Welcome to Find a Maker

MAKER OF THE DAY

Liz Padgham-Major

Liz creates extraordinary, intuitive and bold hand embroidery, which is highly textured and colourful. She uses the art of hand stitching to tell a narrative of nature, symbolism, design and character. Her background in fine art is evident in Liz's drawings and designs and she blends colours and textures to create great detail, often using single stands of thread. Liz uses sustainably sourced materials and likes to gives old threads a new life. She is drawn to the natural world around where she lives in Sussex. Birds make a regular appearance in her work.

Liz works from her garden studio near Hastings In East Sussex. She is drawn to the surrounding nature and countryside where she finds constant inspiration. Liz is intrigued by the role nature plays in our current lives and how it brings comfort and calm. Her work leans towards this idea along with the spiritual side and symbols connected to the natural world. Liz creates hand embroidered amulets and brooches which are highly colourful and descriptive and which aim to comfort and give a sense of confidence to the wearer. The act of creating a stitch by her own hands is at the heart of Liz's practise. Making a mark, a symbol onto fabric with threads is the starting point of creating for her. Liz runs workshops throughout the year and starts by introducing her students to the act of creating the very simplest of stitches and how this can create something so effective and meaningful. With a Degree in Fine Art Liz later fell in love with textiles and embroidery after her mother gave her some of her embroidery threads.

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The Capital of Craft Podcast with Cathryn Gwynn

Craft Festival Wales Special

I met Cathryn Gwynn at her home studio in Cilgerran, a village near Cardigan in West Wales. 

Her early life in Cardiff led her to a career in writing, editing and finally teaching at Preseli School. She later began an access course in art, leading to a degree in Textiles from Carmarthen School of Art in 2020.

Text, texture and textile: three words which reflect sher practice as a mixed-media artist. She is drawn to thread, pen, ink and paper and work somewhere on the cusp of these materials.

Cathryn Wynn will be giving an illustrated talk about her work at The Capital of Craft at Craft Festival Wales at Cardigan Castle. 

Her work is part of an exhibition of 8 important Welsh makers at Canfas Gallery in Cardigan. Woven, curated by Suzi Park from Cambrian Wool, runs from September 5-October 5th. 

Craft Festival Wales September 5-7, 2025

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Award Winning Festivals

Since 2003 we have run multi-award winning Festivals in Bovey Tracey, Devon, Cardigan and Cheltenham. In June, we host the UK's best loved and finest contemporary Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey featuring over 200 curated makers. Hosted in idyllic parkland on the edge of Dartmoor. Complimented by an dazzling number of workshops, demonstrations, masterclasses, talks, family activities, street theatre, live music and feasting! In March we head to the beautiful Regency town of Cheltenham, presenting 100 makers at Craft Festival at the Town Hall. In September we will be hosting our first Craft Festival Wales at Cardigan Castle.

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