Episode 5 Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution

This country's handicraft tradition

is something we should all be proud of.

I want to celebrate those skills

and help today's craftsmen and women pass them on.

But I need your help. So, come on, join me, Paul Martin,

-and

-my

-handmade revolution!

-ALL: HOORAY!

We've been searching the country

to find the very best of amateur British makers.

I'm just not really happy if I'm not creating things.

And we'll be finding out how important their items could be -

things handmade with skill and passion.

Something that's made with the heart, that you love,

that someone else can go and love.

But what these people don't know

is that one of them will be given a life-changing opportunity,

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

I can now announce who today's judges' favourite is.

This area of the Midlands was once the heart of the cloth trade.

The weavers here in this area specialised in fine linen.

During the 18th century, it was also one of the world's leading centres

for making nails, employing over 1,000 people.

The Jinney Ring Craft Centre near Bromsgrove

is our wonderful backdrop for today's show.

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

objects that could stand the test of time.

Later on, if you've ever thought about making a piece of glass,

I'll be showing you how.

Oh, it's coming. Keep going.

Go on, Paul. It's coming!

From among hundreds of applicants,

five of the country's top talented amateurs

have been selected to present their finest work to our panel of judges.

Always on the lookout for new talent, our judges are looking for something very special indeed.

The person named as Judges' Favourite

will win a prize that money cannot buy -

the chance to see their work displayed

in one of the world's greatest museums.

So let's meet them.

First up, it's entrepreneur Piyush Suri.

He'll know if there's a market for the items we see today.

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 can't wait to see what we find.

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

And Glenn Adamson. His expertise and work as curator at the V&A

means he knows talent when he sees it.

This country has a rich tradition of craft.

I'm hoping to meet people who are carrying that on into the 21st century.

Now, from what I've already seen, their decision will be a hard one.

If they can't agree, then it's over to me.

Will our first item be worthy of a star prize?

Ray Sylvester, a retired teacher,

makes what he calls blooming clever boxes.

Tell me, how does it work?

Well, it works using a jigsaw construction technique.

I actually cut it on a band saw.

-But I'm using a band saw rather like a scroll saw.

-Oh, wow!

So, this particular case, that key comes up there.

This key, on the other end, is a bit more interesting

because it's got one, two drawers in it.

-Wow!

-So it's a useful, practical box.

We aren't quite inside yet. The top slides off.

Wow! And then you've got more here.

That's right. Two inner lids there.

It's like a jigsaw puzzle, isn't it? So, why so complicated?

Because of the limits of my machinery is the honest answer.

My band saw can only cut a certain depth.

The box looks lovely on the outside but the interest is on the inside.

So where does this notion of secret compartments come from?

I don't know. This just evolved.

So you're a very secretive person.

Not at all! I don't have that sort of mind.

I'm not into puzzles and things like that. The designs evolve.

And so you make a simple box and you think to yourself,

I wonder if I can make a box on two levels.

I wonder if there's any way of actually connecting those up

so you do have a drawer that you have to do certain things -

take certain pieces out in order to access it.

Increasingly, people tell me they buy them

to put on the coffee table as a source of interest and fun.

And, actually, unpacking and packing the box is fun in itself.

Don't you think you've gone overboard

with creating so many pieces and you could have taken a step back

-and had a little less pieces?

-Yes. I do make boxes with far fewer pieces

But for me, the excitement is working out

how much I can actually pack inside.

I'm bonkers about boxes

and how I can develop this particular approach to a box.

So how complex is this process?

I can see... It looks very complex to me.

Actually, the process is quite simple.

It is simply approaching a band saw with a fine blade and a bit of wood.

Getting that technique right has taken me a long time.

Looking back, I wasted some lovely bits of wood.

They went in the bin because I messed up.

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

That's a very difficult question to answer

because I don't make it as a one-off.

I'll make a batch of boxes.

All I know is, if I work hard, I can perhaps do 20 in a fortnight.

But not all as complicated as that.

So what would you sell this piece for?

What do you think is the right market value of that?

-All being well, this will sell at £300 to £400.

-OK.

In the right place, to the right market.

I'll tell you what I'm most pleased about this box.

I'm using wood. It's got all sorts of faults,

all sorts of problems with it.

