Intelligent Hands: Why Making Is a Skill for Life Paperback - 2024

Charlotte Abrahams is a writer and curator specializing in design and the applied arts. She trained at Central St Martin's and since then has written regularly for the national and international press, including Guardian Weekend and the Financial Times. She is the author of several books about pattern and wallpaper and one on the Danish concept of Hygge. She is less good at making than the people she writes about, but she is teaching herself to darn.

Katy Bevan is a writer and educator specializing in craft and a mother of a disabled child. She is the editor of many books on craft and writes for textile and craft magazines such as Selvedge. Previously at the Crafts Council she founded the publishing company Quickthorn Ltd in 2022. She blogs at The Crafter, runs workshops in darning, crocheting and knitting, and is mostly to be found knitting.

Jay Blades is dyslexic and, after leaving school at 15 with no qualifications, he eventually managed to get back on track studying for a degree in criminology and philosophy. He then found his true vocation in restoration and supporting young and vulnerable people to find their own access to work. Known to TV audiences as the host of The Repair Shop, it is perhaps no coincidence that his belief in the restoration of objects stems from a belief that humans too can be repaired, fixed and rejuvenated. He is the living embodiment of that. His restoration company, Jay & Co., aims to 'save the world' through craft. Working with recycled, reclaimed and reused materials, accessories, furniture, and fabric, they create pieces that are as good as new, and help develop a more holistic approach to interiors.