I moved to France and became owner of a reclamation and salvage yard When Nick Powell, 55, came to France at the tender age of 20, it was to help with a building project on a house close to Poitiers
Crafting light: The art of stained glass in France Vitrailliste Adélie Payen merges French and Scottish techniques in her unique stained-glass creations
French crafts in focus: The art of leatherwork Atelier Chabert in Nice transforms simple leather into exquisite creations
news The French craftsman making beautiful tiles for a Monaco landmark A television report in 1979 kick-started Stéphane Montalto’s award-winning career as an artisan potter
Meet the French designer already working on Christmas wrapping 2024 We go behind the scenes to find out how gift wrap designers predict trends, colours and patterns in advance - just like fashion
Silk workers weave a spell on Lyon’s shoppers and tourists We talk to the current generation running one of Lyon’s oldest silk workshops
Hop to it! The inexorable French rise in IPA beer consumption IPA drinking is a quiet French revolution that has been slowly building over the last few years
Good gourd! French artist turns dried fruit into art David Thille was hooked when he discovered the hard-shell gourds can be dried and fashioned into implements such as bowls and spoons, or decorated to make ornaments
Straight to the (needle) point in Alençon, France We unpick the history of the Queen of Lace and Lace of Queens in Alençon
How France’s taste in roof décor has shifted from religion to pets A long-established Normandy pottery says it is receiving requests to put labradors, cats and even toucans on its ceramic finials
French renovation: Bell tower collapse is a chance to ring the changes Writer Nick Inman is impressed by his friends’ ornate rebuilding of a bell tower on their property, which showcases the couple’s skills and interests
Career change in France: ‘My passion for pottery now pays the bills’ Sara Wevill explains how she finally found the confidence to make a living from ceramics
Discover the espadrille firm using French know-how and Queen’s face Based in south-west France and still using traditional methods, the company made headlines recently for its offbeat tribute to the British monarch
French Indiana Jones fan turns his hat envy into a booming business Pierre Huvet found the only way to emulate his film hero’s iconic look was to make the hat himself but he did not stop there France’s top florist is just 24 but has been learning since age four Do you have Breton 'name bowls'? Here is how they are made Discover this French cobbler’s Harry Potter-esque workshop
Makhilas: Discover traditional Basque walking sticks made in France The sticks have been made by the same family for seven generations, with the 94-year-old grandfather of the family still lending a hand Art of trimmings: The artisans who supplied French and Monaco royals The only company making wooden jigsaws by hand in Europe is French A father and son’s dream to build a Gothic masterpiece in France ‘I am still captivated by the magic of my stained glass windows work’ Artisan soap maker: 'After six years, it still gives me a thrill’
'Patience and creativity' needed to create stonemason art from France Marlie Kentish Barnes has been a stonemason, lettercutter, and stone-carver for 30 years and now mostly creates personalised funeral memorials and individual jobs to order
Skills of making pastel blue dye in Tarn added to French heritage list The practices used date to the Middle Ages and the natural blue pigment was used to colour the first French flags
'We are proud to continue the craft of traditional straw brooms' Marie-Laure and Arnaud Gabriel from Normandy have revived a dying craft, and become one of only two makers of traditional straw brooms in France
Meet Paris' last artisanal mattress maker Patrice Sébille runs the only 'atelier' of its kind left in Paris. He stepped in to save an ancient skill, but is finding it tough to keep going
Fish leather maker pays homage to ‘lost’ tribes of Siberia Kristof Mascher is a leather worker in the Dordogne with a unique style incorporating fish leather into each of his individually created pieces
Stocking Christmas markets’ stalls is a year-round business Muriel Schumacher and her team make typical Alsace Christmas decorations and it takes all year to prep for the Christmas period
Meet the maker of the 'world’s smallest accordion' When professional accordionist Stéphane Bonifassi could not find an instrument on the market that suited him 23 years ago, he started making his own
Crafts in focus: meet French weathervane-maker Thierry Soret ‘Every weathervane I make has a personal story to tell’ says weathervane-maker Thierry Soret.
