The perfect foraging kit

It's that lush time of year when wild garlic covers the forest floor and hedgerows are soon to be bursting with elderflower blossom and Jack-in-the-Hedge. Don't let it go to waste. We've compiled the perfect clothing and kit, from waterproof forest boots to a horn-gilded blade, to ensure a fruitful forage, whatever the weather...

Field Stool

They say good things come in threes. Well here's a three-legged stool comprised of three simple materials, English ash, brass and leather. When folded you can carry this little beauty over the shoulder while you scan the hedgerows and use it while you're cooking your foraged bounty on a campfire. This is a Lissom & Muster collaboration with leather goods maker Cherchbi; using leather sourced from a Derbyshire tannery. Every step of the process, from sourcing the Hereford cattle hides, to leather tanning, to forging brassware, to finishing, is a British product or process.

£210

 

Forest boots

Something light, durable, waterproof and, of course, pleasing to the eye – that's pretty much what we want from a walking boot, right? Jonas Lundhag's Forest Boot is a fine cross between a rubber boot and a walking boot and it ticks the right boxes for us – it's leather, it's beautiful and it's waterproof, all the while being surprisingly lightweight.

£210

 

Hunter Flask

Another fine Lissom & Muster collaboration with British leather goods maker Cherchbi, this flask is something that should always be in your rucksack or field bag. We love it, firstly, because it's called a Hunter Flask. What a name. And secondly, it comes with four stainless steel cups so you can share a hedgerow gin with your foraging buddies on a well-earned break.

£120

 

Horn blade

A good sturdy knife is what you need to cut through branches or mushroom stems and this Barlow Knife by Taylors Eye Witness is just the job. They're handmade in Sheffield and each knife is unique because of the varying markings and colourings of the ramshorn handle. A fine country knife to keep in your pocket, always. Even if it's just to stroke and fondle the ramshorn handle from time to time.

£85

 

Filson coat

This Filson 'Alaska' fit coat is lightweight and strong, and allows for layering and mobility in the outdoors, so there's room for you to wear chunky knitwear underneath, if needs be. It is wind and water repellent, further enhanced by Filson's paraffin-based wax, and comes in a choice of Otter Green or Brown. The perfect outdoor coat, built to last a lifetime, folks.

£265

 

Field bag

For keeping your OS map and your hedgerow guidebook nice and dry, this Brady Ariel Trout bag is made from triple-layered waterproof canvas and trimmed with leather and brass fittings - all produced by English craftsmen.  It also comes with a removable, washable rubber liner. Now that's an Ernest bag if we ever saw one.

£150

 

Lissom & Muster sources and commissions the very best, authentic products, skilfully made for life in our landscape. Call in their beautiful shop on Tib Lane in the centre of Manchester or check them out online.

Fresh Fields Project

It's baffling to see the amount of rubbish left behind at festivals; most of it not even rubbish, but perfectly good tents and rubber wellies, discarded without a moment's thought. What to do with it all? Francli has the answer, with the Fresh Fields Project.  

One of the major blights about large festivals like Glastonbury is the amount of waste that's left behind. Tents, tent poles, wellies... these hardwearing materials are abandoned without a second thought, but creative and imaginative eyes see they have great potential for a longer, purposeful lifespan, rather than being chucked in landfill with a shrug and an "oh what a shame".

Franki Baseley and Alison Goodman from Falmouth-based Francli studio and interior product maker Felix McCormack saw this potential and collaborated to form the Fresh Fields Project, turning the festival jetsam into beautiful things of use. We grabbed Franki for a chin-wag...

What was the idea behind the Fresh Fields Project – why did the concept grab you? 

Resident Glastonbury artist and environmental activist Kurt Jackson decided to bring together a group of designers and makers, including Francli, and task them to use their skills to find a use for the waste materials left behind after big festivals. We had been looking for a durable, leather-like material to work with so were really excited at the idea of manipulating discarded wellies. It was challenging but so much fun to be allowed to experiment with the different salvaged fabrics. Together we created a line of security accessories for outdoor use (such as camping at a festival) made entirely from objects left behind at Glastonbury 2011.

