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MAKE! Craft Britain

Documentaries

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media: Arts

Series which celebrates creativity and the art of making things.

A joyful celebration of all things handmade, following ordinary people having a go at new skills taught by inspirational teachers.

Make! Craft Britain 

RDF Television

Teresa Watkins

Lulu Valentine

Martha Kearney

Samuel Burr

Anna Wood

Dan Goldthorp

MAKE! Craft Britain: Series 1: Episode 1

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Episode 1

Series 1

BBC Four - MAKE! Craft Britain, Series 1, Episode 1

Novice crafters master the art of hooky rugmaking and traditional letterpress.

Novice crafters master the art of hooky rugmaking and traditional letterpress. Plus an origami artist teaches how to make something beautiful from a single sheet of paper.

The first episode follows two groups of novice crafters as they master the art of hooky rugmaking and traditional letterpress. Meanwhile, origami artist Sam Tsang teaches how to make something beautiful from a single sheet of paper, folding an origami lily which can then be made into LED fairy lights.

On the north east coast in Bamburgh village, world-renowned rugmaker Heather Ritchie welcomes six amateur crafters to her two-day workshop in the local cricket pavilion. She teaches them how to 'hook' their own personalised seat cushions, inspired by their favourite places.

Heather has been hooking rugs for over 30 years. She discovered rugmaking in the early 70s after moving into a cold, flagstoned cottage in the Yorkshire Dales. The hooking technique allowed her to use recycled fabrics to produce rugs that insulated her home. After getting 'hooked' on the basic technique, her functional household rugs soon developed into intricate works of art, each one capturing a memory from her past.

The workshop is attended by married couple Adam and Tracy, dentist Indra, A&E doctor Lucy and local farmers Mary and John, who bring some sheep fleece along to use in their work.

Meanwhile, in south London, wordsmith and typographer Kelvyn Smith invites five students into his print studio for a one-day masterclass in letterpress printmaking. The 350-year-old printing process is new to all of Kelvyn's students, so over the course of the day they learn how to use a composing stick, how to set type and build a form, before proofing and printing their own pieces of work.

The workshop is attended by engaged couple Ant and Bianca, gravestone engraver Neil and his carpenter son Otis, and textiles student Lorna.

Lorna initially struggles with the concept of writing 'upside down and left to right', but has a breakthrough when she's given a mirror to hold up against her work. In the end her poster - a written tribute to her dad, a poet - exceeds all hopes. 'It's come out better than I could have expected.'

Back in Bamburgh, the hooky seat cushions are ready to go on chairs, and the students take a stroll to the beach for a celebratory slice of cake and cup of tea to try them out for size.

Sheep farmer John's work really impresses teacher Heather - 'now who'd have thought a sheep farmer could make something as beautiful and artistic as that?'.

MAKE! Craft Britain: Series 1

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