Episode 8 Paul Martin's Handmade Revolution

We live in a disposable culture where we buy, use

and bin virtually everything. And to quote Oscar Wilde -

"We know the price of everything and the value of nothing."

And like him, I want to champion Britain's heritage.

So, come on, join me,

Paul Martin, in my handmade revolution.

ALL CHEER

In this series, I want to celebrate our great handmade heritage.

So we've searched the country to find

Britain's most skilled amateur makers.

I'm very tempted to take her home almost straight away.

We'll be finding out just how important their work might become.

I'd like to see my work for sale in a gallery. That would be the ideal.

It would validate what I've been banging on about

for years and years and years.

But only one will be judged talented enough to claim

a life-changing opportunity.

Who will have what it takes to have their work on display

in a world-renowned museum?

Today's judges' favourite is...

We're in Sussex for today's programme

at the Amberley Heritage Centre, which was set up in 1979

to reflect the history of everyday life in the area.

And as well as masses of dedicated volunteers,

there are highly-skilled craftspeople on site.

And the thing they have in common with me

is the desire to keep our traditional craft skills alive.

Later on, you can learn how to get your hands dirty

with one of those ancient traditions.

-That's awful.

-THEY LAUGH

That is what a first bowl looks like.

Hundreds of you have responded to my invitation to come along today

with a piece of your work to show us what you're made of.

And, as you can imagine, with difficulty we've whittled it down

to five talented finalists who will go before the judges.

But, remember, only one can be selected as judges' favourite.

We'll meet the finalists shortly but first, let's hear from the judges

whose job it is to decide which of our makers has what it takes.

Piyush Suri runs 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.

Mary Jane Baxter is a journalist, teacher

and milliner, who has a real passion for all things handmade.

I just know there's real talent

out there. I can't wait to see what we discover.

And our head judge, Glenn Adamson,

works at London's famous Victoria and Albert Museum.

This country has a rich tradition of craft and I hope

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

And their opinion counts, because for one lucky finalist

today could be the day when their life changes for ever.

The person chosen as judges' favourite will see their piece

on display alongside the world's

finest collection of decorative arts.

Our first finalist, Chris Grace, is 51 and a company director.

In his spare time he does wondrous things with wood

as Piyush is discovering.

Wow, that's fascinating.

It's... I'm kind of struggling

to understand what's the purpose of this.

Well, he's fun. That's the purpose.

I did a competition for the West Sussex Woodturners

and the brief was a fun item.

Technically I can see it's superb.

But what was the inspiration behind it?

It was just to try and make something that was all

out of solid wood because people think about wood-turning

as a bowl, as a candlestick.

I wanted to make something completely different,

that nobody would have thought about.

So never having seen anything quite like this,

that was really the inspiration and there's a technical challenge.

I can see different woods in there.

So, what kind of woods do you use?

I use all sorts of woods from different sources.

I get a lot of it as offcuts from local joiners.

So that way we're using up things that would otherwise go to waste.

But we have here, for instance, a piece of yew wood, um,

common wood in churchyards and places like that.

Whereas this, on the other hand, is a piece of padauk, which is very,

very orange when it's first cut and then it goes a darker colour.

So it was really to try and find contrasting woods that would work

together and then build them up into a block and that formed his body.

So, how much time did it take you to complete?

It took about four or five weeks in total.

A lot of that was time working out the various problems

and how I'd be able to solve them.

Then, when you start gluing things up,

you've got to allow time for the glue to set thoroughly.

So, tell me, does your work only have a fun element

or do you do functional pieces as well?

No, I do all sorts of wood-turning items. Most of them are for display.

-OK.

-I have made some functional things, small boxes and bowls.

A friend wanted a key bowl, that's a very,

very quick and simple thing to make.

But I prefer the more technically challenging items.

Perhaps where you're combining materials or doing something

a little bit different.

So, do you see a commercial place for this piece?

A piece like this isn't terribly commercial

because of the amount of time involved in designing it.

But I think that there is a place for things like this

and some of my other pieces

I see ideally possibly selling at a gallery.

