumi

and it's basically crocheting around which gives you the option to shape.

It's almost like sculpturing with crochet.

It's quite a mathematical process

because you have to count your stitches, which appeals to me.

It's very orderly.

And you learnt to craft initially at the feet of your mum, I believe.

Yes, my mum and my nan really.

My mum was a handicraft teacher so I got the basics from her.

I was very lucky.

And in my youth I stopped, like we all do.

We have other things to do that are more important.

Teenage lifestyle didn't allow for much.

Partying and music and things, yes.

And then I got rather ill and I had to have some chemotherapy.

Because I couldn't leave the house, I needed something to occupy my hands.

I wasn't very mobile at that point so I started amigurumi.

And I had patterns at first, and I made little creatures,

which I could accomplish in a day so that gave me a real sense of achievement at the end of the day

and it got me through the six months of therapy.

And then I moved away from patterns really quickly

and started developing my own style.

Could you imagine doing this as more than just a hobby?

-Maybe making it into a profession of some sort?

-I wish I could.

I really wish I could.

I realise that I can't myself make enough of these to make a living out of it,

but my dream is to give workshops to teach people the traditional craft

and teach them the whole process,

like from the sheep shearing to something like that.

-Taking the product right through to the selling stage.

-Yes.

I mean, I could see this sort of creature in small craft shops.

And what sort of price do you think people are willing to pay for these?

-I've put these in the farm shop for about £50.

-£50?

-Yes.

And how much work does that reflect?

-For me to make one of those is about 20 hours.

-20 hours' work?

Yes, and then you have the material on top.

So you feel they need to be that expensive to...

If you work that out, that's about a pound an hour for my work.

It's difficult because you can also see that actually as a product

perhaps it would be difficult to sell at that price point too so it's quite a tricky one.

-And do you make other animals as well?

-Yes, I make loads of creatures.

I make fairies, I make dragons, I, er... Witches, ghosts for Halloween.

I do everything, I've even crocheted baubles for Christmas trees.

-Would you say you're addicted to amigurumi, Karina?

-Yes.

I think you are, aren't you? I think you are.

It's my passion, it's my love, yes. Absolutely.

Thank you very much indeed for bringing him in. Let's release him.

He can go and rejoin his flock and perhaps go grazing this afternoon.

-Yes.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I think the £50 price tag is fair for the huge amount of work

that's gone into this unique piece, but is it a Handmade Revolution winner?

I think she liked it. I think she liked that it was so tactile,

that she could squeeze it and cuddle it without it falling apart,

and it just feels nice because of the real wool that it's made of.

Will our judges feel Karina's work deserves to win our amazing prize?

Or will it be the work of our next finalist?

Noreen Todd is an accountant in her 60s who came late to making

and now hopes to follow her dream of being a glass artist.

-Wow! It's Adam and Eve inside.

-Yes.

-Oh, wow.

-And a snake.

-Oh, yes.

-The snake is at the bottom, a serpent.

You like shocking people, don't you?

I do, and I'm really intrigued by this stuff in our lives which is hidden or half hidden,

and the things that go on behind closed doors.

-A mystery element.

-Yes.

-We all love that.

-Yes. Do we? I don't know.

A lot of people look inside it and they're quite shocked

so I'm not quite sure whether it's a good thing or a bad thing to do.

I think it's a good thing probably because you're expressing yourself

and there's nothing wrong in expressing yourself.

That's art form.

So how did you get into glass?

I went off to do a foundation course because I got really jealous

when my son got to 18, he went to Chelsea College of Art

which is something I've wanted to do and I'd been persuaded in my youth

that it wasn't a thing to do to become an artist

so I went off and became an accountant.

I had to go off to art college when I got so jealous

and there they told me I had to go and do a degree, which I did,

and during the course of that I saw somebody making glass

and that just got me interested and once I started, I just couldn't stop.

Can this piece be used or it's just a purely decorative piece?

Well, I consider it an art piece.

I think it would be sad if it was used, because the design is mainly on the inside.

If you put water and flowers into it, the idea would go, wouldn't it?

-So what kind of techniques did you use?

-Erm, it's a combination.

First of all it's made flat,

three layers of flat glass that are fused so the inside I've got paint in,

on the outside I've got these things, called murrini, these small things,

which is pulled glass as if you were pulling rock.

