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Craft Candy: Sheffield network for creative enterprise
SEWING, glass-making, bead-threading, sock monsters, cards, book binders, fabric designers, ceramicists, hand-bag designers and vintage jewellers - there is little that Sheffield craft enterprise Craft Candy doesn't cover.
Reporter Rachael Clegg had a crafty look around...
TALENTED craftswomen sit around a high wooden table draped in printed canvas.
Within the space of a few feet, sit a bookbinder, a glass maker, a fabric designer and a card maker - all members of Sheffield's fastest-rising craft organisation Craft Candy.
The non-profit organisation, which started two years ago, promotes and provides a network for craftspeople throughout South Yorkshire.
There are, at the moment, more than 30 members on its books, from professional artists such as Penny Withers to part-time craft workers such as Kati Palin, a card maker and newly-trained teacher.
The organisation is run by volunteers, including fabric designer Sarah Waterhouse and Kati Palin, who together co-founded the group.
The organisation also brings crafts to the public by hosting workshops and one-off events. It has already run workshops on embroidery and sock-monster making, in addition to vintage crafts such as bunting and making sewing boxes.
"We have a very varied programme and a good partnership with Millennium Galleries - we've teamed up with them to run many of the workshops," says Sarah.
Craft Candy also runs high-standard craft fairs in which only high-quality crafts people are accepted as sellers.
"At our craft fairs everything has to be completely made by hand. We have textile people, cushion makers, we have a couple of jewellers, illustrators and book binders, among many other things," says Sarah.
The lure of Craft Candy's fairs is strong, attracting craftspeople from all over the country. "We've had craftspeople from as far afield as Oxfordshire before - I'm always shocked at how far people will travel for our fairs!"
Craft Candy also supports up-and-coming craftspeople, from university graduates to people who have just discovered their passion.
"We offer people start-up stalls, because it's quite daunting when you start selling at craft fairs."
To many of its members, Craft Candy is a lifeline.
Sabine Little, a glass lamp worker, said: "It can be quite isolating as a craft worker but having a network has been really good. It's nice because you're connected to your craft on a national level but also connected to other crafts locally."
Sabine combines part-time academic teaching at The University of Sheffield with making beautifully-crafted intricate glass jewellery to sell.
Her pieces - delicate flowers made of glass - are moulded by hand into petal-shapes. "You have to do it before the glass cools. The texture is a bit like jam! I press one petal then I attach it and crease and crinkle it - if that's a description!
"I think everybody finds their medium - mine's glass. You start off with a hobby and then because you enjoy it you do it more, and then get good at it," she says.
Heather Dewick's 'medium' is book binding. She is one of only three women in the UK binding books on a professional basis.
"I've been binding books since 1991 and I'm still skint!" she says. "I do everything from stitch the paper together to the fixing the cover."
The craft of bookbinding goes back a long way. "There are examples of binding as far back as the ninth century," says Heather
The variety of skills Craft Candy supports is part of its mantra. "We try to get a good mix of crafts," says Sarah.
And, while Craft Candy continues to grow at a rapid rate, there is one major obstacle the organisation has to combat: the stagnant reputation of the craft fair.
"'Craft' has become a dirty word in a sense," Sarah admits. "People associate it with craft fairs where goods from China and jumbo packs of felt-tip pens are sold alongside handmade things.
"But 'craft' is getting a better name and the popularity of crafts as a hobby has increased over the past few years. The recession has helped too - people would rather save up for something nice."
* The next Craft Candy Fair is on Saturday at the Millennium Gallery in the city centre.
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You start off with a hobby and then because you enjoy it you do it more, and then get good at it," she says.
Heather Dewick's ‘medium' is book binding. She is one of only three women in the UK binding books on a professional basis.
"I've been binding books since 1991 and I'm still skint!" she says. "I do everything from stitch the paper together to the fixing the cover."
The craft of bookbinding goes back a long way. "There are examples of binding as far back as the ninth century," says Heather
The variety of skills Craft Candy supports is part of its mantra. "We try to get a good mix of crafts," says Sarah.
And, while Craft Candy continues to grow at a rapid rate, there is one major obstacle the organisation has to combat: the stagnant reputation of the craft fair.
"‘Craft' has become a dirty word in a sense," Sarah admits. "People associate it with craft fairs where goods from China and jumbo packs of felt-tip pens are sold alongside handmade things.
