Makers of Chanters, watches and campervans!
I’m going to get into the habit of documenting our podcast trips, so for anyone interested in what we get up to can have a more in-depth dive into our trips with the makers we meet - Kate
Maverick Pipping
Recently, Geordie Hunter, whose business is called Maverick Pipping reached out to us on Instagram. To our delight, he was only 30 minutes from where we live in Scotland. It’s incredible to meet such amazing people on your doorstep. So, we set a date and headed to visit his fantastic workshop and hear his story.
Geordie creates the most incredible practice chanters in his workshop in Glasgow, all made in-house. Here is a link to his website & Instagram so you can see his outstanding skills for yourself.
One thing we brought up to Geordie was that on his website, we couldn’t find his name - anywhere! If you are a maker and don’t have an about page, please spend some time putting this page together. Many people want to see the person behind the products (especially us!)
This had been the first podcast for several weeks due to Jack’s work commitments and finding the time between other WAM work. Our conversation ended after three hours… Geordie’s journey from start to now is quite the story! We ended the day with a beer to celebrate new friendships.
Struthers Watchmakers
The following Monday, we made a 540-mile round trip to Leek, England, to finally meet Rebecca and Craig Struthers, who we featured in Edition Two. They handmake the most spectacular watches!
We’ve followed their journey for quite some time now, so meeting in person and hearing all the fantastic things they’ve been up to was brilliant.
“We’re a mix up between restoration of antiquarian, vintage and occasionally modern wrist and pocket watches, and the other side of our business is commissioned time pieces. Sometimes we will rebuild a heritage watch movement that has had its case scrapped and rehouse it in a brand new case that we make from silver or gold. Or we will make the entire watch the old fashioned way: the movement, the dial, the hands, the case, all from scratch, on our old machines.” Extract from Ed.2
Through our podcast in their new workshop in Leek, we got a more personal in-depth account of how they started, the ups, the downs and everything in between!
In lockdown, Rebecca decided to write her first book called ‘Hand’s of Time’. It’s a history of time told from Rebecca’s background as a watchmaker and restorer, using stories about some of the amazing little machines she has had the pleasure of handling over the years. Watches have followed us through our daily lives for over five centuries and can tell us so much about ourselves.
Jack and I were delighted to receive an advanced copy of her book, and I can truthfully say it’s a brilliant account of Rebecca’s journey and insight into her life from the beginning until now.
It’s available for pre-order, and you can order it here:
Timber + Stitch
That same week, we travelled to Aviemore (one of my favourite places!) to meet Jack, owner of Timber + Stitch, a campervan conversion company.
We knew of Timber + Stitch because Jack worked with Jack (Lennie) in Evan cycles in 2012. Jack of Timber + Stitch started this company with his wife in 2014 (way before #vanlife was a thing)
It was fantastic to meet him again and see how far he’s come in almost ten years! Jack works with his wife, who does all her own screen printing, and they are currently redesigning their workshop to allow both of them to work there.
If you are in need of a creative, quality built and comfortable campervan to travel in, get in touch with Jack!
Contact him via Instagram - @timberandstitchvans