And I've found, over the years, ways of tackling those problems.

There may be splits or schisms in the wood or soft areas.

I found ways of handling that.

And so, really, I'm in the business of finding lovely bits of timber

and not being put off by the fact that that bit of timber

has all sorts of imperfections.

That is where the thrill is for me.

I can see the passion. I can see the passion.

Ray is clearly in love with wood and box-making,

and £300 seems a fair price for all that work.

There's no doubting his skill

but will his box be distinctive enough?

There's a whole world of craft and designer makers out there

who are not getting the attention that they deserve.

I think you're doing a grand job if it means that

people are aware of the world of design and craft

and begin to appreciate it.

Particularly in a world where everything is mass-produced.

Head judge Glenn is searching the site to make sure that nothing has slipped through the net.

As well as keeping an eye open for new talent,

he's keen to see professional makers at work.

Belinda Terry is a silversmith,

who has been making jewellery on this site for almost 25 years.

Glenn popped in see how this intricate process was done.

You work in silver, mainly, and that's a very precious material.

So you have to be very conscious about how expensive it is, not wasting too much.

I buy less of it. They're saying in the Jewellery Quarter, everybody's doing the same.

-You just buy what you need now.

-Right.

-You don't buy in bulk any more.

What we're looking at today is some work you're doing in sheet silver and wire.

-And you're going to be making one of these tiaras.

-That's right.

This little flower is a bit of a signature piece.

All I do is cut out a shape, like a little kite shape really.

-How hard is that to cut? Is it quite stiff?

-No, it's really soft.

-Soft.

-Yeah. This is sterling silver. It's not fine silver.

So you've basically made an instant bead on the end of that silver wire.

Yeah, and that sort of makes a stamen for the flower.

These, I've already soldered on at the base.

So there's the tiara. I have to ask, Belinda, who wears a tiara nowadays?

Well, I do sell them mainly to brides.

Brides, of course.

But there are a few kids who want them for proms.

But they're a little bit expensive for that.

Do you ever get the odd princess in here?

Not that I know of.

A few queens, I think, but not princesses.

Next, it's recent graduate Carla Murdoch.

A maker for less than 12 months,

does she have what it takes to wow Mary Jane?

Carla, I'm a huge fan of buttons.

I've got a massive collection - old buttons, new buttons.

All sorts of types of buttons, and I can see you're a fan of buttons.

-Yeah, absolutely.

-What gave you the idea to start making your own?

It was a project at college.

The first few weeks we were using clay to get us used to

the different types of clay, what you can do with it,

-what you can press into it.

-You did an art degree?

-Yeah, glass and ceramics.

-And now, basically,

you're trying to find a way of taking that degree

and pushing forward and perhaps at some point

-creating a business, I imagine?

-Hopefully, yeah.

They're all ceramic buttons, as you say, and I love the way

you've pressed lace into this one here

to get that lovely texture on it.

I can imagine that on a vintage wedding dress or something.

What gave you the idea of doing that?

I decided just to collect some bits of lace along the way,

anything that had been chucked out.

Little bit of embroidery on there and just rolled it in.

I had done tea lights with it, and had the light shining through.

-Lovely.

-They became an extra with the waste clay I had.

-They became really popular.

-I imagine they are very popular.

This too, I think this is lovely.

How did you do that one with the pattern on it?

You fire the clay to a high firing,

then it's almost like a transfer tattoo.

You cut your shape, you pop it on and you put it back in the kiln

and it burns to it.

OK. It burns it onto the clay. I like the way you displayed it too.

You've really given thought to how you display your buttons

and that again is quite a quirky, vintage look.

-A bit individual.

-It looks really nice.

I really like the way you've done that. How durable are they, Carla?

-They're really durable.

-They look quite delicate in a way.

Do you want to chuck one on the floor?

Don't worry, I won't.

-They're really strong and can be put in the washing machine.

-Really?

If you've got a cardigan with them on, just chuck them in.

I actually didn't know you'd be able to do that with ceramic buttons.

The porcelain's the strongest.

Once it's high-fired, I think it's a step below diamond.

-A step below diamond!

-Maybe not that much but it is quite strong.

Obviously, you're not the only person making ceramic buttons.

