Episode 7 Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution

I am so passionate about Britain's craft heritage

and I'm determined to do whatever I can to safeguard those old skills

for future generations.

But I can't do it alone - I need your help.

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

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

I'm a shape designer and I'm constantly drawing

and coming up with new ideas.

And we're going to be finding out how important their items could be,

all made with skill and passion.

I would love to take it further -

to have my own exhibition of stuff that I've done.

To be able to make your own fabric, I'm so filled with enthusiasm.

But what these people don't realise is that one of them will be offered

the chance of a lifetime.

The opportunity to display their work at the home of the handmade.

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

In this series, I'm championing British craft heritage,

and I'll show you how you can get involved.

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 future classics,

which will stand the test of time.

And later on in the show, you can learn some tips from our master coppersmith.

Ah! Magic!

LAUGHTER

Absolute magic! Look at that!

From among hundreds of impressive applications,

we've selected five talented amateurs

to present their finest work to our panel of discerning judges,

keeping a sharp eye out for the top talent.

The stakes could not be higher

because one of today's finalists will be given the chance

to see their piece on display, at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

I've been amazed at the response.

But 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.

It's going to be brilliant seeing all the wonderful creativity

and skilled workmanship Britain has on offer. I'm very excited.

And our chief judge, Glenn Adamson, is head of research

at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London

and at the very top of his field.

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.

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

and all determined to keep our traditional skills alive.

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

It's time to let the judges loose.

Our first finalist is Sue Christian,

a retired police officer, who has a passion for weaving.

Will Piyush be impressed?

I was so looking forward to seeing you, you know.

This is my area of expertise and I love weaving,

and I've been weaving for so long and I must say I love the colours.

It's so soft. What materials?

It's silk, it's 100% silk,

and I love using these very fine silk yarns.

A - they drape so nicely but also they give you a lot of scope to do

pattern in a comparatively small area.

I think it's beautiful.

How long have you been doing weaving?

I learned to weave in 2005.

-Do you have a loom?

-I do.

This was done on my floor loom, I can weave up to a metre wide on it.

Completely hand and foot operated, no computer controls or anything.

You can clearly see I'm loving this, I don't want to let it go!

But, yes! Is it just a hobby craft right now

or are you taking it commercially?

I do sell.

I don't earn a great deal of money out of it,

so it's a hobby that pays for itself.

-How much would a piece like this cost?

-This would be about £190.

That's reasonable enough.

And is it because it's silk it's that expensive?

It is.

There is about £40 worth of silk in it,

but most of what I put on as the cost

is my time for work and my expertise, the designing time etc.

You said you didn't have a design background,

so what's your background?

I've been interested in textiles all my life

and when I retired from the police,

I saw an exhibition of people spinning and I just thought, "wow".

I didn't know, you see a spinning wheel or a loom in a museum,

you don't realise people still do this sort of thing,

so I thought, "I must learn how to do it!".

And just to be able to make your own fabric, just...

I just - I was so filled with enthusiasm for it.

It's amazing when you're weaving

and you suddenly see the yarn is becoming fabric.

It's such a wonderful feeling.

And they don't always turn out as you expect

cos when the colours interact, you get something totally different.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I think it's a fabulous product and it's a very clever use of colour.

-Thank you very much.

-Congratulations.

Thank you.

Piyush doesn't give praise easily,

so clearly Sue's scarf has impressed him.

Now that I understand how much effort and hard work

has gone in to her hand-woven fabric, I'd pay Sue's asking price

of around £200. But is it a winner?

It's just that connection with the past, with tradition, you know,

the idea that I'm doing something exactly the same way

as somebody hundreds of years did.

And producing something which I think is lovely at the end of it.

So it gives me great satisfaction.

From a traditional skill to something more contemporary.

53-year-old Phil Drabble from Worcestershire

works as a prison officer.

Will his piece be the one that stands out?

Perhaps you could tell me a little bit about the story

of why you made it.

This is a tap and it's pouring water into a heart-shape

and it's overflowing and the piece is called Overflowing,

and this came about at a point when I heard that my dad

had a serious heart condition,

and it was me wanting to express how I felt about him

and about the whole situation.

It's a really important and very personal thing for you, this piece.

Most definitely, yeah.

-It's not something that will appeal to everybody.

