Love HeartWood

I’m looking forward to being part of GAP Festival Market Day this Sunday.

Back by popular demand, GAP Festival’s Market Day is a wonderful and unique shopping experience where artists, artisans and makers come together to share their passion, talent and inspiration.

I’ll be bringing a selection of my handmade wooden gifts, toys and homeware, along with selected pieces from my new Held Forms collection of green turned bowls and vessels. If you’ve been following the collection online, this will be a great opportunity to see some of the pieces in person.

Whether you’re looking for a unique handmade gift, interested in learning to woodturn, or simply fancy a browse among some wonderfully talented local makers, I’d love to see you there.

📍 Rectory Garden, Goring High Street
📅 Sunday 14th June
⏰ 10am – 4pm

Free entry

Really looking forward to being part of the GAP Market Day this Sunday. ☀️

Rectory Gardens, Goring.
10 - 4.
Free entry

Introducing Held Forms.

Over the past few months I’ve been developing a collection of green turned bowls and vessels exploring what happens when wood is allowed to move, distort and influence the final outcome.

The collection began with an interest in natural movement and evolved into a fascinating journey of experimentation, learning and occasionally letting go of control. Along the way I learned new hollowing techniques, improved my sharpening skills and gained a much deeper understanding of how green timber behaves as it dries.

Over the coming weeks I’ll be sharing each piece individually, along with the stories behind them, what I learnt while making them and how they contributed to the collection as a whole.

And before anyone asks… yes, this image was generated with a little help from AI! In my excitement to get the pieces exhibited and photographed individually, I completely forgot to take a photograph of the entire collection together. So when I needed a collection image, I had to get creative. If something looks slightly odd, now you know why!

You can read the full story behind Held Forms on the blog via the link in my bio.

Tomorrow’s the day.

The work is finished, the tools are packed but this evening I’m still sorting out my storage and signage ready for The Base Festival of Arts & Crafts. I haven’t put the stock in the car yet, I hope it’ll fit!

If you’re looking for inspiration, a creative day out, or simply an excuse to browse beautiful handmade work, this event has so much to offer. Alongside over 50 artists and makers there are workshops, taster sessions, live music, food and plenty of opportunities to meet the people behind the work.

I’ll be there both days with live woodturning demonstrations, handmade wooden homeware, wooden toys and my newest collection of turned pieces.

Last year’s event was a highlight of my year and I can’t wait to do it all again.

If you’re visiting, please stop by and say hello. I’d love to show you what I’ve been working on.

See you this weekend at The Base, Greenham

Sat 6 & Sun 7 Jun, 10am - 4pm

Suggested donation: £2 per adult, £1 per child (under-5s free)

☀️ Kick-starting the two-week festival, a craft fair featuring 50+ stalls will surround The Base building, creating a bustling high street of high-quality crafters and artists for visitors to browse. As well as...

🎵 Live music

🍕 Delicious food and drink

🐾 Well behaved dogs on leads welcome (not in the Gallery though, sorry!) You can even get a Dog PAWtrait done!

🖍️ Plenty of free children’s activities - it’s the perfect day out for all ages!

🫟 Spray painting on Sunday

Have you ever wondered how a wooden top is made?

This weekend at The Base Festival of Arts & Crafts, I’ll be giving live woodturning demonstrations of spinning tops and other things throughout both days.

It’s always fascinating watching a piece emerge from a block of timber, and demonstrations are a great opportunity to see the process up close, ask questions and learn a little more about the craft.

I’ll also be happy to chat about the woodturning courses I run here in Berkshire. Whether you’re completely new to woodturning or looking to develop your skills, feel free to stop by and ask anything you’d like to know.

One of my favourite parts of events like this is meeting people who are curious about making things with their hands and helping them discover that woodturning is far more accessible than they might think.

Come and say hello if you’re visiting.

One of the reasons I love running children’s woodturning sessions is that they give young people the chance to make something real with their own hands.

Opportunities to learn practical craft skills seem to be becoming less common in schools, which is why I try to run at least one children’s session every school holiday and change the project each time to keep things fresh and exciting.

This half term’s challenge was pen turning, and despite the heat, Theo threw himself into the project with enthusiasm. From a simple block of wood to a finished pen, he did a fantastic job and you can see from his smile just how proud he was of what he’d made.

There’s something special about watching a child discover they can create something useful, beautiful and entirely their own.

The next children’s woodturning session will take place at the end of August, when we’ll be making wooden tea light holders.

If you think your child would enjoy learning a new skill, building confidence and creating something they can take home and use, click the link below for more information.

https://www.loveheartwood.co.uk/product/kids-woodturning-sessions/

Meet the Maker

It’s been a while so I’m reintroducing myself to my more recent followers.

Hello! I’m Liz – woodturner, former primary school teacher, and the creative soul behind Love Heartwood. I’m based in rural West Berkshire, working from my workshop based on a local horse farm where I teach, take commissions and turn homewares and toys from locally-sourced, sustainable wood.
www.loveheartwood.co.uk

I discovered turning completely by accident.
After a decade teaching young children, I swapped the classroom for Central St. Martin’s, earning a BA in Product Design. It was there that I fell head over heels for turning. Though I graduated in 2008, it wasn’t until the summer of 2013—ironically, the day before my wedding—that I finally got my own lathe. My husband teased me that we’d set it up on our honeymoon… and, yes, we did!

I find turning endlessly fascinating and stimulating but at the same time very meditative and grounding. I liken it to tai chi, not that I’ve ever done that, but it’s the mix of your mental and physical effort combining which makes it deeply rewarding.
Is this what you love about turning or is it something completely different? I’d love to know.