There are people out there doing it already.

How do you propose to take what you're doing

and make it special enough to be the one that people choose?

I try to look at current trends, and everyone's into knitting

and making their own stuff and material, vintage.

I did a range with these ones here that were based on bobbin reels.

Lovely! Interesting you mentioned hand-knitting there

because it's such a current trend and these would be perfect.

That's a texture and a hand-crafted look

which you're really capturing with these.

You've got them, I think, in a couple of shops, is that right?

-Yes, I have.

-That's a good start, isn't it?

-Yes.

What are your plans then for the future?

I'm really torn between becoming a teacher and teaching the ceramics

or having my own business, having a little shop, maybe a gallery in it.

I'm using this time to enjoy what I'm doing

before I commit to somebody else's.

I think you've got a ring, haven't you,

which has got a little ceramic jigsaw piece on it.

All that sort of accessory, that quirky accessory,

-is so in at the moment.

-Everyone wants something individual.

They do, and it's trying to find that niche in the market.

I think you're definitely starting out well

and it's just progressing that forward.

It's what I love. It's my passion.

Carla, thanks so much for bringing your buttons along today

and next time I see you, I want to see them stitched

-all the way down your top.

-Yes!

There's no doubt these buttons are a creative product.

She sells them for only £6 a throw.

What a bargain price for something beautiful and handmade.

When you think of mosaics, you immediately conjure up images

of grand Roman floors and intricate table tops.

It's an ancient craft

but it has a hugely popular decorative appeal today.

Victoria Harrison is an artist who's keen to promote this

and get people taking up the hobby of ceramics, aren't you?

This is absolutely marvellous.

I see you're inspired by your surroundings today.

Definitely. You can tell what it is.

-Would you like to apply some?

-Can I?

You just put a little bit of - oops - glue on the back.

Just a tiny little drop.

Enough, that's lovely.

You just follow that contour.

A bit like that. That's OK, isn't it?

-Perfect, yes.

-A natural.

That's relatively easy to do

but obviously you've got to cut a shape out to start with

and sort of draw an image and have some guideline to follow.

And work out your shades.

With mosaic, what is so super about it is it evolves.

You might have at the beginning a plan of what it would visually

look like, but at the end, it's totally changed, yes.

That's fabulous. I absolutely love that.

My eyes were drawn to that earlier on this morning.

The fact that you've used mirrors really catches the light

and draws you in, doesn't it?

It's to use our light. We can see how it's bouncing.

-From every angle you look at it.

-Yes.

-Wonderful obelisk.

I'll let you carry on and I know there's lots of people queuing up

that want to have a go at this so we'll come back later on

-and see it finished.

-Hopefully. Thank you very much.

They say it takes 10,000 hours to master a craft

and you've got to start somewhere.

There are lots of talented amateurs out there putting in time

and energy to produce wonderful work, as our judges are discovering.

Next, it's Amanda Manley, a graphic designer,

who has been making as long as she can remember.

Could this be one of our winners?

Amanda, you're a wild child of the '60s, is that right?

-Art college when it counted.

-You could say that, yes.

I was lucky enough to be at art college in London in the '60s.

In the swinging sixties, that must have been great fun!

-It was huge fun, yes. I can't deny it.

-I'm very jealous.

Then you went on to papier-mache. How did that happen?

I was always interested in life drawing when I was at college

and I went to a life drawing evening class

and the tutor said that she was going to do a papier-mache course.

I like making figures and I like things with lots of movement.

I wanted to be able to make something that didn't involve having tools

like woodwork would do or having a kiln if you were using clay.

The figure that we've got in front of us,

it feels something to me like an antique of the future.

-It's got that feel about it.

-Thank you!

-It feels very collectible.

What's underneath? Is it a wire frame underneath the figure?

-How do you make something like this?

-You have to have an armature.

-What's an armature?

-An armature is the basic frame

which is rigid and what I make mine out of nowadays normally

is bamboo skewers that you buy in food shops.

I wasn't expecting that answer!

With this one, I wanted that slightly bent knee effect of the geisha.

And you can get that by just moving the skewer

and taping it with masking tape.

-And it won't break completely.