-I understand that.

Do you do this sort of sculpture for fun?

Do you do lots of unusual, quirky pieces?

Have you got, like, a crazy workshop full of strange bits of metal

and things?

I have got a crazy workshop full of metal bits and things!

Since I've been doing this, many people have said to me,

"I've got this, do you want this?"

and I take it into my workshop and then pick two things up

and see if they fit together, and if they don't,

try something else and keep on till I've got bits that fit,

then, what can I do with this?

So for this one then, you had the old tap.

Yes.

And how did you make this part of it? Is it clay?

OK. This is air-dried clay. I thought I'd give it a try.

And I'm very impressed with it, it's very easy to use.

And you just form it to whatever shape you want

and over a period of time, it completely dries.

And the colouring...

-The colouring is shoe polish.

-Really?

-50-year-old shoe polish.

-50-year-old shoe polish!

It is, yeah.

That's vintage! Where on Earth did you get hold of that?

I have a lot of things in my cupboard.

That's amazing! So I can see you in your crazy world,

in a garage with all your bits around you,

but do you think this is ever going to be more than a hobby for you?

Are you content for it being that self-expression for you?

I would love to take it further.

I would love to have my own exhibition of stuff that I've done.

I'd love to see some of your other work

because I bet it is even more experimental.

Thanks very much for coming along.

It's been a pleasure.

Phil's philosophy towards his pieces revolves around self-expression

and innovation, and this is very evident in his work.

But I feel the making and finishing might need perfecting -

it's inventive but rudimentary.

Now I wonder if any of our amateur makers here today

have what it takes for their work

to become sought-after antiques of the future.

Regularly high-end auction rooms all over the world handle the work

of celebrated master craftsmen of the past.

Auction houses are a great source of quality handmade objects

from all eras.

This striking set of copper wall panels appeals to me straight away.

In the arts and crafts period of the late-19th, early-20th centuries,

copper and other non-precious metals

became popular materials to work with.

It was a chance for ordinary people to own lovely things.

We've got 12 panels of copper inlaid with brass,

a set of signs of the zodiac that are handmade, done in the 1940s,

and the exciting thing is they were made for the Union-Castle shipping line,

sailing in the '40s and '50s.

The fascination people had for using a wider range of elements

in the Art Deco period,

pewter for example was being revived by Liberty's,

copper by Newland, so there was a revival in all sorts of materials.

Once upon a time they would've been lacquered brass and copper.

They've suffered a little bit of distress.

The surface patination has gone a bit damp and a bit tarnished,

but they're still a decorative, amusing set of wall panels,

and I'd envisage them in an architectural setting.

Maybe a bar or an Art Deco ballroom or something.

But what might they go for today?

£500 at the moment. 550...

What sells well at the moment is something little bit different,

a bit unusual. I think 600 to 900.

At that price they should go,

and they hopefully might make a little bit more.

750. 800.

At 800 then. With them selling at 800.

It's great to see craftsmanship valued so highly.

I love copper and I'll be showing you how to fashion a copper item

later on in the show - with a little help!

Back in Bromsgrove,

the pressure is on our finalists to prove their worth.

Retired maths teacher, Steve Plummer,

has turned tradition on its head.

Steve, there's a lot more going on in this product than just the stripes.

What is this illusion?

You should see just stripes when you look on the surface of it,

straight at the surface but when you look at an angle,

as it turns in front of you, you will see the image begin to appear.

This is illusion knitting.

It's illusion or shadow knitting.

How does it work? Tell me.

This is all hand-knitted and every right-side row is knit stitches.

On the wrong-side row, that's as you're knitting back.

If it's a knit stitch, it'll stand forward.

If it's a purl stitch, it'll pull back.

And what you're actually seeing as this moves

is you're looking across the top of purl stitches

at the knit stitches beyond,

and that's the thing that creates the illusion.

So it's your background in maths which brings this precision?

Shadow knitting or illusion knitting has been around for quite a long time.

There's some evidence of it in some Japanese knitting.

A lot of it, the shadow knitting, was just creating different shadows

across garments, different hues on garments as you move past them.

It's our background in mathematics,

and thinking about charts and how to chart things

that led us to develop the charting process,

so we could actually create things as complex as this.

If you had to put a value on this,

how much would you think it would sell for?

