Up-cycled handmade fabri...
Seven Hands
£12.99 1 in stock
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All the wood I use is from sources local to me in Waltham Abbey and I give the backstory of the wood, if it was turned green (full of sap) or an older piece from the back of my workbench or my box of bits of wood that 'may just come in handy' or 'it's too beautiful to burn'. All the Hazel, Elder and some Mulberry & Cherry come from my own Woodland Field which I manage with a view to sustainability and encouraging all wildlife both flora and fauna.
I also like to re-use old chunks of wood say from a broken table found in a skip, wood removed from churches during repairs such as Oak from York Minster or the Abbey here in town. I'm often gifted wood by wonderful folks who know I love to carve and turn this wonderful material into beautiful things - I come home to find lumps stacked in my front porch or garden. I'll always try and let you know the origin...
All my products are made to be used! Spoons, bowls and all kitchen utensils should be washed in warm soapy water, rinsed and allowed to drain or be dried before putting away. I use an organic flax seed oil to finish all my food use items and they can be re-seasoned with your own favourite food oil.
All other products for the home and garden such as light pulls or dibbers, are finished with raw linseed oil, another pure oil.
Any purely decorative articles, mushrooms, toadstools, vases etc, which should not be washed will be clearly marked as such in the description have been polished with beeswax. These should be wiped with a duster to clean and re-polished with beeswax should you like to give them an extra sheen.
I've been a green woodworker for more than 20 years using fresh green timber and a pole lathe and my own muscle power. Now I use a combination of the best of the old ways joined with the positives of the new. I still use the old tradition tools with the aid of simple devices - shavehorse & chopping block, and hand tools - axes, chisels, drawknives, spokeshaves and knives I make all the items in my folksy Shop.
I run Green Woodwork Courses to pass on all these traditional ways and to encourage craftsmen of the future. During the summer and autumn months I can often been found in a woodland or gardens of a stately home demonstrating my craft on my pole lathe and everyone is welcome to 'have-ago' and try their hand at turning lovely fresh green wood. Some wood, like Chestnut smells of Branston Pickle or vinegar, Willow has notes of lettuce and Ash those of purest green freshness. There's nothing so wonderful as butterfly wings of wood shavings flying over your shoulder in the breeze with insects humming and the sound of children's voices in the air.
At other times I can be found working away in the garden workshop here in Waltham Abbey, carving a spoon or turning a bowl - I go with the flow and enjoy every moment of it. I'm mostly in the company of my brilliant little hairy black lurcher, Jed. He goes to every show I attend and is my best shop assistant whilst out and about. Vanessa is always there - she's deaf and has difficulty walking but is there to chat to everyone about anything and everything. She remembers minutely where each piece of wood originated and does all my displays and tweets.
As to my start in this present work I got here in a round about way. After being at Ally Pally for my fine art degree I ran a gallery in Hampstead. Then was a mosaic artist but I decided gardening and the great outdoors was the best. Having been a gardener for long enough I trained as a climbing arborist and worked in that industry for a while. This is where my love of not wasting wood became an obsession and from there I became a green woodworker, turner and artisan in wood. I'm proud to say that I'm on the Register of Professional Turners for the Worshipful Company of Turners in the City of London and they have supported me in many ways during my journey...
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