What grabbed us was the chance to experiment and the opportunity to promote upcycling and ethical design attitudes. The end of festivals is the perfect analogy for how wasteful we can be; piles of unwanted objects and materials, not because they're unusable but because their owners can't be bothered to lug them back to the car after a heavy weekend. The Fresh Fields Project is all about highlighting this problem and offering a simple, lighthearted solution.

What do you find so satisfying about reusing materials? 

The best bit about reusing materials is not just the sustainable aspect but the spontaneity – how they direct the design process, forcing you to approach each project differently. For example, the Fresh Fields Project started with wellies and tents and it wasn't until we started to understand the characteristics of their materials and how they can be manipulated that we could begin planning what we could make from them. It's quite an organic process, one that sounds limiting but it opens up design opportunities that you wouldn't have otherwise discovered.

Tell us more about Francli – what's important to you?

We're inspired by rural craftspeople and makers; those who lead a creative, outdoor lifestyle. By sharing their experiences of design, craft and outdoor activity, we find solutions for contemporary work wear and accessories. 

We operate outside the realms of whimsical trends, focusing instead on function, quality and longevity to promote slow, sustainable and localised fashion. 

We like to connect with nature. We strongly believe that an active and productive outdoor lifestyle is creatively stimulating and is a value intrinsic to every element of what we do. We aim to work with environmental awareness and strive to be as sustainable and self-sufficient as possible. We are constantly searching for new and innovative ways to save energy and prevent waste.

We recognise the power of collaboration and the excitement and motivation that comes from creative discussion. Working directly with other professional crafts people helps cultivate innovation and quality within our work.

We value products that are made in Britain. Handmade and locally sourced products have become too rare. We champion traditional and contemporary craft skills and locally sourcing materials to do them. We also appreciate slow design, focusing on functional and durable clothing with a timeless, minimal aesthetic, rather than short-lived fashions and throwaway trends.

The Francli studio is made up of purely explorative, creative and collaborative projects fuelled by our fascination and respect for other creatives and outdoor enthusiasts. francli.co.uk

This is where I work: [vinegar & brown paper]

What's it like to not have to commute to work, to earn your bread and butter in a workshop at the back of your house? Andy Poplar of [vinegar & brown paper] tells us about his own little nook where he etches vintage glass, his typewriter that doesn't work and his Bakelite phone that never rings.

I’m eight years old and in my grandad’s sun-filled workshop. Rows of shelves with screws in tins, neatly labelled jars sat in lines. Tools hanging from hooks. Racks of salvaged wood. Saws piled on nails. Dismantled machines, dismantled furniture. Nothing thrown away, everything to hand. The smell of grease, wax, polish, paint, possibilities.

I’m 39 now and when I sit in my own studio I experience exactly the same sensations. Yes, I know how lucky I am. I’ve been working as [vinegar & brown paper] for nearly three years. Last December we moved to a bigger house that had a workshop to the rear and I’ve spent the last few months making it my own.

I’m well aware that the studio is really just the inside of my head poured into a room. Four walls filled with things I’ve picked up along the way, fuelled by obsessions that I can trace back to being a teenager. A place I can be who I am.

I have my favourite acquisitions; there’s usually a story attached. The inspection lamp that hangs from the ceiling is the the one my dad used to use when fixing his car. The no longer working espresso machine is the one I bought with the money I received for winning some New York advertising. (You can find metaphor in everything if you look hard enough). 

I spend my days working at a desk with a Remington typewriter and a 1940s Bakelite telephone on it. The phone will never ring, the ink on the typewriter ribbon has long faded out – but there they sit – one a stand for my iPhone, the other used for holding paper. New ways of looking at old things – it’s a theme in all my work I guess.

On a typical day, I start off doing some design work or going through my emails in the office, then come outside to the studio at around 10.30am. 6Music will provide a suitably eclectic soundtrack as I work through till 12.30pm. A quick lunch, then back to the studio until 4 when I’ll hurriedly tidy up the house before my wife and daughter return from school.  

In the evening I come back out and work for a couple more hours. This is my favourite time to be there. We live in the countryside so it’s deathly quiet and pitch black outside the studio window. And there I sit. Ryan Adams or Josh Ritter, Aimee Mann or Fionn Regan on rotation as I work into the night on orders. Sometimes, when I’ve finished all I need to do for the day, I just sit there and look and smile.

