Independent Awards 2022

Modern Crafter Award

This award was won by Rosanna Morris who received a cash prize of £10,000, and the Runner-Up was Kerchung! who received £5,000.

As a reminder, this award recognises that the future is handmade and that, in an increasingly automated world, the crafts of years gone by will hold more value than ever. It champions the makers, the ones who painstakingly persevere to create their wares using traditional methods, skills and techniques – even if they’re creating something highly contemporary in feel.

This award was sponsored by Adobe Express, an accessible and user-friendly design platform that supports and champions creative small businesses.

The Winner

Rosanna Morris

Rosanna Morris is a printmaker specialising in beautiful, hand-carved prints that explore themes of horticulture and the natural world. She carves Lino and wood blocks, then prints them by hand onto beautiful natural papers.

The Runner-Up

Kerchung!

Kerchung! create beautifully handmade, tongue-in-cheek porcelain jewellery and pottery with attitude. All their items are inspired by modern life, mental health and founder Karen’s ‘wicked sense of humour’.

Meet the Nominees

Each of these independent businesses was selected for being outstanding in this category.

Alice Funge Ceramics

Using traditional wheel-throwing techniques, Alice makes beautiful and functional ceramic pieces that immortalise cherished handwritten family recipes. Each product is therefore unique and captures a moment in time forever.

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Shortlisted stamp

Ffion Morgan

Now based in Bristol, Ffion Morgan is a Welsh miniature model maker. She helps customers design the perfect gift by building their loved ones homes and specal buildings in the form of a colourful and realistic miniature model.

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Shortlisted stamp

Leo Flowers

Made from FSC certified paper, Leo Flowers create sustainable, long-lasting alternatives to the real thing. Each petal is cut, shaped and coloured by hand by founder Jessie, meaning no two flowers are exactly the same. From single stems to giant displays, Leo Flowers bloom all year round.

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Shortlisted stamp

Beki Bright

Beki Bright is a textile designer and screenprinter creating artist-designed textiles for the home. A passion for nature, drawing and colour are at the centre of her work, resulting in unique and playful collections.

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Brimble Studio

Brimble Studio creates unique characters into handcrafted, functional pieces for the home using traditional techniques. Founder and maker Jo aims to have as much fun as possible creating the ceramics in her ‘shed of dreams’, whilst also hoping to bring smiles to many faces.

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Cece Jewellery

Made by hand in London and forged from beautifully deep and rich recycled gold, Cece Jewellery creates luxury, fine jewellery. Their meticulous process, as well as pearl and diamond embellishments, mean that every ring is individual to the wearer; a mystical heirloom to last generations.

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Ellie Mac Embroidery

Ellie Mac Embroidery creates eye catching contemporary pieces that blend time-honoured techniques with modern aesthetics. All of her limited edition artworks are produced on a specialist vintage machine from her studio in Brighton.

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Good & Craft

Founded by Danja Good, Good & Craft is an interior pattern design studio, creating environmentally friendly wallpaper and interior textiles to bring the beauty of nature into our homes. They aim to preserve crafts and design individuality.

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Kate Gwilliam

Labelled the ‘Queen of Sequins’, Kate Gwilliam makes sparkly embroidered artworks and ornaments. With a mission to make the mundane marvellous, she scours the shelves in the supermarket to make your favourite items everlasting — from martinis to mayo. 

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Layla Robinson

Layla Robinson aims to spread feelings of joy and wonder through vibrant, hand-crafted, everlasting flower sculptures — and hopes to inspire sustainability by showcasing the beauty found in nature.

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LILIAN MAY

Lilian May is a family business that creates handmade, plastic-free, watercolour supplies. Their accessible, weekly paint-alongs are a fun space for artists, from novice to professional, to gather as a community and practice their craft.

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Mimi Dickson

Encouraging everyone to pause and pay gratitude to the small moments in life, student nurse Mimi Dickson creates miniature, hand painted, hand cut scenes that aim to celebrate a sense of home that we all seek. Her work captures charm, nostalgia and atmosphere to create truly unique pieces.

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Nouko Knives

Nouko Knives was forged from Konstantinos’ passion for high quality, handcrafted tools. He creates beautiful kitchen knives from scratch using quality materials from his workshop in Bristol. They also offer knife making classes which have been enjoyed by students all over the UK for more than four years.

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Quilt Club

Founded by textile artist Nicola Woollen, Quilt Club is a free weekly workshop that unites people from all walks of life who otherwise might never have met and brings them together to achieve the seemingly impossible. Using traditional methods, they make large public art installations.

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Rosa Harradine

Broom and brush maker, Rosa, uses natural and sustainable materials to create contemporary pieces that are both beautiful and useful. Each product is made by hand using bright colours to add joy to our daily routines.

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Thomas Mayo

Thomas Mayo is a letterpress printmaker based in the Cotswolds. Using a variety of ‘newfangled’ techniques, he crafts his own printing blocks from wood which are then used within his work and collaborations with other designers.

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WAX Atelier

Women-owned business WAX Atelier uses traditional techniques (ranging from candle dipping to paper making) and environmentally low-impact processes to create their small-batch products. Their team consists of a rich mix of makers from the local community, experienced designers and young graduates.

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Wordplay Clay

Established in 2020, Wordplay Clay creates handcrafted, ‘tongue in cheek’ tableware that playfully pairs porcelain pottery with the intriguing idioms found in everyday language.

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WITH THANKS TO ADOBE EXPRESS

The Independent Awards would not be possible without incredible small business supporters, like Adobe Express who truly believe in the power of small.