It takes me on average about 100 hours to draw the chart.

Then about another 100 hours to hand knit.

So we're talking about 200 hours for this piece.

Now if you relate that to, say, a minimum wage...

We can do the mathematics!

If I said £800-£1000 would not be unreasonable for this type of piece.

I think it has a lot more value than you think it does

because it's a piece of art.

-I think it's a piece of art, yes.

-Don't undervalue yourself.

I agree with you that it's art.

I was thinking a couple of thousand pounds to be honest

and I can tell that a lot of people would go for this kind of piece

because it's quite contemporary.

Although inspired from traditional paintings,

it's still a contemporary piece.

So what's the next level now?

The commercial side of it, my wife and I are both retired,

and we're very happy with teaching other people how to do this type of thing.

So that is the way I think it goes.

We're after basically people seeing these, being inspired by them

and wanting to do the things for themselves.

Steve's illusion knits would command a high price tag.

But Piyush knows his market

so, if he says it's worth several thousand pounds, then I believe him.

But it sounds as if it's not about the money.

Steve is prepared to share his skills with others.

A teacher who's swapped maths for knitting.

I think anything that promotes craft is a good thing.

Craft died out, in inverted commas, for an awfully long time.

And I think there is evidence now that crafts are coming back.

I think it can only be a good thing.

The resident makers here range from potters, jewellers,

even glassblowers!

I've popped in to see Phil Baldwin, an on-site wood turner.

That's something I would love to have done as a career too.

I love being surrounded by wood.

I envy you, actually, this is your office.

How long have you been here?

I've been working here seven years.

-Yeah? Enjoying it?

-Yeah, I love it.

What's your speciality?

I make wooden fret work trees, and wooden pens as well.

-Wooden pens?

-Yeah.

This is nice, a little outline of an oak tree.

-That's oak you're using as well?

-Yeah.

It all comes into pieces as well.

-That's clever!

-Like a jigsaw.

So I guess you can use all different types of wood,

and get the outline of trees.

That's an ash tree, you've got ash there as well.

Yeah, and I use native and exotic timbers.

I try and use local timbers if possible.

It's a great way of educating people, the grain of the wood,

what it looks like in its finished state.

But also, how to recognise the outline of a tree from a distance.

Can you cut one out and show me how you do it? Do you mind?

So you draw the outline on a piece of paper.

Stick it on the block of wood.

Then, off you go.

The type of woodwork Phil's doing here is best described as fretwork.

He's using the saw to create a pattern of inner cuts,

creating the shape of the tree branches.

It's a method that, historically, would be done with hand tools.

You can regularly spot ornamental fretwork on furniture,

musical instruments and architectural features.

You can see he's been doing that for a few years, can't you?

That's something I would not attempt to do.

Very dangerous, but very skilful.

That is incredible, that's so clever.

The speed you did that at was unbelievable.

The sections of wood are rounded, stained and polished

into these beautiful, crafted pieces.

Phil is a great example of a young man continuing a traditional craft

and making it a career, not just a hobby.

Another handmade revolutionary.

From tiny trees, to huge horses,

woodworkers have no boundaries

to the shapes and the sizes of the pieces they create.

Our head judge Glenn, always keen to find a story behind the maker,

has found a fascinating sculptural example.

Thanks for bringing your horse in.

I'm afraid I don't have my boots or my 10 gallon hat with me,

but, as an American, I can say this makes me feel right at home.

Can you tell us a little bit about it?

It's made of recycled timber.

It's six foot six high.

-It's more your Greek than your yank!

-I see, OK.

So it's the Trojan horse. Right, OK.

Is this the first one you've made?

It's the first horse, but not the first large animal.

So do these things find any purpose, or is it just for your own amusement?

I make them because I want to make them.

-And if someone wants to buy one, they can pay for it.

-Right.

But, if they don't, I keep it.

OK! But I imagine, by the side of the road,

-it would be quite an eye-catching thing, good for a sign.

-Businesses.

-Businesses buy them.

-Yeah, absolutely.

It makes all kind of sense to me, I must say.

Mind you, I come from a country where there's giant hamburgers

and giant ducks on the side of the road all the time!

So, it looks pretty simple to make.

-It's basically screws through the boards.

-It is.

-The frame inside is quite complicated.