-Exactly, and then you build it up

with newspaper by taping newspaper onto the frame

and you can build it up to the thickness and the shape you want it

and then you put your things on top.

But the head is made of air-drying clay

because I wanted it to be really smooth.

I wanted to get that smooth, white geisha face,

and I've painted it in the way that they paint these symbols and things

on the back of the geisha's neck,

and then the kimono has the drape right down.

Let's have a little look at that.

That's the back of it there. Huge attention to detail.

-Realistic detail as well.

-I read books about it.

I'm quite interested in geishas.

I do get inspired quite often from literature.

How long does it take you to get the basic figure completed

before you start the decorative work?

I'm sorry you asked me that now.

I don't really know because I am quite quick but when I work,

it's very, very intense. I work for two hours on something

and then I come out and my head's reeling.

-I have a cup of tea and a sit-down.

-Got to have little break.

Then I go back and go again!

You work a fair bit with your daughter, too? She's in animation.

She makes animated films and she makes models in papier-mache

for some of her films and I have helped her in the past.

What does she think of your work?

Is she quite helpful, quite critical?

What's she like?

She's always telling me that I'm better at it than I think I am.

-She's an encouraging daughter, Amanda?

-Yes.

Do you sell your work at all or is it really for pleasure?

I do it for pleasure, really. It's never occurred to me

that anyone would want to buy it, to be perfectly honest.

I think they would want to buy it.

If anybody wanted any of it, I would be prepared.

I don't know how to put a price on something like that

but it does really have...

It's a one-off, because I hate making things twice.

I don't like making the same thing twice.

I get inspired to make something and then I make it.

It doesn't sound like a very sound basis for a commercial operation.

I think it's a really interesting craft to see

because papier-mache is a craft that anyone can get into, isn't it?

You can do a bit of decoupage, you can get out your PVA glue.

It's a very different type of use of papier-mache

but it has the same origin and it's great to see

that people can start doing that fairly fast and fairly quickly.

Anybody can do it because you just collect a lot of old newspapers.

Not everybody could get the sort of results that you have got, Amanda,

so it's really a very sophisticated use of the papier-mache

and it's really lovely to see it.

Amanda is clearly skilled at the process.

She may never have thought of selling her work

but I've seen a piece like that sell for £350.

I'm not particularly confident in my work

but I've been told not to say so by my family!

But, yeah, I love what I do and sometimes I'm pleased

with what I've done but I think as an artist

you always look at what you've done when you finish it

and think you could have done something differently.

I remember as a kid making a papier-mache head from a balloon.

It's a skill anyone can have a go at

but it's also been practised for centuries.

Some of our amateur makers here today might have what it takes

to stay the course and hopefully, in 100 years' time,

their work will command huge sums of money

if it goes under the hammer in a high-end auction room.

The Victorians loved to experiment with new materials

and one of their favourites was also papier-mache.

At the top auction houses of London,

papier-mache furniture is experiencing something of a revival.

Around the 1830s, there was a huge upsurge in demand

in a sweeping fashion for papier-mache.

I don't know quite why, but all sorts of makers

were making decorative items of papier-mache.

Not only trays but also furniture, believe it or not.

Boxes, little trinkets

and it's just what everyone wanted at that stage.

The tray has subsequently been converted to a coffee table

with modern legs. It's got a red ground which is more desirable

than the typical black ground which is more common.

The flowers are very well-painted. It is surprisingly sturdy.

You can feel the solid construction.

We're estimating this at £1,000 to £1,500.

Let's hope it sells.

By the time Queen Victoria came to the throne,

there were 25 British companies producing papier-mache items.

The Queen herself even received a set of papier-mache trays

as a wedding gift.

It shows these pieces last and can increase in value.

So, how much is this one expected to make?

Lot 549, the tray on stand, lot 549.

And 700, 750. 800, 850 now. 900.

At 9. 950 now. 1,000.

1,100, 1,200. 1,300. 1,400.

1,500. 1,600,

1,700, 1,800.

Any more? Selling now for 1,800.

Sold, thank you, 951.

Sold for £1,800. That's £800 over the conservative estimate.

Maybe Amanda's geisha will be a papier-mache antique of the future.

Katie Mantel is a 24-year-old textiles graduate

with a passion for bears. Will the judges share her passion?

