A joyful celebration of the power of craft, Make! Craft Britain follows ordinary people across the country having a go at a new skill instructed by inspirational teachers. It’s presented by BBC Radio Four’s Martha Kearney, herself a would-be crafter and it’s oh-so-inspiring. In this week’s episode, we got to understand the art of cross-stitch and silver jewellery-making, both of which we’ll be trying out very soon!

In episode two of Make! Craft Britain, our rookie crafters began with a lesson in cross-stitch by Mr X Stitch himself, Jamie Chalmers who has been a master of the art for 15 years, “It induces a sort of soothing effect into your soul and that’s the beauty of it”. Taking place at the prestigious Royal School of Needlework across a single day, six fledging embroiderers learn how to stitch their initials onto a t-shirt, and how to convert their own designs into pixelated cross-stitch patterns.

“Stop and have a look at the world around you because it’s about to change forever”. That’s how Jamie introduces the class to his students and we think that’s the most inspiring introduction to a workshop we’ve ever heard! With a pin and a strand of thread in their hands, the makers are taught the basics behind how the crosses are made up before giving it a go themselves by embroidering their first initial onto a t-shirt. 

As the students fall into a mesmeric state of flow, they are oblivious to how much time has passed having immersed themselves in creating their second, more intricate, designs ranging from an abacus, a flame and sewing spool and thread. Our top piece of advice from Jamie is: “Always make sure your bottom stitch goes in the same direction. As long as you’re consistent with your bottom stitch it gives a nice even finish.” After comparing the size of their X’s, the students are sent home to finish their designs! There’s a very sweet moment between blacksmith Gareth and his teacher, but we’ll save that for you to see for yourself! Inspired to try out cross-stitch? There are plenty of projects to try out on our website!

The next class in this episode takes place in a converted biscuit-factory in the Ouse Valley, home to Newcastle’s thriving artistic community. Silversmith Lisa Cain welcomes six amateur crafters to her two-day workshop in Silverclay jewellery, a relatively new material discovered by Mitsubishi in the 1990s and is perfect for first-timers and, with the right tools, can be done in the comfort of your own home.

Comprising the three parts of silverclay particles, water and binder, silverclay starts off looking like putty. It’s malleable to work with and takes all kinds of texture – everything from leaves to lace to latticework – very well. As the water and binder are removed, all that’s left is the silverclay which is then burnished – in a process that seems quite magical – to a fine glossy finish. Voila, you have a stunning piece of jewellery produced by your very own hands! We tried this fab craft out ourselves to make gorgeous snowflake bracelets.

The ready and waiting jewellery makers then dived straight into designing their very own pendants, using leaves as a key texture and inspiration behind the designs. Once they mastered the design on a tester clay, they’re allowed to use it on real silverclay and the results are absolutely stunning!

Next, they are given free reign to work on a more complex design inspired by things they love. These ranged from a pet whippet keyring, croissant and very intricate rose. It all got a little emotional towards the end as the students presented their finished pieces of work before heading home after a great couple of days. We adore jewellery making here at CB HQ and we’ve got tons of projects for you to try out!

We absolutely loved this week’s episode of Make! Craft Britain and we can’t wait for the next one! Missed out on the first episode? We’ve got a recap ready and waiting for you. You can watch the third and final episode on BBC Four on Wednesday 4th April at 9pm. Happy crafting!