Snuggles for little ones

Amanda set up 'Amanda Hawkins Knitwear' in 1990 with the help of a small grant from the Prince's Youth Business Trust. She had gained an Hons. Degree in woven textile design at Birmingham, but a loom in a bedsit was out of the question, hence she bought a knitting machine. For the first few years Amanda  produced  ladies textural wool & chenille jackets with co-ordinating hats, which sold at prestigous fairs, such as 'Chelsea Craft Fair' & 'Country Living', as well as in galleries throughout the country & in the USA. With their spiral toggles & scalloped edges, they lent themselves to childrenswear & in 2000 the 'Tassles & Toggles' childrens range of knitted cotton accessories developed, including hats, scarves & mittens, which sold at Covent Garden Market.

 

In 2002 Amanda & her partner moved to Stroud in Gloucestershire to start a family. The 'Made in Stroud' shop stocked her knitting immediately, (& still does today) giving her the opportunity to become a full time mum working from home.  It was in September 2009, when her youngest daughter was starting school that Amanda came across 'By Local' by chance on a shopping trip.
'I knew that this was something I would like to get involved in, & was very excited to be accepted. The response by the public was amazing'.

In 2009 personalised knitted bunting was added to the range, & a year later, smaller door plaques. They cost £4.00 per flag for the bunting & £3.50 per flag for the plaques. They are both available in all the colours shown, & beautifully lined with gingham. Choose end design flags or just the name. Orders take about a week.

New for this season have been the trio of 'Nelly Noodle' teddies which were designed after the arrival of a new cousin, & took inspiration from a range of new hats.

To complete the look, Amanda has also recently added co-ordinating soft cotton baby blankets in two sizes; swaddling blankets & moses basket snuggles.

P.s. if it's not clear from her blog - Amanda loves knitting!!

The colours of inspiration

Annie Rowcraft was born and brought up in Great Yarmouth, but left when she first married at the age of 20.  She moved to the west of England in the mid 70s, with her 2nd husband, Pete, when his work took him him in this direction, along with her son and her 2 stepchildren from Pete's 1st marriage.

 Over the years Annie has worked in a wide variety of fields, fitting it around her family, and resulting in a broad spectrum of skills - for instance, when she was young she worked in a large printing company, which has given her an above average understanding of what is required to print her work well. 

She didn't start painting till 2000, when she joined an art club, and took classes in watercolour painting,  Watercolours didn't really suit her style, and she moved on to oils, then, being impatient for the work to dry, onto acrylics!

Annie is inspired by colour, and nature, and combines the two inspirations to produce atmospheric work, reflecting her changing moods, and those of the season.

She started exhibiting in cafes in Wells & Bishops Cleeve in 2005, then at the Open Air Exhibition in Cheltenham in 2007. She was an instant hit in Cheltenham, being voted 'Artist of the Week' in her first week!  Today, she mostly exhibits at By Local and the Gloucester Arts & Crafts Centre, at 4 College Street, Gloucester.

Seasonal selection!

There's a theme to much of the new stock arriving at By Local at the moment, a happy one - Christmas!  If you want something by way of a card or decoration that isn't the same as all those mass produced ones in the High Street, come and peruse our offerings!  This is just a taster, more coming in all the time ;o)

We have some decidedly different cards for you . . .

And some very different ornaments for your tree . . . . .

This is just the beginning, as the next few weeks pass, there'll be plenty more variety - and all unique!

Happy Christmas, make it a hand made, locally made, one!

Tara Davidson - Lace & Clay combined!

I love to reflect the feminine beauty of lace and other fabrics in my love of ceramics.  Creating something unique, timeless, and elegant. 
Some of my pieces incorporate patterns from lace heirlooms passed down through generations of my family. 

Other fabrics come from searching through forgotten corners of French antique shops, English country fayres, and flea markets in Africa.

 I’m always amazed how each piece turns out to be so individual even though I might use the same lace time and again.

