The Victorian House of Arts and Crafts - Episode 3

It is week three at the Victorian House of Arts and Crafts and this time the crafters are going to work on decorating a Victorian Dining Room.  The first part of the documentary is a summary of what happened in the previous two weeks.  The run time for this documentary is 59:14. 

The six crafters come together in the dining room to learn the three objects they will make for the dining room.  The dining room was where the Victorians could show off their sophistication.  The first task of the week is to recreate a pair of fire dogs and this was assigned to Rod.  It will be the last solo build of the project.  A fire dog is a set of iron brackets that hold the logs in place while they burn in the fire.  Rod takes his time in looking at the fire dogs and is getting emotional.

The second task is given to Bryony and Niamh and they are to recreate curtains for the dining room.  Curtains will be a stretch for Bryony and she looks forward to learning from Niamh.  The last task is given to Isla and Stephen and they will make a plate.  Stephen is thrilled with being able to make a plate.  Over the last two weeks, he has had to learn new skills.  Isla is thrilled with making plates as well.  Abdollah is the project leader.

This week is about stepping out of their comfort zone and working collaboratively.  The crafters retreat to the library to look into the designs and writings of leaders of the Arts and Crafts Movement.  Over the past two weeks, the crafters have become more collaborative.  It has been a hard two weeks.  Will the judges walk into the dining room and see uncompleted items?  The judges worry about the plates getting done and the amount of curtain material that needs to get done.

Potter Stephen and Isla get together to work on their design.  Isla is thrilled with the collaboration with Stephen.  They immediately get to work on coming up with a design.  Stephen gets to work on making plates.  He is learning to use a hand-kicked potter’s wheel.

Rod has been working with other crafters and this is the first time he is working on his own.  He does not have to collaborate with anyone this week.  He has found working with others a challenge.

Niamh and Bryony do not know how to make curtains so they reach out for help.  They decide to divide the task and go to work.  They will work next to the windows they are putting their curtains on and will have to carefully consider the scale.  The next day the crafters will start making their items tomorrow.  Abdollah will help the other crafters during this week and will not make an item for the dining room.  He goes around the house and helps encourage the crafters. 

Stephen is in his element working at the potter’s wheel.  He is making several spare plates that way if he and Isla mess up putting their design on the plates, they have a few items to spare.  Rod is working on the forge to work on the fire dogs.  Rod is a bladesmith but needs assistance to use a blacksmith’s forge.  The arts and crafts movement revived the blacksmithing skill.

The group comes together and discusses why they learned their crafts.  They talk about their experiences.  Then they talk about collaboration and the challenges of collaboration. Niamh and Abdallah talk about collaborating on crafts in the future.  Abdollah works on a plan that allows the crafters to share their skills.  Stephen steps up to the plate and teaches a yoga course.  The arts and crafts movement encouraged stretching and loose-fitting clothing for women.

So will the crafters get the dining room done?  What will the judges pick for the best object of the week?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more.

At the 27:00 minutes, there was a quick discussion on clip-on stretching which maybe be appropriate for a gym class.  It would highlight the history of stretching and how the arts and crafts movement wanted people to stretch.  This is a series that is still appropriate for the art class.