-I was going to say.

But it is, structurally sound?

-Oh, yes!

-OK. Shall we put that to the test?

-Yes.

-Do you mind if I get on?

-I don't mind at all.

-OK, shall we give it a try?

-Yes.

HE GRUNTS

And he's comfortable too!

I thought you said you were an American.

HE LAUGHS Always going wrong way, yeah, yeah.

That's how I wound up in England in the first place, yeah.

I find it extraordinary,

the range of things British people are making behind closed doors!

But Mary Jane is right at home with the passion and the pastime

of our next finalist, 30-year-old housewife Isla Wong.

Headwear!

These are beautiful!

-Thank you.

-I have to say, I really love them.

I'm imagining strolling down an avenue in Tokyo,

cherry blossoms everywhere.

I feel so transported, looking at them.

Yes.

Tell me what they're called?

This sort of particular style is called tsumami kanzashi.

What does that actually mean?

Tsumami is the name of the technique, it's pinching.

Each petal has been pinched, or folded, using tweezers.

From the petals, you can create whatever flower you feel you would like to create.

And the kanzashi part of it?

Kanzashi translates as hair accessories.

So, tell me

-how you got into making them?

-I got into making them

because I originally was interested in wearing kimonos.

You can't just wear kimonos. You need all the accessories as well.

Being a milliner, I do look at the detail of things,

especially that are worn in the hair or on the head.

And, I have to say, your finish is spotless.

I can't see a dot of glue on there.

It really is a lovely, clean, crisp finish.

And, the way you've bound the wires, it's really good, it really is.

-You've used a certain way of making the flowers here.

-Yes.

Are there lots of ways of making the flowers?

-There's two main ways to make the petals.

-Right.

-This is what's called the round petal.

-Right.

The other style, these are called the pointed petals.

I see, isn't that beautiful?

But, once you've made the petal,

it's a case of deciding what flower to make.

-So these ones are cherry blossoms.

-Yes.

Cherry blossoms are five petals.

And in the middle of each one, there's a slight indentation,

to represent little heart-shapes, that the petals represent.

And then, how long would it take you to make just one flower?

Probably 5-10 minutes, depending on the complexity.

-Per flower?

-Yes.

Then you join them all together

to make this beautiful hair decoration.

-There are 42 flowers in total in this.

-42 flowers in total?

So we're talking about five, six, seven hours' work

in something like this separate piece?

This set takes around four days to make.

-Four days!

-Four days to make because it includes drying time.

Once I've put the petals on the bases,

I have to let the flowers dry.

If I then try to move them, they will fall apart.

I really am taken with these.

They've obviously taken a huge amount of work,

and there's a real attention to detail.

At the moment, you're, I guess,

producing designs that you've seen, is that fair?

I do produce designs I've seen.

I'll also produce, like these ones.

These are not typically traditional.

I have made up brooches.

I always think about making,

because this technique can also be applied to boxes,

and photo frames, I've thought about doing that.

I'd love to see some absolutely enormous thing.

-Think big, and see what happens.

-Yes.

This work is very small and very detailed.

In a way, you can get drawn into the smaller detail.

It would be fascinating to see what happened if you thought big.

It's been really lovely to see these here today,

Thank you so much for bringing them in to show me.

It's my pleasure.

I can see a bride buying both Isla's pieces for £200.

It's an exquisite and ancient craft, dating back 3,000 years,

in which Isla has become proficient.

But, in Japan,

where tsumami kanzashi is a traditional handicraft,

to be recognised in the field,

you'd need to do a five or ten-year apprenticeship with a master.

There's a seriously important opportunity

on the line for today's Judges' Favourite.

If Mary Jane gets her way, Isla's hairpieces might be on display

at one of the world's most celebrated museums.

Today, teams of professionals have been busy sharing their skills

and inspiring people to try out new things.

From the traditional pastime of rag rugging,

to the more up-to-date fabric corsages.

In between creating fascinators and brooches using millinery techniques,

the ladies, known as The Hattery,

have made something for the ever-stylish Mary Jane.

-Ladies, can I try it on?

-You certainly can.

That's what I'm dying to do.

Let me give you my headband.

I'll try this on.

There we are.

It fits like a glove.

Thank you so much, ladies.

It really is beautiful.

