Making

John Spinks

These beautiful images of factories in England  were a commission by London based menswear brand Albam. Unlike many UK labels, Albam are passionate about supporting the British manufacturing industry and produce most of their clothes at factories in England.

In order to document these ordinarily unseen spaces, Albam asked photographer John Spinks to visit several of the factories over a period of two years and take photographs that describe the nature of the environments and the people whose job it is to cut and stitch. Read the rest of this entry »

On a recent trip to Paris I spotted a display of beautiful handmade stoneware by Jars Ceramistes from the South of France. There is something about the vibrant glazes and handcrafted shapes that has us craving a summer holiday on the beach and fresh seafood.

Founded in 1857 by Pierre Jars in Anneyron, France, the business was handed down through the Jars family until the 1990s and is now run by 3 entrepreneurs who are passionate about keeping the traditional hand craftsmanship of their region alive.

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Microcrafts, by Margaret McGuire and Alicia Kachmar introduces readers to a world of miniature arts and crafts. Each of the 25 projects, provided with instructions, photos and illustrations, are no larger than a spool of thread and span all categories of craft. Seen here is a teeny tiny plant that the authors suggest using cuttings from spider plants, jade, and string of pearls, which thrive in small containers. Bonsais, mini ferns, dwarf mosses, and micro-orchids are available at greenhouses and online. Read a tutorial on how to make this cutey here. No, this is not the first time that I’ve written about teeny tiny planters, nor will it be my last.

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Ever wonder how the popular building toy Legos are made? Wonder no longer as National Geographic Channel‘s series Ultimate Factories shows the process from beginning to end. Above is a design session in the company’s “idea factory.” Sounds magical, doesn’t it? What’s more, the show features a junior designer and his story of writing the company at the age of 12, asking how he could become a Lego designer. Lego wrote back and detailed an educational track that included art and product design. Years later, the designer has his dream job and the rest of us are overwhelmed by the urge to say “awwwww.” See the entire episode posted here.

- J.Lin