I place it all together, put it in a kiln and fuse it as one block.

Then it's heated back up again, it's rolled onto a blowing iron,

kind of knitted together and then blown out.

-It's a very complex process.

-Very complex, yes.

So are you going to take this a full-time career or is it just a hobby right now?

No, well, I don't think I'll ever be good enough glass-blower to make it into a career.

Why? Is it a confidence issue?

-No, it's because I started too late in my life.

-Oh, it's never too late.

But it takes years and years and years to be a confident glass-blower.

To do something this size you've got to have more than one person

so I'd never be able to blow this entirely on my own.

I do think that your work I think fits very well with a gallery

because it's not that commercial but it's more of a collector piece.

It is, yes.

So I do think you should continue with this probably,

and just create a series of stories so that people can understand the story behind it.

And probably one day an exhibition in a gallery would be great.

I'd love to, yeah.

It's hard to put a price on the artwork of Noreen.

Modern pieces of glass like this can command up to £400

but antique examples can make much, much more.

The art of glass-blowing came to Britain with the Romans,

but across the world other methods of making beads

and drinking vessels were used even further back in history.

Part of the purpose of the Handmade Revolution

is to encourage you at home to try your hand at making something

but it's also vital for me that we honour our proud craft tradition,

ensuring that it's not just a thing of the past but a feature of the future, too.

I want to champion these talented amateurs, yes,

but also celebrate the work of the masters, like Chris Hawkins.

He's a silver and goldsmith specialising in men's jewellery.

His workshop is under the famous viaduct in Brighton.

It's bright with gemstones and precious metals,

a master craftsman who believes in passing his knowledge on to others.

What inspired you to take up this craft?

Things I enjoy like drawing with sculpture, it's a good outlet for that.

Jewellery is a really diverse craft so you can take it in any direction really.

-You specialise in male jewellery.

-I do.

-Why is that?

-Women spend a lot more money, there's a bigger market.

-Indeed, yes.

It's something I discovered.

I seem to design in a quite masculine way,

which initially seemed a bit of a problem

because I went, "Actually, the things I design, men like them,"

but then I gradually realised that those are the most successful designs so I just went with that.

-And you did an apprenticeship?

-I did a five-year apprenticeship through the Goldsmiths Guild.

What did it involve over those five years?

Well, you work for a master and I was lucky enough to find a really good guy

who trained me and he had really interesting commissions,

and the final thing is you actually make a masterpiece which you then present to the Goldsmiths Guild.

They have an exhibition and they basically judge your masterpiece

as to whether you've reached the sort of standard they require.

Chris trained under the watchful eye of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths,

which has set the standards for the trade for over 700 years.

The company has been responsible since 1300 for testing the quality of precious metals.

In fact, the term "hallmark" dates from the 15th century

when London craftsmen were first required to bring their work

to the Goldsmiths Hall for assaying and marking.

I can't wait to have a go. I've got all day here, I've got very limited skills in this kind of thing

-but I'm willing to learn.

-I'm sure, I'm sure you do.

'Chris thinks the best thing for a novice to start with is a ring.'

-Is this one of the first things you'd get somebody to do?

-It is because a lot of the techniques used

in this project would be useful in almost anything you come to make.

The first thing I'm going to get you to do is to learn how to use the saw.

The way to start a saw cut is actually like this.

You sort of push it up so you are jarring, and then just start.

Try to let the saw go through the metal at a right angle,

-so rather than doing this it wants to be sort of quite long, smooth strokes.

-Yep.

-OK?

-OK.

-And that's it, really.

-Well done.

-That looked very easy and I'm sure it's not.

-It's simple, do you want to give it a go?

-Yeah.

-Could people tackle this at home at this sort of stage?

-You could do.

You can actually buy these jeweller's pegs and they can bolt onto a sturdy table.

I mean, it's really nice to have what's called the jeweller's D

-on the bench so that you can get enclosed.

-Get in tight.

It does add difficulties working on a normal table.

-There we go, Chris.

-Let's have a look. That's absolutely fine.

OK, so the next stage is to find out what size your finger is.

-Shall I give you my wedding ring?

-Yeah, that's perfect.