"But ‘craft' is getting a better name and the popularity of crafts as a hobby has increased over the past few years. The recession has helped too - people would rather save up for something nice."
n The next Craft Candy Fair is on Saturday at the Millennium Gallery in the city centre.
Sewing, glass-making, bead-threading, sock monsters, cards, book binders, fabric designers, ceramicists, hand-bag designers and vintage jewellers - there is little that Sheffield craft enterprise Craft Candy doesn't cover. The Star's reporter Rachael Clegg had a crafty look around...
TALENTED craftswomen sit around a high wooden table draped in printed canvas.
Here, within the space of a few feet, sit a bookbinder, a glass maker, a fabric designer and a card maker - all members of Sheffield's fastest-rising craft organisation Craft Candy.
The non-profit organisation, which started two years ago, promotes and provides a network for craftspeople throughout South Yorkshire.
There are, at the moment, more than 30 members on its books, from professional artists such as Penny Withers to part-time craft workers such as Kati Palin, a card maker and newly-trained teacher.
The organisation is run by volunteers, including fabric designer Sarah Waterhouse and Kati Palin, who together co-founded the group.
The organisation also brings crafts to the public by hosting a series of workshops and one-off events. It has already run workshops on embroidery and sock-monster making, in addition to vintage crafts such as bunting and making sewing boxes.
"We have a very varied programme and a good partnership with Millennium Galleries - we've teamed up with them to run many of the workshops," says Sarah.
Craft Candy also runs high-standard craft fairs in which only high-quality crafts people are accepted as sellers.
"At our craft fairs everything has to be completely made by hand. We have textile people, cushion makers, we have a couple of jewellers, illustrators and book binders, among many other things," says Sarah.
The lure of Craft Candy's fairs is strong, attracting craftspeople from all over the country. "We've had craftspeople from as far afield as Oxfordshire before - I'm always shocked at how far people will travel for our fairs!"
Craft Candy also supports up-and-coming craftspeople, from university graduates to people who have just discovered their passion.
"We offer people start-up stalls, because it's quite daunting when you start selling at craft fairs. The start-up stalls are really good for people that have never done crafts before."
The name of the organisation - Craft Candy - was not arrived at easily. "We came up with about 40 different names," says Sarah. "The original idea for the Craft Candy name was Eye Candy but we also had Craft Shack."
To many of its members, Craft Candy is a lifeline.
Sabine Little, a glass lamp worker, said: "It can be quite isolating as a craft worker but having a network has been really good. It's nice because you're connected to your craft on a national level but you are also connected to other crafts locally."
Sabine combines part-time academic teaching at The University of Sheffield with making beautifully-crafted intricate glass jewellery to sell.
Her pieces - delicate flowers made of glass - are moulded by hand into petal-shapes. "You have to do it before the glass cools. The texture of glass is a bit like jam! I press one petal then I attach it and crease and crinkle it - if that's a description!
"I think everybody finds their medium - mine's glass. You start off with something as a hobby and then because you enjoy it you do it more, and that's when you get good at it," she says.
Heather Dewick's ‘medium' is book binding. She is one of only three women in the UK binding books on a professional basis.
"I've been binding books since 1991 and I'm still skint!" she says. "I do everything from stitch the paper together to the fixing the cover."
The craft of bookbinding goes back a long way. "There are examples of binding as far back as the ninth century," says Heather. "The earliest examples have wooden covers, which contained vellum or parchment pages."
All of Heather's binding - with the exception of decorative embossed titles - is done by hand. "I've got strong hands but I don't have any nails!"
The variety of skills Craft Candy supports is part of its mantra. "We try to get a good mix of crafts," says Sarah.
And, while Craft Candy continues to grow at a rapid rate, increasing its membership year-on-year, there is one major obstacle the organisation has to combat: the parochial, stagnant reputation of the craft fair.
"‘Craft' has become a dirty word in a sense," Sarah admits. "People associate it with craft fairs where goods from China and jumbo packs of felt-tip pens are sold alongside handmade things.
"But ‘craft' is getting a better name for itself and the popularity of crafts as a hobby has increased over the past few years. The recession has helped too - people would rather save up for something nice."
But there is one other, minor, setback to being surrounded by talented craftspeople and their unique, well-made products, according to Sarah... "I never have any money!"
• THE next Craft Candy Fair is on Saturday at the Millennium Gallery in Sheffield city centre.
Flower power: Sabine Little's glass jewellery.
Moulded by hand: Sabine Little's intricate designs.
All art: Heather Dewick, Sarah Waterhouse, Sabine Little and Kati Palin
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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