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Inspired by the GNC Craft Fair

We ventured over the border last weekend to the fleshpots of Manchester to visit the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair held at Spinningfields. www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk Promising over 160 quality artists & makers, selected by a panel of 'craft experts' expectations were high (although we did also combine the trip with a night out to visit friends so all the weekend excitements were not all pinned on the crafts). Despite my initial sense of being slightly overwhelmed by the many aisles of stalls stretched out before me, the mild stress of only having 2 hours to consume it all (it closed at 7pm on Friday night) and a concern about the levels of pretension that may be involved (set by an extremely 'arty' looking lady with very bold eyebrows and over sized bow headband sat near the entrance), it all turned well.

The promised quality was indeed there, with seemingly a good mix of the accessible and easy to love as well as more 'challenging'/ experimental pieces. Highlights for me included: small woolly cactus pincushions in pots (& Made); wearable weather-based jewellery (think silver clouds & raindrops- Goldfinch Jewellery); adorable colourful ceramics featuring montages of old recipes and quirky illustrations (Katie Almond); cosy textiles & needle-felting inspired by a very jolly mini dinosaur skeleton who'd come along for the ride (Lindsey Tyson, Textile Art & Design); wondrous vintage inspired paper sculptures of all manner of objects ie camera, opera gloves, shoes displayed in a gorgeously overstuffed manner (Jennifer Collier); highly sculptural jewellery made from Victorian illustrations and metals mounted in their own bespoke frames- very desirable, atmospherically displayed amongst old books/suitable objects and made by a very lovely lady (Katherine Richmond); an eye catching wall of paper birds & animals (Kaper); beautiful, very contemporary looking glass ornaments in her signature shapes of foxes, hedgehogs and hares, printed with various designs (Rachel Elliott Glassworks- I was already a fan of her work); entertaining textile renditions on supermarket basics such as felt tins of beans and packets of Quavers, jauntily displayed on old wall-mounted packing crates (Holly Levell); inventive colourful carnival-style scenes made from tins and old metals (Kate Lulham) and lastly my very favourite, fantastically pretty ornate ceramics with an intentionally decaying air, an aroma of dilapidated grandeur, bringing to mind Miss Haversham's dining room and the dubious dark delights of the Grimm fairy tales (as maker Claire Baker herself acknowledged), see photo above.

Handily, the £7 entrance fee paid not only for surprisingly steady tents and flooring but also a programme detailing all the exhibitors, allowing me to remember more than three names! Well recommended and it certainly gave me inspiration and motivation to turn my crafty dabblings into more of a collection/business, as well as helpful ideas on staging for max impact and visual enjoyment.

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