I love to do commissions so if there is an old piece of lace that you love and would like to use but can't because it's damaged or stained, then why not let me make something special from it - it won't damage the lace at all! It makes a very special gift.

http://www.tarajaneceramics.com/
and facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/tarajaneceramics

tara@tarajaneceramics.com  

I also sell in Made in Stroud http://madeinstroud.co.uk/

Jackie Hawkins - adding sparkle!

 Jackie Hawkins makes fused glass into all sorts of things to bring an 'Aah!' moment into your life.  She's always been a crafter in some form or another, starting as a needlewoman, making clothes, doing cross stitch and becoming a member of the Embroiderers Guild.  This has given her a strong grounding in design, and an understanding of quality craftsmanship, which is evident in all her work.

Her life experiences have also made a profound impact on her work, as she travelled the world in her childhood, following her RAF father at an early age to such far flung places as Aden (now Yemen) and Singapore.  Exposure to such different cultures and art forms at such a young age has clearly affected how she sees things at a deep level.  A few years ago, when she was working with transfers, and making cards, she saw some dichroic glass at a craft fair and was, as she says 'captivated'.  When an opportunity to take a course in glass work arose with Bill Robson, who sold his dichroic glass at Lock Warehouse, Jackie grabbed it with both hands!

Thanks to the gift of a kiln from her husband, she was soon making pieces that were snapped up by friends, and she started selling through Gloucester Arts & Crafts in May 2010, shortly after Helen Lomberg opened it in April of that year.  In June of this year, she added herself to By local, and the rest is history!  She makes a wide variety of pieces, from jewellery to delicate dishes, and continues to stretch the boundaries of her capabilities.

Cheltenham should be grateful to the Cheltenham & Gloucester Building Society, as it was when they took over the family business (a small, local building society) that Jackie and her husband moved to Gloucestershire, so without them, we wouldn't have the pleasure of Jackie's company, and charming work here in By Local!  Jackie lives with her husband and a small menagerie of 2 cocker spaniels and 3 cats, and has the privilege of a studio in one of their bedrooms - she only has to go upstairs to work, what an enviable commute!
Pictures cannot do justice to any glass work, as it is so dependent on light - do come into the shop and enjoy it for real!

Kathy Cooper. Ceramics with a personal touch.

 
When I was a child I loved to draw, sew, knit and make things from plasticine. When I first worked with clay I knew this was going to be a life-long passion. It was always my dream to make a living from making things.

I studied a Degree in Ceramics in Cardiff and have been involved in ceramics in some way ever since.
I worked for five years in a small pottery factory before going on to teach various adult pottery classes and being a pottery  technician .
Alongside all this I have always made my own work . Since 2008 I have been selling my own work full-time, designing and making a range of home accessories and gifts.

My inspiration comes from  childhood  memories, pattern in textiles, and visiting museums.  I am very interested in traditional pottery and craft techniques  and   keeping   these  skills  alive .
I work in a white earthenware clay and use underglaze colours and coloured slips and hand- made clay stamps to add decoration.

I want to make beautiful  hand-made products that are affordable and a pleasure to have in your home.

Susan Stayte's way with yarn

Happy to be back in Bylocal, particularly in the new location next to TK Maxx. I took a break from the shop over the Summer, to spend time with my family, walk Offa’s Dyke and make plenty of new stock.

My current work includes textile brooches and delicate scarves. My designs are made from very good quality yarns, often ‘lace weight’ and a wide range of beads. The flower brooches are made using combinations of crochet, corkwork and Japanese cording and usually feature beaded centres and extensions. I take care with the workmanship and aim to produce high quality decorative pieces in a variety of styles. The scarves are very fine, crocheted and subtly beaded and are sold with a co-ordinating brooch. Can’t wait for the chilly weather as an excuse to snuggle up in them!

I have just started an evening course on textiles, at Stroud College. I am hoping to learn some new techniques to keep my stock fresh and interesting, for both my customers and myself. Making the textile items is a real pleasure for me. New designs are queuing up in my head; thoughts of warm Autumn colours and of a little Christmas ‘bling’ evolve.