Katie, you're a recent graduate so I'm going to be very nice to you.

Tell me a little bit about this product you have.

I did weaving at university, I specialised in weaving,

so now I make teddy bears with fabric I've woven myself.

I think it's very important to keep craftsmanship skills alive

in contemporary products so it brings it to new people

and hopefully they learn about weaving from my little teddy bears.

My next question would be, why teddy bears?

Since I was little I've always had a love of teddy bears

and last year, I just came across a teddy bear website

and it just sort of reignited the love that I have.

-It's a really fat teddy bear.

-Yeah, it is quite fat!

-No concept of healthy eating.

-No.

What fabric is this?

It's 100% Tencel, like a wood pulp.

Any particular reason of using that fabric?

I just sort of came across it as I was weaving at university.

I loved the softness of it and it's reasonably environmentally friendly.

As a weaver, why are you making toys?

Because you're clearly weaving a fabric which is beautiful

and then why are you giving another dimension to it

making toys and making it a little bit more expensive?

I wouldn't call them toys. More collectible teddy bears.

I'd price them at £195 each.

The amount of work that goes into them,

the amount of time it takes to make them and weave them.

Do you think people would be interested to see that element,

that the fabric is woven, because most of the people

who buy those collectible items, they buy it for the look of it

rather than detail of how the fabric is made.

I think it reaches quite a broad spectrum of people.

Craftspeople will appreciate the work that goes into the weaving and sewing.

Convince me to buy this. For that price you've set.

It's a unique teddy bear, very adorable,

and there's weeks of design and craftsmanship and skill

that's gone into making it.

Mm. Sold.

Katie is combining two skills, weaving and toymaking.

Piyush knows his market and if he thinks nearly £200 is right,

who am I to argue?

But is it impressive enough to win over the other judges?

I think it's important to promote crafts to the wider population,

to make them realise how much work goes into it, where they came from,

how you can create new things with them and keep that handmade feel.

Speaking of that handmade feel,

let's see how all of our volunteers are getting on making our mosaic.

And here is the finished article.

The handiwork of dozens have gone into this and it shows,

so why don't you try mosaic work yourself?

Our last finalist to face our judges is Andrew Longmuir,

a 55-year-old warehouse supervisor

who's putting his knowledge of metals to good use.

Andy, your sculpture is making me feel like I want to get in there

and get boxing with these hares of yours.

-They're boxing hares. I am right, aren't I?

-They're boxing hares.

I was making sculptures of life-size people and people were asking

if I could make other objects

so I thought the hares would be a challenging thing to work on.

They have distinctive features which allows you to portray them

in the format that I work in, which is steel tubing.

There's something very satisfying about this work

and I love the fact that you've, as you say, just used metal tubing

and yet these hares have an expression and a personality.

Heaven knows how you get it out of metal tube, but you've done it.

I'd look at a lot of photographs and videos

so I know how the hares are moving

and what makes a hare look like a hare,

so that when people see it, they see the steel tubing

which is what it's made from but you also see

that it's portrayed as a hare.

And yet reflects the sort of industrial heritage

and industrial quality which you've got into the piece as well.

I can't dispute that.

And then you weld the pieces together, do you?

I've been welding as a hobby

and doing this as a hobby for the last five years.

Before that, I've done a little bit of welding generally.

You were a warehouse supervisor, weren't you, beforehand?

-Well, still am. Which has got nothing to do with what I do.

-Not at all!

I haven't seen anything like this before.

What gave you that particular idea?

It was actually because where I work, we were changing a lot of machinery

and there was quite a few pieces of metal tube being disposed of...

-Waste not, want not.

-Correct, basically.

Have you done other pieces?

There's one particular piece that I've done

which is in Grosvenor Park in Chester.

It's in what's known as the high garden

and that's a family of four, so that's two adults and two children.

-You must have been really proud of that, Andy.

-I am.

To have that on public display.

Somebody who has come really from nowhere doing his sculpture,

to have it on public display in Chester is a real achievement.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you. It's nice, it's rewarding.

Really rewarding.

It's nice to see people's reactions. They know it's something different.

So what's your ambition for your work?

What would you like to do with it?

I think just get it more widely known.