I love the brim shape, actually.

I feel very elegant wearing it!

We thought we'd go slightly vintage with it.

-It's lovely.

-Classical.

A lovely deep purple too.

I make so many hats for other people, it's nice to have one for myself for a change.

If you'd like to join the Handmade Revolution

and try your hands at making some crafts from the series,

why not order your free how-to guide, by writing to us at:

And please remember to include your name and full postal address.

At 25, Kayley Holderness is our youngest finalist today.

She works in administration at the moment,

but her dream is to make a living from her ceramics.

Will Piyush like what she's showing him?

What is this piece?

This is a trug.

I've called it the Forager's Friend,

as it's a piece that people would use to help

in the collection of fruits and vegetables from the garden, fields.

-It's an unusual choice of material for this item.

-It is.

Ceramics is a practical material that people use for kitchenware,

tableware.

It's not actually a piece you would take into the garden and use.

It sort of turned into a project that I wanted to create something

which would ignite a conversation.

So it would on somebody's kitchen table

and they'd say, "What is that?"

I'd say, "It's a trug."

They'd say, "What's a trug, what do you use it for?"

I wanted people to become aware of foraging, the importance of it,

and how brilliant it would be if people started eating fresh food,

fruits and vegetables from their gardens,

from local fields and hedgerows.

For me, the shape is very contemporary.

You're still using it for a very traditional use.

So I think it's a very clever idea.

And I do like the use of the materials, the wooden handle.

It's very, very minimalistic,

but a clever attention to detail.

-I love the choice of colours and things like this.

-Thank you.

It could be a sculptural piece as well,

-it doesn't have to be a functional piece.

-Exactly.

When I started, I was thinking function.

And I ended up realising it doesn't have to be used.

It can be something that's placed somewhere

and its function could be in instigating a conversation

and raising awareness.

It is very, very simple, very modern.

That's my approach to design.

I could see it in my house as a fruit basket on the dining table.

It's a beautiful shape, a very simple shape, a modern shape.

And it could be used as a fruit basket.

That's actually what I've been using it for.

It's been holding my bananas and apples at home.

It would also look beautiful with anything in. Fir cones, nuts.

But, by itself, empty, I think the shape speaks for itself,

I don't think it needs to be filled.

Tell me more about the techniques,

what techniques have you used while making this,

and how difficult or how easy it was to make?

I created a plaster model. That was hand modelled.

I then made the mould, and then I slip cast the piece.

So this can be reproduced, the shape can be reproduced.

The glaze is my own recipe.

The handle I made myself as well.

It's made with laser birch ply I stick together

and press together in a mould.

How much would you think this piece would sell at?

I think it needs to be priced

at a place somewhere between a piece of design and a piece of art.

I would price this around the £300 mark, £290,

because this particular piece is entirely a one-off.

There is no others in this colour.

-That's the thing that's so special to me, it's the colour.

-Great.

I would love to see more of your work in different shapes

and in different sizes as well.

Really big sizes, and little miniature pieces.

I think it would look very good. Well done.

I agree with Piyush.

Kayley's trug is both functional and sculptural.

I think, by combining the ceramic body with the bentwood handle,

she's made an eye-catching piece in a heritage style,

with a modern component.

Now, what's your passion piece?

Given the funds, what would your dream handmade object be made of?

You're probably thinking, precious metal straightaway -

gold, silver, platinum.

Well, mine would be copper.

But not any old copper, Newlyn copper.

Newlyn, in Cornwall, has always looked to the sea for its economy.

But, by the end of the 19th century, the fishing industry had declined.

Unemployed fishermen were taught how to work copper

into decorative and functional objects, to sell.

The original copperworks fell silent after the Second World War.

But ex-dancer Michael Johnson took on the design legacy here in Newlyn

to bring copper into the 21st century.

And he's done it with panache,

furthering his life-long love of metal

with training with his armourer uncle

and working on costumes for Hollywood movies.

-So that's kept you busy?

-It's kept us really busy.

You've done a big few shows as well, I see.

We did Hampton Court Flower Show, we did that a few years ago.

That was really successful.

A lot of water features.

-This is one of them?

-This is one of them, yeah.

-Can I see how it works?

-Do you want it on? I'll turn it on.

Did you have to collect all these taps from scrap yards?