I'm not into the mass production and the craft fair

because I'm interested in doing different things all the time.

So, you're more taking an artistic route rather than taking

-a commercial route?

-Absolutely.

I think it's important for me personally to look at it

from an artistic perspective, from a craft perspective.

If I had to do craft shows every week or every other week,

it would just become a mundane job and I don't want it to do that.

I love the fact that Chris takes great pleasure in the material

he uses and his toy is a work of genius.

Chris isn't in it for the money but the amount of hours it's taken,

he should charge in the region of £2,000.

It's very difficult to judge how people view him

because initially they think, "Oh, wow!"

But there are so many other really good things that are here today,

I can't say which is going to be better.

Ellen Wright, who's 50, is a civil servant who loves to sew

but will she be a hit with Mary Jane?

Your elephant is extremely beautiful, Ellen.

I'm very tempted to take her home almost straight away.

She really is extremely loveable and delicate and beautifully made.

Tell, me more about her. You've got a background

in doll making I believe.

It's actually bear making.

I've made bears for about 20 years

but the bear market became a bit flooded with lots of bears

being available and on a trip to America I fell in love with

primitive folk art because it's a big market in America.

I came home and thought, "I'm going to have a change

"and I'm just not going to do bears for a while".

I started to make various things with the primitive folk art theme

and the elephant is the most popular, but I do things like dolls,

cats, witches, witches' shoes,

snowmen, ghosts...

I think it's very interesting you talked about the naive folk art,

-because this elephant has all those traits...

-Absolutely.

..the simple hand-stitching on the little hat,

done in that very obvious style, meant to be seen to be simple

and then you've got the hand-dyed fabric for his body. Or her body,

I should say. I'm sorry! How do you do that,

because when I'm dying things to make things look old, I use tea.

-What do you use?

-I use coffee. This is basically cotton calico.

You can get it anywhere, it's very cheap to buy

and I basically make it up into the article,

stuff it and then I give it a coating of instant coffee.

Instant coffee. You're a coffee girl, I'm a tea girl.

I actually don't like coffee and I don't like the smell of coffee,

but I've grown to love it,

because I literally have things smelling all over the house of coffee.

-How did you learn to sew?

-My mother taught me to sew.

-Good old Mum!

I have to give my mum credit for that. I grew up in a household

where my mum would be making my clothes

and she went through a period of making toys,

so I would sit there and help her with the bits I could.

So why particularly the naive folk art,

why does that interest you more than other things?

I think it's because it is just...

so interesting as you never really know how it's going to turn out.

There are no boundaries,

there's no right or wrongs with primitive folk art.

If you make a cat and it comes out an odd shape, so what? It doesn't really matter.

There's no training involved, you just literally make a shape

and put two arms and two legs on it and two eyes, and you've got a doll.

But really, Ellen, the way you describe it doesn't explain

that this is beautifully made. I can see the detail

in the stitching,

the attention to the little hat... I mean, she really is lovely.

-Naive doesn't mean cynical in making, does it?

-No, no.

Which I think is an important thing for people to understand.

How long, Ellen, would it have taken to make Toccata, I think her name is?

It is, yes. Taking away the drying process,

I could probably make an elephant in a couple of days.

-Right, so it's still a considerable amount of time.

-It is, yes.

I can imagine this sort of piece in Liberty or somewhere like that,

in London, and becoming quite collectable.

-Do you want to turn it into a full-time job, or...?

-No,

I wouldn't want to give up my job,

because I love my job and I'm very lucky in having a job I enjoy.

I have to say, Ellen, I think Toccata is extremely covetable

and I'm going to covet her and take away with me, if that's all right with you.

That's absolutely fine.

Not so fast, MJ.

I also love Ellen's slightly Gothic, but lovable elephant.

The naive quality of the doll belies the great skill

that went into making it.

There's a centuries-old tradition of making toys in this country

and very special ones can sell for over £100.

We've seen a lot of people bring theirs in today,

keeping that tradition alive.

I think the idea of Handmade Revolution is fantastic.

There's a lot of people that are scared of crafts

and actually having a go. It doesn't matter

if it doesn't work out how you thought it would.