For some reason, it really appeals to me, and I don't quite know why

because it's not usually the sort of thing that I would go for.

But there's something about the way you've got personality

into a bit of metal tubing which really excites me.

It's hard to value sculpture like this

but it could make up to £400.

It's definitely got energy and uses basic processes and materials

to create something special, but is it special enough?

It's interesting to see how people appreciate what you've done.

It's nice to hear them hopefully recognising what I've made.

I've been interested in handicrafts ever since I was a child

when my father and I built a boat.

It was a 10-foot clinker-built dinghy

and I can always remember the joy I got from working with my hands,

creating something special and practical,

but it doesn't always go to plan. There's one particular craft

that I've never got the hang of, but I'm not going to stop trying.

Glass.

I want to encourage you, but it is my nemesis.

I attempted a crystal goblet down at Dartington Glass.

-Is that too much?

-A little bit too much, I think.

And a glass charger at the Ruskin Centre.

That's it. Just ruined it.

Nearly had it. That was about 55 minutes' work, wasn't it? Sorry.

-That's all right, never mind.

-But it always went wrong.

So I've come to Stourbridge,

the white-hot heart of England's glass-making industry,

and I'm determined to get it right this time. No pressure.

OK, here we go.

Charlotte Hughes Martin is the resident glass artist

here at the Red House Glass Cone.

Can she help me overcome my problems?

So, are you prepared to give me a little bit of a lesson

in glass blowing, show me through some of the techniques?

We'll put you through your paces, don't worry.

First thing is to get the glass out of the furnace.

What sort of temperature's that at?

It's currently 1,070 degrees Celsius, so nice and toasty.

You put the rod in, keep it turning,

dip it in the glass and bring it out.

-Essentially, as long as you keep it turning, everything's fine.

-OK.

'The next stage is to shape the glass into an object.'

There we go, that's shaped up a bit.

'This is done by using something you can buy for under £1.'

1,200 degrees Celsius,

and there's just 50 sheets of local newspaper

between molten glass and my bare skin.

'The glass cools very quickly

'so it has to go into what's known as the glory hole every 30 seconds.'

Every so often, I just change direction and it lets me see

how the glass is moving and how hot it is.

OK, I'm going to put the very first bubble in now.

'This is the tricky bit,

'blowing the glass to create a shape,

'but Charlotte makes it look easy.'

Look at that baby! What are you holding now?

These are called jacks.

It's two blades sprung together with sheet steel.

That's eventually going to be a rim.

Say if this was a tumbler, that's the rim of the glass.

We can just open that up, nice and gently.

It becomes a little vessel before your very eyes.

Tiny little bowl. Bon-bons, maybe potpourri.

Could you imagine doing this all day long with about 50 people in here?

-The heat would have been intense, wouldn't it?

-Oh, yeah, very intense.

'The technique is the same today as it has been for centuries.

'The Red House Glass Cone manufactured glass

'right up until 1936.

'Today it's a museum and one of just four glass cones left in the UK.'

-How long have you been here?

-About four years now.

-Good

-work space? Absolutely.

-You're surrounded by history as well.

It's quite pressurised with that.

To have this weight of history I feel like I've got to live up to.

'In its heyday, Stourbridge supplied glass to the Empire,

'but working conditions were far from easy.'

-Paint a picture for me.

-Well, mainly hot. Very, very hot.

I've heard it's been compared to Dante's Inferno,

and it was very, very busy.

How many people would have worked here, then?

Probably about 50 to 60 in this one room including children,

who would have started off about seven or eight,

which is kind of scary.

It is, really, isn't it?

'Child labour was commonplace,

'and workers would drink large quantities of beer to keep hydrated.

'Drunkenness was common and accidents frequent,

'but the final product was second to none.'

-This was very much the high end.

-Yes, absolutely.

The high-end, cut crystal, that kind of thing.

Just mainly fruit bowls or brandy glasses, that kind of thing.

Everything, every piece of glass on the Titanic was made in this room.

Well, you're the next sort of guardian

of what's happening here, aren't you?

Your work is going to be important in generations to come.

-If you could spread that around, that'd be great.

-I'll try to.

'So, can an amateur's glass live up to Titanic standards?

'I'm ready to take the plunge to find out.'

