Age of Reinvention #6

It's the sixth and final phase of our Age of Reinvention competition in collaboration with Pedlars and The Good Life Experience. This time, we're offering a Swiss Army officer jacket – what would you make out of this?

Measurements: pit to pit 54cm, length 75cm, sleeve length 60cm

A century ago, Britain was known as “the workshop of the world.” It was a hotbed of invention and industry. After a 100 years of decline, we’re seeing a real resurgence of craftsmanship – a return of traditional industries, swathes of makers taking risks to set up businesses based on doing what they love and buyers who value the story behind the products they buy.

To celebrate this new age of innovation, we've launched the Age of Reinvention competition – a chance for amateur inventors to furrow their brows, doodle on graph paper and transform old items into unique and practical products. The competition is brought to you in collaboration with our friends at Pedlars, purveyor of wonderful homewares, gifts and quality vintage, and The Good Life Experience, a festival of music, food, culture and the great outdoors.

Between January and August 2015 we're offering six items for reinvention. Each month, Ernest Journal and Pedlars will choose their favourite design concept then post the item to the inventor so they can work their magic. We will then exhibit the six completed items at The Good Life Experience (18-20 September 2015) and give each successful inventor two free tickets to the festival and a subscription to Ernest Journal.

The sixth item on offer is a Swiss Army officer jacket, made from cotton. The jacket is size L with a pit to pit measurement of 54cm. The length is 75cm and sleeve length is 60cm.

For inspiration, have a look at the winning designs from our first and second rounds: 

Age of Reinvention #1: a maker's smock

Age of Reinvention #1: a military groundsheet turned into a maker's smock, by Francli

Age of Reinvention #2: a cooking set

Age of Reinvention #2: pair of fireplace sides turned into a cooking set, by Grain & Knot

How to enter 

Simply share a sketch of your proposed design with us on Twitter or Instagram, mentioning @ernestjournal and @PedlarsWorld and using #AgeofReinvention.

The deadline for your design idea is 26 July 2015. 

If you have any queries, email features@ernestjournal.co.uk

Terms and conditions:

1. The closing time and date is 11.59pm on 26 July 2015. Entries after that date will not be considered. 2. The winning entrant will be posted the item for them to reinvent and display at the Good Life Experience. 3. The prize is two tickets to The Good Life Experience and a subscription to Ernest Journal. 3. The prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative can be offered. 4. See our full terms and conditions.

Bilbo's seed cake

“'I don’t mind some cake – seed-cake, if you have any.’
‘Lots!’ Bilbo found himself answering, to his surprise; and he found himself scuttling off…to a pantry to fetch two beautiful round seed-cakes which he had baked that afternoon for his after-supper morsel.” The Hobbit

Seed cake – an after supper morsel fit for a hobbit

As Bilbo well knew, before you step out of the door on an adventure, you must make sure you’re provisioned for the journey ahead. These rustic treats are flavoured with caraway seeds, while the addition of root vegetables makes them very wholesome.

Ingredients

100g/3½oz wholemeal self-raising flour
80g/3oz soft light brown sugar
1 egg
60ml groundnut oil
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp caraway seeds
50g/2oz root vegetables (carrot or parsnip), finely grated
3 tbsps mixed seeds (sunflower, sesame and poppy seeds)

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Mix the sugar, egg and oil until smooth. Combine the flour, bicarb and caraway seeds in another bowl, then mix with the wet ingredients. Add the grated veg and milk to the mixture. Mix well until dropping off the spoon. Grease a muffin tin with groundnut oil then dust with flour. Place a tablespoon of mixture into each cup. Sprinkle seed mix on top, then bake for 15 minutes.

Recipe by Ellie Davies, rovinglights.wordpress.com

A roll-down pack for climbers, cyclists and hikers

There's something about a roll-down pack that Ernest finds irresistible. Maybe it's the way you can change the litre capacity, just by expanding or rolling down the top like a coffee bag? Maybe it's the way they they fit snugly around your shoulders and back, ensuring a comfortable climb, cycle or hike? Or maybe it's because they look so ruddy awesome?