It's just you're creating something. Everyone, I think, can be creative.

I couldn't agree more

and I think it's wonderful that Ellen learned everything she knows

at her mother's knee.

My handmade revolution isn't the only call to action to get people making things.

The Craft Council have been encouraging people all over the country

to get hands-on with their craft club initiative.

Denise here has come to Amberley for the day to help spearhead

the campaign to get people knitting and crocheting.

Hello. What's the club all about?

Basically, it's getting children and young people

throughout the country

knitting and crocheting and taking up a craft skill.

My mum was a great knitter and she taught me to knit.

I didn't think it was a sissy thing to do,

because she gave me knitting needles like drumsticks.

I used to make scarves.

She used to make me jumpers and hats and scarves, and my dad as well.

We were sort of the matching pair.

It was really popular with my mum's generation.

-Do you think it's lost its popularity?

-Absolutely.

It definitely has skipped a generation.

I think that's why there is this big push to get the younger people

interested in it.

-How long did it take you to learn to crochet?

-Not very long.

-To be honest, I don't remember learning, because my mum taught me when I was eight.

-It was a gift!

-You just know.

-When I was really small, so...

That's fabulous, it looks so difficult and technical.

They're really not difficult. It's very, very easy.

Once you get used to it, it's very, very easy.

So there you go, you've heard it from Denise herself.

Good luck, girls.

It will be anything BUT easy to impress the judges today

and claim that coveted reward.

Piyush is meeting 50-year-old David King,

who works in a very different material - stone.

I love this piece. Although the shape is so contemporary,

but it takes me back to history -

stone was the first material to be used as a craft.

It is, that's right.

So how did YOU get into stone?

Well, I'm a dry-stone waller by trade and three years ago,

I saw a recreational course over a weekend,

so I thought I'd do the course

cos it might be something that would complement my work.

I might be able to do a house name or something like that.

So I did this weekend course and just, very quickly, really loved it.

It's become a form of mild addiction since then,

so I've always got one or two carvings on the go.

So evenings, weekends, wet weather,

-I'm in the workshop, carving something or other.

-Fantastic.

So tell me about this beautiful texture. Do you create it,

or is it in the stone itself?

It's Hornton stone, from Warwickshire.

It's also known as gingerbread stone

It's limestone, it has very pronounced bedding planes.

It's a sedimentary rock,

so you get this wonderful contrast between the reddy/brown areas

and the blue/grey areas. It's quite a challenge to carve because

the red areas are quite soft and the blue/grey areas are quite hard.

I found it not particularly enjoyable to carve,

there are easier stones.

So have you tried on any other stones as well?

Yes, what I try and do is, each course

I will try either a different technique or a different material,

because obviously, I'm relatively new to this process,

so I want to try and learn as much as I can about it.

I find it very interesting.

So, I see this is very figurative.

So you're mainly doing animal figures, any other things?

No, not at all.

When I started out, because I don't have a creative background,

I have no formal art education,

I started off doing more figurative work.

I find that the hardest process, the creative process.

I've had to kind of teach myself to look at the world

in a different way.

Somebody once said to me, "Could you do a sculpture of my dog?

-Would you?

-And I can't do that, no.

I'd rather just pick up a hammer and chisel

and get inspiration from either, in this case,

nature or just go with the form in the stone and see what arrives.

That, for me, is the pleasure of it.

Is it just a hobby for you or are you going to take a commercial route with your craft?

Well, at the moment, it's a hobby. I've done one commission.

Erm...but people have started to express an interest.

I've exhibited one or two pieces locally.

-Erm...so I'm hoping I could sell a few pieces in the future, yeah.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

Piyush was excited to find an example of such an ancient skill.

It sounds as if there's a ready market out there for David's work.

This one could make about £500.

What was interesting was that he was interested in the material.

I think that's the way to go - just keep exploring different materials and different techniques.

David derives enormous pleasure from his work but creativity often means so much more than that.

Our head judge Glenn has met up with designer Maham Anjum, who's brought along some pots

with an extra purpose.

-Maham, you've brought two pots in today. Goes well with my outfit.