Whoo!

And step back, there we go.

There we go, so if you make your way back to the bench, keep it turning.

Phwoar, it's going in my eyes! Right.

And just start having a bit of a blow, and as soon as I say "Stop,"

as soon as we get a bubble coming out of here, we're ready to go.

So blow as hard as you can.

-OK. One second. There you go.

-Anything?

-Got a little baby bubble in there.

-'It's harder than it looks.'

Gosh, why can't I do that?

Oh, it's coming. Keep going. Go on, Paul, it's coming!

-All that puff for that little bit. Is that OK?

-Mmm-hmm, absolutely.

-That's all we need.

-Shall I sit down?

-Yeah.

-Gosh, I'm hot.

You sit yourself back down just for a second.

-I don't know what I'm doing now. Back in?

-Sit yourself down.

-What, with this?

-Yep.

OK.

I'm making an aubergine, really. I'll settle for this right now.

What am I doing now?

OK, we're going to go over and dab it in the green glass.

-Keep spinning that.

-Yeah, keep turning.

-It's turning into a blob.

OK, there we go. So keep turning, keep turning.

-OK.

-Anything? No.

Stop!

-There we go, look at that fella.

-That's looking better, isn't it?

Gosh, that's hot. That is hot on my hand.

OK, that looks good, let's give that a turn to make sure that's on centre.

'In theory, that's the hard part over. I just need to shape it,

'but this is where it all went wrong the last time.'

-Lost the shape, lost the shape, shall I get in there?

-We're OK.

Spin to win.

-There we go.

-In the bucket.

-Yep, in the bucket.

So then I can take this with some heat-proof gloves,

there we go, and then we'll close that in the kiln.

-Take care.

-Night-night.

-Easy peasy.

-Well, I don't know about that.

This one's not for the faint-hearted.

Charlotte is a brilliant teacher.

There are other teachers out there, they're all marvellous.

It's up to you to seek one out.

Find one like Charlotte, get some help and get cracking blowing glass.

'Unfortunately, my piece still isn't finished.

'It needs to be slowly cooled or annealed

'before it can be taken away.

'But making glass isn't just about the blowing and firing.

'You also have to polish and design it.

'I think I'll definitely leave that bit to the experts.'

'Most professional craftspeople are only too happy

'to pass on their skills, and I'm delighted to hear

'just how many people want to join my Handmade Revolution.

'Now it's crunch time for our makers who don't realise what's at stake.

'So whose work will be chosen as Judges' Favourite?

'And what are the chances of the judges all agreeing?'

Perhaps you could start?

Well, this is a wooden box made by Ray who's completely self-taught.

He's inspired by jigsaw puzzles.

There are a lot of compartments. I'm not going to open them

because I think it would be very tricky for me to put it back again.

-You'd be here all day.

-Yes, I think so.

I'm sort of in the autumn of my years and it gives that particular

period of my life total purpose, and I've got so much I want to do.

There's so many blooming clever boxes I want to make

and it's giving my life some purpose.

I think the idea is very clever and the execution is quite clever,

but I do think it's far too complicated for me.

I must say, I have seen a lot of these back in America.

They were very popular in California in the 1960s,

and they became a bit of a cliche. They are very hard to make, though.

A lot of pre-planning and you have to cut it very carefully

because you're using just one piece of wood.

So to get that grain continuous you have to not make a mistake.

-It's tricky.

-So they were popular in the past.

Maybe they could be a new vintage item, antique of the future.

-Oh, you love vintage.

-No.

-OK, how about the teddy bear?

Well, this is Cedric, a cute little teddy bear.

-Perfect name for a teddy, isn't it?

-Yes.

-You like it already.

-This is made by Katie, who's a recent graduate.

-The best part is, actually the fabric is woven by Katie as well.

-Oh, right!

-Oh, I see.

-Yes.

If I won Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution,

it would be very exciting

to have won against all the amazing craft that's here.

There's a high standard set

and it would be amazing to think I was among that.

Everything is handmade

and no two teddy bears are going to be the same,

and that's the concept I like, actually.

That changes my opinion, because when I first saw it,

I thought, "There's not much going on here on the craft level."

But she's actually hand-woven the textile,

and planned quite carefully where the pattern falls on the bear.