Organic Climbing roll-down pack from Kinoko, £90

Kinoko have a keen eye for products that are comfortable and functional, yet have a uniquely beautiful aesthetic. This can definitely be said of their new roll-down pack from Organic Climbing, handmade in the USA. It was designed to meet the demands of climbers, cyclists and hikers who wanted a bag they could take out in all seasons and adjust the size to their needs. The bag features:

- Durable ballistic nylon shell, hand-stitched with the same heavy-duty stitching used for making bouldering mats
- External daisy chains for clipping on extra gear, or bike lights if you're cycling
- Ergonomic shoulder straps, ideal for cyclists and climbers
- Adjustable sternum belt and hip belt for stability while adventuring
- Large internal stash pocket for your phone and other precious bits
- Bright yellow lining for better visibility when rummaging around inside the bag

This is a sponsored blog post, created in collaboration with Kinoko. For more information on partnerships and joining our directory, please email advertise@ernestjournal.co.uk.

Behind the scenes: meeting mechanical sculptor, Nik Ramage

For the third print edition of Ernest Journal, photographer Colin Nicholls headed to a medieval farmhouse in Monmouthshire to meet Nik Ramage, a kinetic sculptor who makes machines the world didn't know it needed – including a mechanical hand with forever tapping fingers and a free-range pen. Here Colin talks about his approach to the shoot, his choice of Fuji X-E2 camera and then shares a few shots that didn't make it into the magazine...

A few months back I was asked by Ernest Journal to head down to Monmouthshire and photograph a man who builds mechanical sculptures. As always, I was game and treated to an incredible assignment with massive photographic potential. 

We arrived at Nik Ramage's house nestled in the South Wales countryside. I had a great feeling walking through the door, spotting unusual things all over the place, then Nik led us down the garden to his old chicken shed where he does most of his work.

For this job I took just one Fuji X-E2 body with 23mm and 56mm lenses and swapped them as I needed them. This was one of my first proper outings with the 23mm and I was thrilled with how it felt to use and the images it allowed me to make. I tired to keep my shooting style fairly realistic, while getting a nice amount of coverage for the magazine.

My editorial work is starting to gain real traction and allows me to visit some great places and meet fantastic people – something I'm working on expanding this year.

Colin Nicholls is a Cardiff-based photographer specialising in weddings and editorial work, with a passion for landscape and street photography. He shoots on Fuji X100 and Fuji XE2.

colinnichollsphotography.com

 

 

You can see more of Colin's images and read about Nik Ramage's work in the third print issue of Ernest Journal, on sale now

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Issue 3

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Classic hats: the Trilby

Allon Zloof, founder of London hat maker Tom Smarte, is your guide to choosing a timeless classic to suit your face shape and complement any ensemble – starting with the trilby

Fur felt Trilby, £295 Photo: Hanson Leatherby

The word 'trilby' was coined from a theatre adaptation of George du Maurier’s 1894 novel Trilby, when a hat was worn at the first London production and referred to as the ‘Trilby hat’. It has a slightly narrower brim than a fedora, around 4cm, and is often made with a pinched or teardrop crown.The brim tends to be upturned at the back and sometimes snapped down at the front. A trilby comes in a variety of fabrics including felt, wool, cotton and straw.

Who it suits

If you’re lucky enough to have an oval face, any style of hat would suit you, especially a trilby. The medium brim would add balance to a short face.

How to wear it

A trilby can be either smart or casual – the look you’re after will determine how you wear it.The classic smart way would be the same as the fedora – placed from the front of the head to the back. For a casual look, wear it on the back of your head; placing it from back to front, showing the underside of the brim.The trilby is the perfect accessory for a jeans and t-shirt outfit, layered with a field jacket.

This is a sponsored blog post, created in collaboration with Tom Smarte. For more information on partnerships and joining our directory, please email advertise@ernestjournal.co.uk.