-Yes.

-These are made by potters in Sri Lanka, women potters in Sri Lanka.

-Sri Lanka, right?

-You're also the designer of these pots?

-I am, yes.

This one is hand-thrown on the wheel

and this one is thrown on the wheel - the inside is held with a stone anvil

and the potter beats it with a wooden paddle

and what it does is makes the pot quite resistant to thermal shock

-so you can cook on it, with it, on an open fire which you can't do with something like that.

-I see.

So Maher, what motivates a young designer like you here in Britain

to be working with a group of potters in Sri Lanka?

This started off with my research at university.

I was interested in the technology that has existed for hundreds of years.

A lot of these pots, the techniques are dying out

because of more-industrially available products,

-plastics and steel.

-So the potters can't compete.

-No, they can't.

There had to be a way to keep the skill alive

but introduce new products so that there will be demand for them.

-Your design helps this to happen?

-Yes.

-So they've had to adapt their skills to your design?

-Slightly, yes.

Also, their skills were going to die out.

Very similar to how skills are dying out in most of Europe...

So this is a rescue mission but, as you say, it's not a story

-that's unique to the developing world, it's happening here in Britain.

-Yes.

-It's amazing how much craft there is in an industrial situation like Stoke-on-Trent.

-Yes.

It's famous for producing ceramics going back centuries.

Yet it can come on hard times just like a little pottery village in Sri Lanka.

-The story's not that different.

-No, it's not.

What's inspiring about your story is how good design can help got craftsmanship survive.

-That partnership, which is the oldest partnership there is,...

-Yes.

..there's been great design and great craft hand-in-hand for centuries,

-but it's still really important today.

-Yes.

Glenn's right. We have a tremendous heritage in this country.

Places like the Staffordshire potteries were built on brilliant design and skill.

So much pottery now is hugely valued and collected with famous names, like Clarice Cliff

Harry Stinton and William Moorcroft all commanding high prices.

The market is buoyant for beautifully-crafted things.

Auction rooms around the world are crammed full of discerning buyers

all keen to add to their collections.

Pottery was mass-produced in Britain from the 17th century, but 100 years ago,

craft potters reacted against that factory system,

leading to a rebirth of the handmade tradition.

The father of the movement was Bernard Leach, who set up a pottery in Cornwall in 1920.

One of the best-known potteries to emerge from the studio tradition was the Troika pottery,

whose limited edition pieces are highly collectable

and can often be seen commanding large sums of money at smart salerooms all over the country.

This is a vase and a plaque from Troika pottery in St Ives.

They show a different side

to the British pottery tradition, if you like,

than Sir Bernard Leach who was perhaps most strongly associated with St Ives

as the studio's craftsman potter.

These pieces were, when I say "mass-produced", made perhaps in editions of 100-150,

whereas someone like Bernard Leach would have individually thrown each pot.

Troika, I think, is connected to the two decades that it was perhaps prominent, in the '60s and '70s.

It has that sort of charm in the design.

It was sold in Heal's and Liberty's and I think Heal's again has that connection in the '60s

of being a hip place to go.

We have an estimate of £1,000-£1,500 for the two pieces together -

of that the plaque is the slightly higher value of the two.

People do like it - whether it's a reflection of people holidaying in Cornwall, I don't know.

Erm...but there is quite a loyal following to Troika

and the pieces, when they come up, are sought-after by collectors.

'Troika, in a very '60s rebellion against convention celebrated form over function.

'They deliberately went against the grain.

'Since for many people, like walking-stick-maker, Ken Wood,

'the beauty of an object is inherent in its usefulness.'

That's really nice. I've not seen this before,

fashioning the shaft of a walking stick.

-Obviously it starts off in the square...

-Yes.

-..if you're making an ornate one.

-Yes.

-Then we use a "rounder plane"...

-Mm-hm.

..and you end up, should end up, with a shank

like that.

-You start off rounding it from the top.

-Yeah, tapering it down.

-You come back about two inches from the top, wind it in, take some more...

-Wind it in.

-..four inches from the top and you keep on going.

-It's a long process.