Yes, and if you look carefully at the teddy bear...

Oh, it's funny.

And he's quite fat, and I quite like his strange little figure.

-OK, so it gets adorableness points.

-Adorableness points.

-OK, good. And?

Amanda is a '60s art school graduate, a wild child of the '60s.

She's always loved papier-mache.

She uses it in all sorts of ways, and she loves Japan, too.

So she's decided to combine both of her passions

in this particular figure.

If I was chosen to be Judges' Favourite, it would be, er,

just a sort of indication that what I'm doing is worth doing, really.

A validation of what I do.

Carla, another recent graduate, and she loves buttons,

and I love buttons, too, so we just compared buttons for a while.

When we got over that, we talked about those particular buttons,

made of porcelain and they can actually be washed,

-which I was quite surprised by.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Put them in the laundry.

-You can put them in the laundry.

And some of them have imprints of lace on them.

If I was chosen to be Judges' Favourite,

I think that it would mean that I could possibly start my business.

I just think it'd make me really feel like everything I've done previous

has really been worth my time and it's not wasted.

It's a nice idea, and I've seen them before.

I've seen them so many times. Very commercial.

Very commercial, which is not a bad thing at all.

They're subtle. Very understated.

Yeah, and she is starting out, you know.

Now we get to Andy's hares.

-I sort of love them?

-Are you serious?!

-Their cute little faces.

-How can you not like those little whiskers?

-Oh, no.

-You must be joking.

-It's an industrial piece.

He's just taken stuff that was thrown on the factory floor

and he's put it together.

'It's the challenge of making something

'that's different and unusual.'

I start off with pieces of tubular metal and I end up with a sculpture.

And hopefully people appreciate it.

Mary Jane, I have to say, the craftsmanship is not exactly...

-The same.

-..a high level.

-Maybe not, but it makes me, emotionally...

I don't know, I just think it's fun.

There's nothing wrong with fun.

-It has a funny element, I'll give you that.

-Super amount of spirit in it.

-A lot of life in it.

-Yeah.

-OK, we've had a look at each of them.

So, what do we actually think? Time to put our cards on the table.

This is so difficult.

It's a tricky one, I agree.

I would go for something which has got another dimension to it.

Not just one thing going on, but there's extra layer to the work.

-You're interested in the technical complexity of the ambition?

-Yes.

-OK.

I think for me, maybe my mind's made up in a different way than it was

when I first saw them. Having learned about each of the pieces,

I feel like I might have shifted my opinion.

-It's a really tricky one.

-I hope you're on my side.

'There's obviously division in the ranks.

'I might go and see if I can help.'

-Judges. You're still talking.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-You've not reached a decision.

This has been a difficult one for us.

-We haven't narrowed it down to one.

-Have you narrowed it down to two?

-Well, sort of.

-We think we have.

'This is a hard one.

'I'm not sure for me there IS an outright winner,

'but I'm going to choose something which has technical skill,

'and a quirky factor, too.'

OK, we have a decision. Let's bring in the finalists.

Well done, all of you.

The work of all of you here today speaks volumes

about your flair and passion for each of your particular crafts

and thank you for sharing it with us today.

Now before I announce who's been nominated as the Judges' Favourite,

I can reveal what we have in store for you.

For that lucky person, your work will be on display in the V&A shop,

in the heart of London, the spiritual home of arts and crafts.

The high temple of art and design, the Victoria & Albert Museum.

-It doesn't get any better than that, does it?

-No.

Well, I can tell you, it was really, really close.

There was a split decision amongst the judges,

so I had the casting vote.

And for reasons of technical execution, professionalism

and universal appeal, something which you could market anywhere,

I can now announce who today's Judges' Favourite is.

And that person is...

..Katie and her bear.

APPLAUSE Well done.

Well done, well done to all of you.

Well done to all of you.

It was really, really close.

'A tough choice, but I think the right one.

'Technically, you cannot fault Katie's bear.

'There's so much love that's gone into making it,

'and I think Cedric will be very at home in his new surroundings.'

It's wonderful to see such talent

and such rich diversity of skills and materials.

There's a craft out there for everyone

so why don't you get involved?

Come on, join our Handmade Revolution.