about the studio

Meet the maker Roots in Manchester Craft and Design Centre

HELLO!

the first word i ever said was ‘button’ & one of my earliest memories is sitting on a three legged stool, sewing – well, trying to! my gran had drawn a border of tiny flowers & leaves onto a circle of green fabric & was teaching me to embroider – this early attempt was fashioned into a little mat & presented to my mum on mother’s day – she still has it!

all the women, & some of the men, in my family could knit & sew – some for pleasure, some under sufferance & some through necessity! the skills passed on by them are still being used by me now to produce the &made range. it seems ironic now but growing up in hebden bridge my sisters & i were encouraged to work hard or, ‘you’ll end up in the sewing shop!’

i’ve always enjoyed making & doing, knitting & sewing, & have been fortunate enough to use these skills to make a living; i spent some time as a costume designer/maker in the model department at cosgrove hall animation house where the clients were rarely over 30cm tall & the level of care & attention to detail required for such small scale work is inherent in my work now.

&made was launched in the spring of 2009 & i moved to manchester craft & design centre in november of the same year, the aim being to to provide customers with well designed, handmade gifts & homewares & that much has never changed!

materials i work with

my work is predominantly textile-based, including paper & wood, & recently, i have begun to explore re-used & recycled fabrics in my products.

Discover more

wool /wʊl/

the fine, soft curly or wavy hair forming the coat of a sheep, goat, or similar animal, especially after shearing and prepared for use in making cloth or yarn.

wood /wʊd/

the hard fibrous material that forms the main substance of the trunk or branches of a tree or shrub, used for timber or fuel.

paper /ˈpeɪpə/

material manufactured in thin sheets from the pulp of wood or other fibrous substances, used for writing, drawing, or printing on, or as wrapping material.

thread /θrɛd/

a long, single strand of cotton, linen, or other fibre which can be used in sewing or weaving.

Roots in Manchester

&made’s home

&made aims to design and produce a range of handmade gifts & home wares employing traditional skills with a modern twist. inspired by colour, pattern and texture at &made you will find a pared back aesthetic with an emphasis on natural colours & materials – no frills or fussiness!

my work is predominantly textile based with some paper and wood, & recently i have been exploring more re-used & recycled fabrics in some of my products.

i am always happy to discuss and incorporate your ideas and colour schemes into bespoke pieces for your home.

&made studio can be found upstairs at manchester craft & design centre, on oak street in the northern quarter of the city.

&made is open six days a week;

monday to saturday 10 – 5.30

& every second sunday of the month 11 – 5

& every day in december!

17 Oak Street, Northern Quarter,
Manchester, M4 5JD

open monday – saturday
from 10am – 5.30pm

history of the craft and design centre

&made studio can be found upstairs at manchester craft & design centre, on oak street in the northern quarter of the city.

Visit the Craft and Design Centre Website

1800s

The heart of Manchester’s shopping district was located in the Northern Quarter.

Manchester was known as the centre of the cotton and textile industry, gaining the name ‘Cottonopolis’, but it also played a huge part in the manufacture of flint glass.

1873

Our building first opened its doors in 1873. This popular city-centre shopping hub was filled with markets known as the Smithfield Markets.

Our building was part of the retail fish market and was home to 40 traders with stalls and offices at weekly rentals.

1973

The Smithfield Markets closed their doors after 100 years of trading. Trading ceased due to the increasing competition from the newly  opened  Arndale Shopping Centre.

1978

As the majority of the markets were demolished, the remaining disused retail fish market was to be converted into Manchester Craft Village - a creative space for local makers and visitors.

1978-1982

Work took four years to complete, with restoration and renovation taking place throughout the building.

1982

After 4 years of conservation, the building reopened its doors to the public.

The premises, owned by Manchester City Council, has been in operation as a venue for craft ever since.  Manchester Craft Village played its part in the regeneration of this area. In fact, the phrase ‘The Northern Quarter’ was rumoured to be coined in our building!

2003

Initially operating as an artists’ cooperative, the Centre became a not-for-profit limited company with a voluntary Board of Directors, changing its name from Manchester Craft Village to Manchester Craft and Design Centre.

2013

Manchester Craft and Design Centre won ‘Best independent Retailer’ for the second time at the Manchester Tourism Awards.

Read this MEN article about the success of the Northern Quarter in 2013

2017

The Centre became a charity, supporting our work to engage audiences with craft and design.

2021

We commissioned a new mural on the side of our building on Copperas Street with the help of residents from the Smithfield Estate. The mural by Hammo is inspired by the story of Jimmy Kelly, a fishmonger who looked after the cats after the markets closed down.

1800s

Craft and design centre

2021