-It's very long.

-How long will that take?

-It will take me probably three to four hours.

-Three to four hours?

And then the trick is, I guess, putting the handle on.

To do that, you take your handle,

-fit it, making sure there are no air gaps in-between the collar...

-Yeah.

..and the handle, glue them together.

-This one here...

-You've almost used a scarf joint on there, it's on an angle.

-Yes.

You're a talented man.

I like it. I like it a lot.

-How long have you been doing this?

-I've been doing this for 18 to 20 years now.

What's the most difficult thing you've ever tried to tackle?

Well, carving...carving is for me quite difficult.

I've started now to carve an antler.

I carve in the crown.

Oh, I see, you put a little owl in there.

Put an owl in there and then two whistles in there.

So, if you've got two dogs, two tones.

Come, boy, come, boy, here, boy!

HE BLOWS WHISTLE

-It works!

-It does, yeah.

-Well done! Thank you, Ken.

At 23, Sarah Brown is the youngest of today's finalists.

She makes ends meet by working in a supermarket,

but is she impressive enough to win over the judges?

Sarah, these are really unique.

I've seen nothing like these pieces before

and these three pieces work together, don't they?

-They're actually part of a triptych.

-Yes.

Can you describe to me how they work together?

It describes the binman going along emptying the bins.

This is actually in Carnaby Street so he was at this bin, here,

and then he moved along.

So, I'm just, sort of, depicting his journey throughout his day.

You seem very inspired by the ordinary

and making it into something extraordinary?

Yeah, I like to look at the people that are around me

because I know that when people go to London

they go to Big Ben or the London Eye

but actually, it's quite interesting to watch the real people

that are around and that's what I like to highlight

and make quite special because without them, obviously,

it wouldn't be quite the same place.

Absolutely. And this really, sort of, gives them an important role.

So, how do you go from the step of taking photographs

and doing sketches to actually getting that engraved into the glass?

Some of it is sandblasting. The pieces on the back are sandblasted.

That's the frosted appearance on the glass?

It creates the frosting

and then these parts on the front are all drawn on by hand.

And what about the gold leaf?

That looks a very interesting part of your design as well.

I fire that onto the glass.

Once it's been fired first time with the drawings on,

then I put on the gold.

And then that gets fired again, so it doesn't come off.

Are these techniques difficult to master?

To me, the, sort of, etching

and sandblasting glass feels like quite a leap.

Did you find it hard to learn?

It was quite difficult to learn

because it's not a technique that a lot of people use.

They do sandblasting, but not with the complex parts of the windows

and things that I've drawn,

as it's all digital processes as well as, like, hand techniques.

So, you're really combining a craft that goes back centuries -

etching, sandblasting -

with something that is a very new technique.

Really trying to create something that's a signature,

-very much YOUR signature.

-Yeah, I think so.

I think, obviously, glass is an old technique

that people have used for a long time

and I want to make it so it's contemporary

and something that people don't just assume it's stained-glass all the time.

We can see at the moment, Sarah,

the light coming through the glass, here,

it creates these beautiful effects.

-Was that, obviously, a purposeful thing?

-Yes, it was.

It was to create the final dimension on the glasses.

To put the shadow onto the wall behind

to create the idea of movement in the piece.

So, what would your dream be, Sarah?

To do this full-time would be the dream, yeah.

I imagine that's quite hard because you have a day job

and you have to squeeze this work into your spare time.

-Yeah, it's difficult to juggle at the moment.

-How do you manage it?

Getting up quite early, running to the studio before work

and then go to work and go back in the evening,

is what I do quite a lot, yeah.

It's a real pleasure to see this work, Sarah.

-Thank you very much indeed for bringing it in.

-Thank you.

I agree with Mary Jane that those panels are something special.

We reckon they could sell for up to £1,000.

I particularly like the fact that Sarah is taking an age-old craft -

stained glass - and bringing it bang up-to-date.

And, finally, up to face the judges, retired teacher Sue Prichard.

She's 62 and an ardent proponent of another time-honoured tradition

with a 21st-century twist.

Wow, such a traditional craft!