French crafts in focus: clock and lock-maker Locks, clocks and a busy time for one French horloger / serrurier
French hospital shares homemade mask instructions A French hospital has published instructions on how to make homemade face masks that can be worn outside the home, as many people may have no symptoms but could spread the virus unknowingly.
Craftspeople in France: Maroquinier/Leather craftsman Quality and unique items are focus of leatherwork artisans
Craftspeople in France: Cabinetmaker/Carpenter Renovating furniture and creating objects with wood is what David Mournard loves doing – and his wands have been a surprise success.
Handcrafted bicycles enjoy renaissance as works of art Some of the bicycles in this month’s Tour de France are likely to have been hand-built by a frame-builder, a cadreur in French.
86-year-old is France’s artisan winner A woman who took up embroidery at the age of 80 has won a best craftswoman of France award (Meilleur Ouvrier de France ).
How romantic movie inspired successful brolly business Jane Hanks discovers the myriad possibilities presented by a quality, handmade parapluie from a man whose father was inspired to start making umbrellas by a well-known Sixties French musical
French women make world’s biggest Christmas jumper A group of women from Albi (Tarn, Occitanie) are challenging themselves to knit the world’s biggest Christmas jumper after successfully competing in the Ugly Jumper World Championship in 2017.
Full-time art of running a thriving florist’s shop Crafts in focus: Florist Eric Délibie tells Jane Hanks about the work involved building a thriving business
Co-working: it’s a money maker They have names such as atelier de fabrication (fablab) , bricothèque , café associatif or relais Amap but these makerspaces or co-working places could create thousands of jobs - many in hard-hit rural areas.
Happy few keep basket-making alive in France Crafts in focus: Basket-weaving is an ancient craft, but why are makers so few and far between in France?
60 weavers left in once textile-rich France Crafts in focus: Life as a tisserand or weaver is ideal for some but it has drawbacks and now only a few are left
Craft fair is still open to welcome newcomers Many members of EuroMayenne Association are putting finishing touches to work for the annual craft fair on October 28 but there is still time for others to sign up and exhibit.
Meet Cyril Genet: a French silk-maker from Lyon Jane Hanks talks to Lyon silk-maker Cyril Genet about the city’s heritage in the print industry and the skills required to make luxury goods
Methodical manner needed to restore stained-glass art Crafts in Focus: Delicacy, intricacy and a love of nature are key to the work of a stained-glass window restorer
Bronze casters show mettle in physically tough craft CRAFTS IN FOCUS: Strength and artistic sensibility are prerequisites for any fondeur d’art
Almost-forgotten skills live on in France European artistic crafts days will feature 8,500 events across France
Crafts in focus: artificial flowers Delicacy, intricacy and a love of nature are key to the work of a fabricant de fleurs artificielles
Gold-beaters: trade so rare there is just one left Crafts in focus: Apprenticeship with last business standing is the only way to get into this once so popular trade
Gold-beaters: trade so rare there is just one left Crafts in focus: Apprenticeship with last business standing is the only way to get into this once so popular trade
Crafts in focus: walking sticks Making walking sticks also means hiking poles and sword sticks for the fabricant de cannes
Traditional Calais lace can help women after breast cancer Innovative technique allows new cells to grow and reconstruct ‘natural’ breast
Fierce heat and a delicate touch create glass delights Spinning delicate laceworks of glass or intricate shapes and globes, verriers au chalumeau or ‘lampworkers’ in English are a fascinating sight.
Needle knowledge brings gold standard to delicate old craft SYLVIE DESCHAMPS fell in love with the art of gold embroidery when still a teenager. Now the holder of a prestigious Mâitre d’Art title, her needlework impresses Gary Lee Kraut who visits her at Le Bégonia d’Or, her workshop in Rochefort
Knitting needles help revive French city Volunteers needed for ‘yarn bombing’ project in Normandy – and last chance to see Hollywood recreated in wool