Yipeee! For the second year running I have won a prestigous prize at the Designer Bookbinders competition. This year it was for my binding of the competition’s set book ‘The Collected Stories of Nikolai Gogol’. The prize giving is on December 4th at the John Rylands Library in Manchester, after which my book will be exhibited there for a couple of months, along with a great collection of specially selected entries and prize winners in the competion.

This book took me around 9 months to complete. Bound in full leather decorated with acrylic, it has suede enpapers, leather doublures, acrylic painted edges, and is presented in a bespoke drop-back box with suede lining.

 

 

At last! I've finally managed to get back to putting something down in writing. It has been a busy old time! What with launching this lovely website and making sure it is all running smoothly, which I am happy to say it now is.

 

Christmas has been great and I'm pleased to report that a good number of sales were made through Made by Hands of Britain, including from the US! I am filled with much hope and excitement for the coming year.

 

In October, which seems such a long time ago now, I had the pleasure of meeting some of the MBHOB makers in person. I had been invited to appear on a the breakfast programme of a Nothwest Digital Channel Shine, to talk about MBHOB and the British handmaking indusrty in general.

 

I wanted to be able to take some examples of work onto the programme with me and as a result spent the weekend tearing around four counties picking up makers' work and as a result having the oportunity to meet with them - what a treat!

 

It really is no wonder that these people are inspired to create and make when they live in such lovely places.

 

Here are a couple of shots I took on my travels.

 

      

 

I was completely lost when I took this picture but I can think of worse places to be lost in.

 

 

                                                     

 

This was the view from Smantha and Andrew Bradley's house of "Bert and Doris". I looked everywhere for that pot of gold! This scene belies the fact that they live up in the wilds of the Staffordshire hills - a windswept yet beautiful and clearly inspiring place.

 

Here is Samantha herself cuddling a couple of her adorable doll characters all made by herself at her dinining room table or (by her own admission) sometimes helped by her husband Andrew when they spend the long winter nights cuddled up in bed, filling the dolls with fluffy stuffing. Now there's dedication!

 

 

                                                     

 

Also in Staffordshire, I met with Charis Jones, the local and first lady blacksmith at the Etruria Industrial Museum who makes everything from jewellery to large scale architectural metalwork for public use and display. Go Charis!!

 

 

                                                      

 

Next to Malpas in Cheshire, where I met the very interesting John Bourne. A man on a mission when it comes to cheese. I was told in no uncertain terms that I must wait outside so as not to contiminate the ripening, while Mr. Bourne recorded his findings regarding his latest cheese experiment, the Anniversary Blue Cheshire, which as I was fortunate enough to taste it, I can safely say is absolutely delicious and truly unique. It's no wonder; the Bourne family have been making cheese for more than 80 years! They probably know what they're doing by now.

 

 

                                                     

 

Once in Greater Manchester (at the TV studios in fact), I was able to meet up with David Tragen, Furniture Designer Maker, who hand crafts the most beautiful contemporary furniture and wooden accessories, such as clocks and ligthing. David has a studio at the Islington Mill in Salford.

 

 

                                     

 

Also Charlotte Verity, with whom I met at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair. She has perfected the technique of creating beads in the form of glass bubbles, which she somehow infuses with prescious metals such as gold, silver and platinum. Alchemy indeed! These are then made into the most beautiful pieces of jewellery. Charlotte has a studio at the Manchester Craft Centre in the Bohemian Northern Quarter.

 

 

                                                     

 

Part of my travels seemed a little like a treasure hunt as I had to find things like jewellery left in a secret place by Claire Troughton and to top it off, on my return home I found the most delectable box of chocolates in my porch, left by Karen Hunnisett of Simply Cocoa. No guesses for what Gilly did next!

 

What a journey! But what an adventure too and meeting such lovely, unique and dedicated characters along the way.

 

One thing to mention is that since this time, poor Claire Troughton, who despite being faced with utter ruin after losing her studio with all it's contents to a fire, is picking herself up, dusting herself off and starting all over again, the phoenix is truly rising from the ashes! This proves that makers are born not bred.

This month saw me at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair in Manchester. I had been awarded a stand in the Graduate section on the merits of my graduate work.

Well alot of time has passed. You can now follow me on Twitter @kyliecoles.

I am currently preparing for Cheshire Open Studios and will be opening my workshop to the public 24th and 25th September 2011. I am sharing my studio with weaver, Jane White, who will also have plenty of work on show. For details please see - www.artistsatwork.org.uk

There are also two other events looming:

1. The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair, Spinningfields, Manchester 20th-23rd October 2011. www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk
2. The Art Market, Holmfirth 6th November 2011. www.artmarkets.co.uk

My work can also now be seen at:

• Bluecoats Display Centre, Liverpool;
• Royal Exchange Craft Shop, Manchester;
• Walford Mill Craft Shop, Dorset.

Bovey Tracey was great fun. Here’s a photo of my stall.

Hi, I had a successful  and fun time exhibiting at the Great Northern Contemorary Craft Fair, in Manchester, the other weekend, www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk . It’s an anual event so look out for it next October.

I was in the ‘One Year On’ section with:

• Catherine Fuga Carr and her wonderful crocheted glass bowls, www.catherinecarrglass.co.uk
• Clare Knox-Bentham and her fantastic extruded plastic drawings, www.clareknoxbentham.wordpress.com
• Kate Holdsworth and her beautiful fused glass and wire jewelery, www.kateholdsworth.co.uk