The taps have been collected...

-HE LAUGHS

-Look at that!

How fabulous is that!

There's a pump that drive them around?

It sends the water round and round and round.

-A bit of Monty Python madness for the garden.

-You can have hours of fun!

LAUGHS it's good, isn't it?

Shelley Anderson, Michael's apprentice, grew up in Newlyn.

And, as well as working on their commissions,

he's also been making some very exciting pieces of his own.

The next generation has also been inspired,

and local kids come to the workshop after school

to learn copper-smithing from Shelley and Michael.

I'm delighted to see such enthusiasm from young makers.

I can see lots of different objects straightaway.

You've made a little diver's helmet, look at the detail in that.

-What are you holding?

-It took me ages.

I think I'm going make something like this, a little rowing boat.

-Was that difficult to do?

-Some bits.

Some good technique to learn. A bit of soldering going on.

A bit of riveting. A bit of bending, a bit of hammering.

What's this?

That one's a serpent, and that one's going to be a cormorant.

What will you do with these?

Well, you could hang them up.

Or you can just use them as an ornament.

-What have you made?

-A scorpion.

That's very, very clever.

I tell you what, I'm going to get making soon.

You've put some pressure on me, haven't you?

-Do you think I can do it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Good luck to you all. I'm going to need a bit of luck now.

-Got my work cut out.

-CHILDREN GIGGLE

The original fisherman-makers were inspired by their surroundings

and the coastal way of life.

Their sought-after work typically features fish, sea birds

and other nautical motifs.

Today, pieces like these, in Penlee House Gallery Museum's collection,

in neighbouring Penzance,

are firmly in the arts and crafts antiques tradition.

These timeless designs have influenced modern makers

like our young apprentices.

But will I capture a bit of Cornwall in my making?

I like the idea of producing a little boat like this,

-especially a clinker-built boat.

-Yep, that's it.

-Love that.

Planked like that. Little rivets, can we do that?

-You'll do all of that.

-Ah! Right. Let's get started.

-Shall we get cracking?

-Yeah.

First thing we do is fold in the keel line,

straight down the middle of the boat.

Line it up here in the vice. Just push it over.

-This is 0.7 gauge copper.

-It's quite soft metal.

-It's fairly soft, yeah.

-Perfect, good, good.

And that, we put back in the vice,

-Clamp it up along the keel line.

-Yep.

And fold the boat out like that.

Perfect. Now we're going to anneal it.

We'll take it round to the welding bay.

Annealing, put simply, is the gentle heating of the metal

to make it more malleable, and easier to work.

Perfect for hand hammering.

Old tools, old techniques!

-Good. That's better.

-Straight, yep.

Now, it's covered in little dents, so it's time to planish now.

We'll flip it over, put it on a stake,

and get these little bumps and lumps out of it. OK?

We've got the spoon mandrel over here.

-That is an old stake for making spoons, from Sheffield.

-Gosh!

From their spoon making days.

-It's the same sort of shape as the hull of the boat.

-Right shape for it.

Good.

Yep, perfect. Perfect.

Getting it? That's good enough for now.

We're going to draw the planking in, the clinker planking in.

I'm going to wheel it up on the jinney.

The jinney pinches the copper between two rollers,

adding perfect grooves to the metal,

and bringing my new boat to life.

When I first started making boats,

I felt like I was trying to make

absolute, fastidious copies of original boats.

But that can be a little soulless, and I wanted that feeling...

Yeah, just have a hint of, "Oh, this is a clinker boat,"

but it doesn't have to be accurate.

It's like a painting.

It's the impression of a boat.

It's more demanding than it looks!

But anyone could learn what I'm doing

with a good teacher by their side.

You feel like you're not fighting it so much?

-No, working with it.

-Terrific.

-There we go.

Bang on, cool.

-Now we have to roll an edge to make the gunwales?

-That's it.

We're going to do this section on the boat,

we're going to fold the gunwales over.

We'll do that on the creasing stake over here.

-This will make life just a little bit easier.

-Sure.

Right, clamp the creasing stake in here.

This line here on the stake, you want it line it up

with the line we've drawn on the gunwale. Just gently take it over.

-See the crease of the stake coming through?

-Yes, I can.