That's once you've actually cut the metal. Let's have a look.

-It's a pretty fat finger, isn't it?

-It's a goodish size, I call it. Yes.

'It's important to measure accurately as you don't want any precious metal going to waste.'

You can actually feel the saw doing all the work, can't you, on that downward stroke?

It's a kind of a wave your hand, the way it does the work, exactly.

When you've done it a few times, you find you don't have to hold it quite as tight as you at first think.

That's great.

'The next stage of the process is hammering a texture for decoration.

'You can be as intricate as you like here

'but I've gone for a simple contemporary pattern of hammer strokes.'

It's gone a bit wiggly. You can see I haven't been hitting evenly.

-Is that OK?

-Yeah, we can straighten that up, yeah.

Does that look all right so far? Because to me it looks awful!

-Am I going to wear that?!

-It always looks like this at this stage.

You have to just keep the faith and keep going.

So the next stage is to bring the two ends around to form a ring.

So these are round on flat pliers so we roll the metal around the half round side, which is there.

Push it away like that with the thumb.

And these are obviously really special jeweller's tools. I've never come across them.

-These ones are, yeah, these are specialist tools.

-Thanks, Chris.

What advice would you give to people watching

if they wanted to start to learn?

I would suggest that you find someone, a professional that you admire,

and try to get some work experience with that professional.

There's no substitute for working with someone who really knows what they're doing,

and also to always make things you believe in.

Don't try and make things you think might be popular, because they probably won't be.

It's better just to make what you think is good.

I think that's OK. That's ready to go, I think.

So we're going to apply the flux to the solder join.

That keeps the join clean.

Yeah, gets rid of all the dirt and grease.

Yeah, exactly, yeah, keeps the surface clean.

'Once the silver is clean, I apply little dabs of solder to the join

'and now the ring is ready for some heat.'

Right, and it was just a circular motion to start with.

Start from a distance first of all.

'It's very precise because I don't want to overheat the metal.

-'Just as the solder melts, that's enough.'

-OK, stop.

Quench it in the water.

'In the ancient world, the discovery of how to work metals

'was a crucial stage in the development of the art of making jewellery.

'Archaeologists have discovered jewellery in the British Isles that dates back to at least 1500 BC.

'One of the largest finds was the Staffordshire Hoard,

'dating from the 7th century, which was unearthed near Lichfield in 2009.

'Many methods of working metals have remained unchanged

'even if technology has moved on, so I feel a real connection to the past.'

-It still looks very rough.

-No, it's absolutely fine.

It always looks like that at this stage, it's good.

Anywhere you see a gap, just...

You look like you've been doing it all your life!

-Yep, that's great.

-It's starting to take shape.

-It is.

'It takes a bit of elbow grease to grind off

'and polish away any final imperfections.'

And you have to get every blemish out?

If you want to end up with that really professional finish, you do, yeah.

-Oh, I want the professional finish.

-You've got to put the work in, then.

I'm using all my strength on that. You know that, and it's getting hot.

-OK, let's have a look.

-That's hot.

-That's good.

-That good?

-That's good.

-That's what I like to hear.

This is the exciting bit, this is the final process.

In the space of let's say three or four hours,

I've managed to make my very own first silver ring,

and there it is. Look at that.

Isn't that beautiful?

Catches the light, it looks masculine, it looks contemporary,

yet made with traditional skills and methods by a master.

No, by yourself!

One last thing to do - does it fit?

That is marvellous. Look at that.

Yes! Thank you so much, Chris.

It's all about having the right tuition.

You see, I've made this in a few hours today, so anyone can do it.

Just come along and get a lesson from the master. Give it a go.

Join my Handmade Revolution.

It's always wonderful to see masters of their craft at work,

but I have been so impressed with what our amateurs have been making in their spare time.

From among hundreds of applicants, five truly talented individuals

were chosen to go before our panel of judges today.

Only one of them can be anointed judges' favourite.

None of the finalists have the first idea

what could be in store for that person,

an opportunity that could change their life.

It's now the moment of truth. Which one will our judges reward?

-Mary Jane, maybe you could go first.

-Well the cigar box guitar.

Really, really great concepts, and Malcolm who made it - very honest,

it's a quick craft, you can put it together fairly quickly

but I like that idea. I like the fact that it's fun and fast.