I know this probably can’t last and I don’t really know how it happened, but as I find myself sat in my studio on the verge of turning 40, I can’t help but feel that right now, I’m somehow winning.

There’s a quote from Chuck Palahniuk that goes: "The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will." Which I guess sums things up for me at the moment. My biggest hope is that in a long, long time from now my daughter will pick up a piece of [vinegar & brown paper] etched glass and remember how it felt to be inside her dad’s studio when she was a kid.

Do you have an awesome workshop or office space? Do you work and craft from your shed, summer house, caravan, attic or garage? Get in touch. To see more drool-some and inspirational work spaces, buy issue 1 of Ernest, on sale now.

Subscription Smörgåsbord: Win a Peregrine chevron snood

Yeah, the weather's getting warmer but this chevron reversible snood from Peregrine can keep your Gregory warm on chilly camping nights and breezy bike rides. It could be yours if you subscribe to Ernest Journal today.

Chevron Snood, £39, Peregrine

Chevron Snood, £39, Peregrine

We featured this chunky snood in our perfect stargazing kit in issue 1. We love it because it looks like an oversized turtle-neck (in a good way), it's covered in chevrons and, well, snoods are good. 

To be in with a chance of winning this Peregrine snood, click the pic below and subscribe to Ernest Journal (opt in to letting us see your email address, so we can let you know you've won).

Terms and conditions:

  1. The closing time and date is 11.59pm on 13 April 2014. Entries after that date will not be considered.
  2. The prize is a Peregrine Chevron Snood worth £39. The prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative can be offered.
  3. See our full terms and conditions.

Carver of wood, Donal Moloney

Donal Moloney of Carve Cases makes iPhone cases, USB keys and wallets out of wood. He once even made a wooden bicycle. He has never seen Star Wars.

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How did you get into woodwork? Has it been a lifelong passion?

I wouldn't say a lifelong passion, but it has been a lifelong presence and appreciation. I picked up the interest from my dad. He's an architect and a very hands on maker. I remember when I was young, any work in our house was done by him. He's pretty skilled in most areas of making, but he is particularly good at woodwork. He built wooden storage units, a fireplace surround and a shed all from scratch. There wasn't the easy access to flat pack DIY kits like there is today. Everything was done patiently and skilfully. I remember every time work or repairs needed doing, asking "when is the man coming to do it?" The man was already there. Watching him allowed me to think that I could make anything I wanted, without any problem.

What are the joys of working with wood?

When I started out it was the smell of freshly sawn wood. But I don't get that any more; I think I'm immune to it. The greatest joy is the sense of satisfaction of completing something. Generally a lot of design and planning time will have gone in to it, so it's nice to see it all come together.

What inspires your work?

Simple, clever design that I see anywhere. It doesn't necessarily have to be a wooden piece. I love modern architecture. A lot of woodworkers add embellishments purely because they can. It shows off their skill. But I think there is a greater skill in refining your work. I hate seeing embellishment added, trying to copy older designs or replicate traditional pieces. I hate the idea of trying to make something into something it's not.

What's the oddest thing you've crafted out of wood?

Nearly everything we make at Carve Cases seems a little strange to be made from wood; iPhone cases, USB keys and wallets are all kinda odd. I once CNC machined a frame from solid ash for a prototype wooden bike.

Any exciting projects for 2014?

Two extremely exciting projects. Unfortunately neither of which I can give details about until the products are released. One is a project for a client involving music. The other is an in-house project that is really only in it's infancy. It's way too early to say anything about it.

Sing us a song, any song (one that gets you in the creative mood).

"I wanna be near you and blink in your light, and toast marshmallows on a cold, dark night". Flame by Bell X1.

Finish the following sentence. I have never...

...seen a single Star Wars movie. I have never been 100% happy with anything I've ever made. I have never been outside Europe.

What's on your bedside table?

My cycling training plan, iPad mini, a jar of coins, an Ikea lamp and plenty of dust.

To see more clever things with wood, from iPad easels to a wooden keyboards, read our Tactile Tech feature in issue one, on sale now (click the image below for more!)