What is it? It's American quilting or British?

It's from the American tradition, using blocks.

The British, we should call it European, really,

is using paper templates.

When the Europeans started colonising America,

they were mostly poor people and these were made out of necessity.

If they wanted something to keep them warm,

then they'd need to make it up out of anything they could get hold of,

which they stitched together.

And then they would back it with old grain sacks, or something like that,

and stuff it with anything, even paper, to keep them warm.

So, what techniques are you using?

Are you using hand sewing or is it machine quilting?

No, this is all hand sewing

and I've also stayed true to the tradition

of using small pieces that can't be used for anything else

and, in fact, these are recycled laundry aids

that you can put into a mixed wash so that you can do your white wash

and your dark colours at the same time

and they attract any loose dyes.

They come out in these colours quite randomly

according to what's being washed

and you get these lovely different, kind of, marbled effects sometimes

and sometimes, if there is a lot of loose dye,

they come out solid, like that one.

And I have people save their colour catchers for me now,

so I haven't produced all these colours,

you know, from my own washing.

So, is it a particular reason you're using this material?

Yeah, because I feel really strongly

that the traditional domestic crafts that this represents

are having a resurgence at the moment

and we're living in a time of economic

and environmental uncertainty,

and I would like people to think about that.

So, all of my work

I make out of stuff that would otherwise be thrown away.

We live in a very beautiful place

and we need to look after it, and we aren't.

And so I want to try and make people understand that.

So, I've got a series of little phrases

that I have embroidered on here.

"Refuse, re-use, recycle."

This, "Waste not, want not,"

was a motto that came out of the Second World War

and similarly, "Make do and mend,"

is another one from the Second World War.

So, what would be the outcome that you'd like to see

when people see your message?

Well, I just want people to think about valuing the craftwork,

-the handmade work...

-Traditions, yes.

-The traditions, yes.

I really hope people get the message

-which you are so strongly passionate about.

-Thank you.

Quilting is very technically demanding

and this one could sell for up to £600,

and the environmental philosophy that Sue so fiercely promotes

gives this piece an extra dimension.

The thing that he really seemed to take on board

was the fact that I'm not just doing it to fill in my time,

but I'm doing it because of wanting to get across this idea

that we need to take more care.

Sometimes what seems like nothing

can be transformed into something beautiful and special.

After all, most pieces of fine porcelain

start out life as a ball of clay.

'I've travelled to St Ives in Cornwall.

'With its beautiful light,

'it's long been a place of pilgrimage for creative people.

'The town is the birthplace of Studio Pottery,

'whose founding father was Bernard Leach.

'His influence still continues to inspire potters today.

'On the site of the old prison are the Gaolyard Pottery Studios,

'where Louise Thompson has been a resident potter for ten years.

'Her work combines modern methods with traditional forms

'and today, she's agreed to show us what it takes to make a start.'

Louise, we're surrounded by your work here.

It's absolutely wonderful as well.

It's all in various stages of the process,

there's a nice finished example and obviously...

at the early stage.

When did you get interested and fascinated with pottery? As a kid?

-No.

-No?

-Later on.

-Really?

Yeah, later on, and I just discovered it on a foundation course

and I was really excited to get back on the wheel.

And you just thought working with clay is the way for you

-rather than...?

-Yes.

When I look at this,

I can see an impressionistic painting straight away.

-That vibrant colour there, that's very, very clever.

-Yes.

-You sign all your work.

-Yes. This is...

-With a mark.

-Gaolyard Studios.

-Oh, that's what that is, is it?

Yes, it is, and a lot of people that are collectors...

-They will look for that mark eventually.

-They will.

And over a period of time, this will become

a sought-after antique and a collectable.

-I don't know about that.

-Well, it will.

You're going to give me a lesson.

Can I watch to start with and pick your brains

-and talk about technique and things like that?

-OK.

D'you know that feeling you get when you go to the dentist?

-I've got that right now.

-Have you? I don't believe you.

I've got that right now.

With my body weight, just...so,

the first thing is to put the wheel on, get my hands really wet.

And...

..just squeeze it.