And, traditionally, in Newlyn copper,

when you see these rolled tops,

it is this a way of finishing off, aesthetically pleasing,

and it's also quite safe to use,

-so it's a utensil you can drink from, with a rolled edge.

-Exactly.

The sort of edge you would have done on a bowl, on a rose bowl,

-on a vase or something.

-Yeah.

-We're doing it on the boat.

It's a slight variation on what you would do as a rim on a bowl.

It's those same principles.

-It takes the sharpness off.

-Takes the sharpness off it.

And it gives the boat some solidity, some visual strength.

-Are you getting a feel for it?

-Yes, yes.

It's tricky, because you cannot see the stake.

No, you are having to picture the stake on the other side.

You know the stake's there, you can't see it.

I don't think I need to do much more on that.

No, you're fine, you can flip over the other side now.

Next, back to the dishing stump, to hammer the curves into the hull.

And then a final round on the creasing stake.

There are no short cuts!

All a process of persuasion,

persuading the metal to go into places it doesn't really want to go,

-but a series of...

-It did it.

-Yeah, it went there in the end.

Yeah, it did as it was told in the end!

-Good boy!

-Yes, precisely.

Now we're adding to the illusion, by hammering in

some dinks to suggest the boat's rivets.

There we go, last bit of riveting.

Yep, get those rows in. THEY CHUCKLE

I mean, you could do this by yourself

but it would take a long time, wouldn't it?

-OK.

-Excellent, Paul, lovely.

-All the rivets are in. What's next?

We're going to get a nameplate put inside here.

Shelley's just working on the nameplate for us as we speak.

I was going to suggest something like PZ,

because all the boats here have Penzance.

But, because it's Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution,

we should have PMHR, shouldn't we?

We'll let you do that.

-Can we have those initials?

-Yes. >

Right, and we all put the copper work stamp on the bow of the boat,

-so you know it was made here.

-Made in Newlyn.

-Yep.

It's quite exciting now.

Putting things together.

We've been cutting things up, now we're putting everything together.

There we are, look at that.

Whoa! How about that? Nameplate.

Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution.

We are getting there, aren't we?

Close that up, just literally drag the front end closed,

the bow of the boat.

That's it, pull it round. Then we're going to close it up in the vice.

That's it.

Straight into the vice.

-Pinch it tight.

-Pinch it tight.

My boat's almost taking shape.

It just needs the rear panel soldering on,

and a few finishing touches.

It's been such good fun,

and so satisfying to make something from scratch!

Let's test it, let's see if it floats, here we go.

-Ah! Magic!

-THEY LAUGH

Absolute magic, look at that!

-That's fabulous, isn't it?

-Of course.

-She works. Are you pleased?

-I am.

I can take passengers in my rowing boat now.

Look!

Isn't that fabulous?

-That's fantastic, oh, thank you so much.

-You're welcome.

-Brilliant.

-You're welcome.

So you see, it is possible.

Please, please, please, seek out a master, get some help,

get some training, and enjoy yourself.

I'm really chuffed with that.

I think that's one of the nicest things I've ever made.

-Well done. Thank you.

-You're welcome, Paul.

Back in Bromsgrove, it's crunch time.

From among hundreds of applicants,

five truly talented individuals

were chosen to go before our panel of judges.

And only one of them can be named Judges' Favourite.

None of the finalists had the first idea of what's been lined up -

an opportunity that could change one of their lives.

It's the moment of truth.

Piyesh, perhaps you could start us off

with this monumental picture?

This is an illusion knitting,

done by Steve, who's a maths teacher.

It's quite magical in a way.

I can... People would queue up and be looking at that,

trying to figure out what it is.

It's interesting that it's done by a maths teacher, isn't it?

-There is something calculated.

-Definitely.

Very precise,

and obviously the alternation of the different knitting stitches making the image,

-so there's something computer-like about it almost.

-Yes.

I'm very happy creating the illusion knitting myself.

But it's important to me to try and get to other people,

to inspire other people to try this for themselves.

To win, I think, it's an avenue into that,

I think that would be rather nice.

Tell us about that scarf over there?

Yes, that's a beautiful handwoven silk scarf, by Sue.

She's a retired police officer,

and she took up this hobby because she saw it somewhere,

and she just got into it.

And I think that piece is really beautiful,

because it's very well executed.