It's accessible.

It's accessible and, you know, I'd love to hear it played in a band. It would be great.

It's a bit of a quirky thing, I know,

but I guess it's different enough to be in there with a shout.

Karina's sheep. She took up amigurumi when she was recovering...

Amigurumi, what's that?

Amigurumi, it's a Japanese form of crochet

so it's very fine needles, very small stitches,

and she took it up when she was recovering from a serious illness.

It was a form of therapy in a way for her at the time

but she's gone on to do it, makes her own patterns.

Yes, it's cute.

Being the judges' favourite would be absolutely amazing.

It would probably give me the chance

to finally turn it into a working idea of passing this craft

on to other people, particularly in this throw-away society.

People will value what they've made a lot more than what they've bought cheaply in a shop.

Piyush?

Well, I have Jessica who does enamelled jewellery.

She uses origami as a technique.

Although I'm not a big fan of jewellery

but I think the techniques she uses would be great if she makes big sculptures.

To be judges' favourite, it would be the best thing in the whole world, I think,

especially just to kind of be known for my craft, my enamelling.

That would be kind of my number one ideal dream ever.

Noreen, she uses very complex techniques of glass.

She likes to create some enigma and mystery in her work.

-So if you look at her work it's sometimes rude.

-Yes, quite saucy!

Sometimes there is an element to it, but quite interesting piece.

If I was the judges' favourite, I'd just, you know, I'd be so thrilled.

I'm the kind of person that needs a bit of a pat on the back.

I need somebody to say, "Well done, Noreen," and that's what that would mean to me.

Now, this is Bertie, a very enthusiastic young guy.

He has taken this cabinet-making as a passion

and he uses different types of wood.

Although I'm not very convinced by the influences he's been using

and I think he's gone very overboard with it, but technically I think he's very, very good.

A bit like a mishmash of different ideas, doesn't it, in some ways?

Yes, it's good he's looking at the history of furniture.

It's always good when a craftsperson looks at the history of their medium.

Maybe there's a bit too many of them here.

The cabriole legs and that pillow- shaped mid-section, the roll front - there's a lot going on.

People really want something to, in this day and age,

to hark back to and attach themselves to that lasts,

and generally with crafts that comes through.

So what I think is so interesting about this group of objects

is that you see so many different types of crafts and so many different motivations

so someone clearly aspiring to be a professional here,

someone who's interested in quite an easy, quick form of craft here,

and also an interesting idea here of shifting from one medium to another.

So origami, paper folding, being used for enamel

-so it's a difficult decision for us, I think.

-It is.

Do you have a way you're leaning?

Erm, I think I've probably got something that I'm going to choose as my favourite,

although one other thing that I love the concept behind.

Piyush, what do you think?

Do you know, actually if I have to see the technical capabilities then I do have my favourite.

OK, I think I have a favourite too.

There's one object I'd like to see at the V&A

so I think we're probably ready to make the decision.

-Shall we call Paul?

-Let's give him a call.

-Yes.

-So, judges, have we reached a decision?

-Yes, we have, Paul.

In that case it's time to call in the finalists.

This is what it's all been leading up to.

You've all done extremely well to have come so far.

It's important that you all know your talent and your skill and your passion is evident

in all the wonderful things that you've created.

I can now reveal who today's judges' favourite is

but before I do that let me tell you what's in store for that person -

the chance to have your work on display in the V&A shop at the Victoria and Albert Museum

in London, the spiritual home of arts and crafts.

It doesn't get any better than that, so good luck to all of you.

Whatever the outcome, you're all fully fledged members of the Handmade Revolution.

The judges have made a decision based on a range of skills,

the attention to detail and the potential for future development.

It gives me great pleasure to announce that today's judges' favourite is...

..Bertie and his desk. Well done!

Absolutely fabulous.

Well done to all of you.

While the judges agreed that drawing on so many different historical periods

made Bertie's desk something of a mishmash in style,

they couldn't fault his mastery of furniture making

and agreed that his work is worthy of a place at the spiritual home of the handmade.

Well, I hope, like me, you've been inspired to have a go.

This is a celebration of the handmade.

Come on! Come and join our Handmade Revolution. See you next time.