Do you physically, with a lot of force,

move that to get it into the centre of the wheel?

The best way for a beginner and for me

is to have a triangle here, so I've got my arm down there

and my arm down there, so it makes a really strong triangle.

Your next process is to make a hole in the middle,

and then you're just going to gently push down...

This is where the real art of the potter comes into it.

You can feel the tension of the clay against your skin, can't you,

-in your hand?

-Yes.

It's not until you've come today when I've been more conscious

of what I do because you do things automatically after a while.

And I'm just going to pull that out again very slowly, steadily.

-And then you've got a bowl shape there.

-That's very clever, isn't it?

-Got my hands right underneath there.

-I can see what you're doing.

And I'm just squeezing the clay. This is very calm,

-you have to be very calm.

-Gosh! That's so clever.

-And that's it, really.

-That is it, is it?

That looked incredibly simple.

You made that look so easy. I know it's not easy.

Well, my favourite teaching is, "If I can do it, you can do it."

I'm about to find out if Louise is right.

Wet your hands first, then you're going to do the pedal.

-I can do it for you...

-I'd like to do that.

-OK.

And do that sort of triangular thing where you're really...that's it.

-Yeah. Move my hands in steadily.

-Yeah. That's it.

-Now, I'm bringing it up?

-Yes.

-Lovely. Lovely.

-Yeah? Gosh, I feel it wobbling now.

I don't think this is going well.

All I'm doing is making the collar.

Let me just show you very briefly.

So literally, you're using that and just...

-..use a lot of pressure.

-How d'you do that?

What I'm doing is using both my hands as one, gently.

-OK.

-And it's...

Start from that and then squeeze upwards.

It's a really alien thing but...

Lovely! Fantastic!

That's not bad for a first bowl, is it?

-That's very good.

-That's awful.

That's not fair. That is what a first bowl looks like!

'Well, I tried!

'That bowl may not make it to the next stage,

'but to turn a newly-thrown pot into something you can use at home,

'there are several steps.

'The first is to get rid of all the moisture

'so that the glaze can be applied.'

What colour are we going to use in the glaze today?

My white base glaze and then do some decorating on top. OK.

At this stage, the vessel is just biscuit fired,

that's its first firing.

-That's right.

-But this is going to soak up the glaze beautifully.

It will do, yes.

Go on, then, take it away.

I'm going to pour a little bit of glaze in the middle there.

And I'm just going to swill it around.

All the time I'm swilling it around, it's absorbing the glaze.

'It's the glazing of the pot that gives it that special something,

'and each potter typically develops his or her own signature recipe,

'using a combination of different chemicals.'

There's a close community of potters here in St Ives.

You obviously all know each other and you inspire each other.

-Do you end up buying each other's work?

-Definitely.

Yeah, I've got a piece of everyone's in the whole Gaolyard. I use them.

You use them, which is great.

They're practical things, they're made to be used.

It's nice that you're all supporting each other financially,

all buying off each other. That really does make sense.

Well, you know, sometimes you get a good deal.

-So that's really soaked right into that, hasn't it?

-It has, yes.

Let's look about how you actually put the splashes

of blues and greens on.

I just put it straight onto the glaze.

I might make an area like this.

-These are the waves lapping over...

-Yes, they have to...

How has St Ives or Cornwall in particular inspired you?

I know it's a corny thing, but it is just the light and the colour,

and it's the Celtic-ness down here as well, and it's different from...

I grew up in Cornwall, I was very lucky.

I was inspired exactly by what everybody says,

but I was also inspired by

the amount of creative talent there is down here.

I know. It's amazing.

That's nice.

And...that's just enough, really.

We don't have one little splash somewhere else?

Probably could, yeah, just a dot. D'you want to put a dot on?

-Yeah, can I have a little dot? Can I ruin it?

-Yeah, go on.

-OK.

Fantastic.

It's a bit of a bold splodge.

-I like it.

-Can I put a little line in?

-Yeah.

Yeah.

Great.

Like it. Can I keep it?

Of course you can!

THEY LAUGH

-This goes back into the kiln for its second firing?

-Yes.

-How long will that last?