And also, the finishing at the edge is extremely beautiful.

-The colours are very subtle, aren't they?

-Yes.

I would be ecstatic.

It would be, not a justification, but some...

that somebody else loved my work as much as I did, basically, yes.

It would be thrilling.

Mary Jane, tell us about this little sculpture here?

Phil is a member of the steam punk movement.

He makes things out of stuff that's been chucked away.

This is actually very personal to him,

it's all about his dad, and when his dad became very ill.

-So I think it's very, very special to Phil.

-Yeah.

Often, you find with craft objects,

they mean so much to the person that makes them,

-but maybe they don't communicate it.

-To the public.

-Exactly.

That is perhaps the problem.

But it is very earnest, very forthright, very direct.

So, maybe the simplicity of the making reflects that.

It's a great way of being able to express how I feel inside.

A way of engaging in a different world.

Of just creating without limitations.

This is a slip cast struck by Kayley.

Something about this piece really appeals to me.

It's very, very contemporary, yet classic as well.

The shape, the simplicity of this piece,

and the combination of wood and ceramics.

It's meant to be used for foraging.

But she likes it to be like a conversation piece,

so people can talk about it.

I can see that as a fruit basket on anyone's dining table.

I think that would be the most stylish forager I have ever seen!

I really like it too, guys.

It's not the most inventive thing I've seen in ceramics.

However, it is very, very beautifully designed.

That's something any crafts person could learn from,

no matter what medium they are in.

If I win, it would be amazing.

It would give me the confidence

to really plunge myself into my ceramics.

It's taken me a little while after university to get started,

and I feel I need something

to propel me back into the design industry.

OK, finally, these hair ornaments.

Isla loves everything that is Japan -

the culture, the people and, of course, the ornamentation.

This is a Japanese flower-making method.

Very delicate, as you can see.

So, obviously, a tradition,

not one that's probably known to most people in the UK.

Yeah, very unusual for somebody to be practising it in the UK.

Self-taught.

As I say, very delicate, intricate work.

For me, I wanted to show people that there is this technique,

and it is dying in Japan.

There's only a handful of people in Japan considered masters,

special artisans, who make these for a living.

There's so many things happening out there.

I would hate to see this go, because it is very pretty.

-So, it's a difficult decision for us.

-It is.

Piyesh, any strong sentiments about which way you are leaning?

I did change my mind quite a few times.

When I came in, clear favourite.

But having seen other pieces,

I do think, I'm not sure about it right now.

-OK, so a lot to choose from.

-Yes.

-Mary Jane, what do you think?

It is difficult. It is difficult.

-I think there are probably two things that are appealing to me.

-OK.

I think I have a pretty strong sense of where I'm coming down as well.

-So maybe it's time we have a word with Paul, what do you think?

-Yeah.

Judges, I need your decision?

-We need your help!

-You are joking?

I'm afraid there's two objects we are down to,

we love both of them, very impressed by both of them,

so we'd love you to cast the deciding vote.

As you can see, it is difficult. Who would want to be a judge?

Well, we have now made our decision,

so let's bring in the finalists.

The judges are going to agree with me right now,

there's a lot of talent standing right here in this room.

Thank you for showing your work to us. You've all got what it takes.

Now, there can only be one Judges' Favourite.

Before I tell you who that is,

I can just tell you what we have in store for you.

Your work will be put on display

in the V&A shop in the Victoria and Albert Museum,

alongside the world's leading collection of arts and craft.

I mean, it really is the spiritual home of what you are all about.

Sadly, there can only be one of you.

This wasn't an easy decision.

What we are looking at here

was the reinvention of something traditional,

to be used today. OK.

It was good design. Very, very good design.

And I'm pleased to announce...

the Judges' Favourite today is...

..Kayley and her ceramic trug, well done!

-That's marvellous.

-Thank you.

Great design, it really is.

Well done, brilliant.

The judges were torn with such a high standard

of truly accomplished pieces.

In the end, with my casting vote, they selected Kayley's trug.

It's a shape that has all the hallmarks of a future design classic

and it's extremely well made.

There's no doubt that her work is worthy of its place.

I hope this gifted lot

has inspired you to bite the bullet and give it a go.

It's amazing what you can do with a bit of patience,

and a lot of practice. Come on, join the Handmade Revolution!