-Approximately ten hours.

It's a long, slow process. I always get here early.

-It comes out like that.

-It does.

-That's very clever.

Pottery has used the same techniques for centuries,

although technology may have changed a little.

Taking a piece of this earth and fashioning it

into something beautiful is so satisfying.

I urge you to try it.

Potters like Louise are eager to pass on their skills

and carry on the studio tradition.

They are true, handmade revolutionaries

after the spirit of Bernard Leach

and of St Ives itself.

SEAGULLS CRY

The masters of craft have so much to teach us,

but I'm amazed at what amateur makers can achieve.

Hundreds of applications were whittled down to five finalists

who ran the gauntlet of our judging panel.

None of them knows that the person chosen

as judges' favourite is on the cusp of a great opportunity,

one that could change their life for ever.

It's the moment of truth.

-Piyush, perhaps you could start.

-I will.

This is Chris. He's a wood-turner.

The concept is amazing and the technical skills are excellent.

It would mean a lot to me. It would mean the recognition

of people liking wood-turning

and help wood-turning as a craft.

David is there, who's a dry-stone waller.

He started doing this for the past 18 months.

I like the concept because it just takes me back to history.

We don't applaud making stuff enough.

Making stuff is very healthy.

Making as much money as possible, as fast as possible,

sat in front of a computer eight to ten hours a day is very unhealthy.

Sue is doing the quilting techniques.

I'm fascinated by her concept because

her message is upcycling and recycling

and she sends a very strong message.

If I was chosen as judges' favourite,

It would be a way of validating what I've been going on about

for years and years and years.

Although the messages that come across are a bit too strong -

I wish she had not written those messages.

OK.

-Too strong for you?

-I think so.

-OK. Mary Jane?

Ellen, who created the elephant, works very much from

a naive, folk-art background so the pieces are made to look childlike.

If I was chosen as the judges' favourite,

I would be so honoured.

I have seen some of the other crafts

and the people that are here with their work.

I would be over the moon.

Sarah is a fairly young designer maker.

She trained and then specialised in glass.

This triptych takes people doing ordinary things

and has made something beautiful out of it.

When the light shines through the glass,

it takes on another dimension.

That's a special part of what she does.

It would mean a lot to me being recognised,

that the work I've put into it has really paid off.

It's so difficult, seeing all these objects.

It is difficult. It's striking that we have

a strong contrast between historical objects like this hare,

which looks like it could be 200 years old,

and this inventive toy over here,

the faux-naive elephant.

But these other objects speak to contemporary life -

binmen on the streets or this story of salvaging.

Which way are you leaning?

This is really difficult.

For me, no, no, maybe, maybe and definitely no.

OK!

It's looking as though the judges are struggling to reach a verdict.

It sounds like we may have a difference of opinion.

Perhaps we might need an opinion from Paul this time round.

Judges, have you made a decision?

We have a split decision. We could use your help.

I was frightened you might say something like this.

-You've whittled it down to two?

-We have.

-Yes.

We're thinking about marketability but also inventiveness,

so in one case...

INDISTINCT

-Shall we go with that one?

-Let's do it.

-OK.

We now have a decision. It's time we called in the finalists.

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

It's important that you know your skill, technique

and passion for what you do is evident in all the things

that you've made.

I can now reveal the judges' favourite.

Before I do that, let me tell you what is in store for that person -

the chance to have your piece exhibited in the V&A Shop

at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London,

the spiritual home of Arts and Crafts.

Good luck to all of you. Whatever the outcome,

You're all fully-fledged members of the handmade revolution.

We had a split decision, so the casting vote was down to me.

That decision has been based on

the message it sends out, the use of material

and its inventiveness.

I can reveal that today's judges' favourite is...

..Sue.

-Wow!

-Well done, Sue! Congratulations!

Each message may be unsubtle, but Sue's quilt

combines use of recycled material with a strong philosophy -

championing handmade.

It surely deserves its place.

INAUDIBLE

I hope you've been inspired by what you saw on today's programme.

I know I was. Just think, it could be you next time.

Get making things! Join our handmade revolution!