Celebrity ambassadors for arts and crafts - ideas appreciated!

[wilkinem]

For all the crafting mums out there, which well known people do you think would be the best ambassadors to encourage mums to engage more in crafts for themselves and/or engage in arts and crafts with their children? Suggestions of well known men or women who you think would really gel with mums who craft (or might like to craft!) would be very helpful (people other than Kirstie Allsopp who is already doing a great job on this front). They probably won't be mega celebrities but will be people who mums identify with and who have a love of craft.

Thanks for any thoughts!

Jordan?

Well Anthea Turner is currently stepping out as a crafting ambassador. I saw her on TV talking about her new role and actually was surprised at how well she fitted. She seemed really authentic. Kirstie Allsopp actually I would say makes crafting appear a slightly twee and middle-class-only activity - but I do watch her.

Thinking specifically of mums I really cannot think of any celeb who is herself a mother, and crafty, but down to earth enough to reach ordinary mums with the crafting drive. Someone might ping into my head later though.

Curious as to why you've asked. I personally think that there doesn't need to be a crafting ambassador.

Gwyneth Paltrow? Crafting seems like the kind of thing she might add to her Goop blog.

fabulousdarling - thanks for your ideas. Anthea Turner did spring into my mind as well but I wasnt sure is people connected with her. What do you think? I also thought about Myleene Klass?

QueenOfToast - I'll take a look at the Goop blog! Catherine Zeta Jones is apparently also a crafter!

I love anthea turner's crafty skills. I was a teen when she did tracey island and made one for my brother. She's outed herself as a crafter and it suits her. I can imagine her sat on the sofa crocheting a blanket.

I know the lad from 2 and a half men knits and so does maggie gyllenhal and quite a lot of movie stars do as it kills time on set.

Kirstie Allsop [shudder] has her hands in too many bags, she's a bit slap dash and never commits enough to make a decent effort, you 'know' that she's had help. She wants to have a go at it all and buzzes about all over the place dipping in and out. She needs to focus a bit more, I was disappointed that the only crochet on her series' so far has been a small box and it was fiddly and not a great showcase of the beauty of crochet.

Is this for real! Ms Klass et al??!?! Please.

Perhaps Mumsnet should organise a web chat with Anthea. I do actually like her and I think it's slightly sad that she's not been on tele much for ages. After all there are plenty of awful presenters on television and 'now' people. All boring and all the same.

Mylene Klass NOOOOOOO! Please... If. one. more. celeb. starts. acting. like. they. are. the. first. person. to. have. a baby. I. will. throw. up. She's another that tries to do too much.

Catherine Zeta - maybe.

I still can't think of anyone else who is based in Britain. Apart from Kerry Katona

I don't see the point need for anybody at all. Perhaps I am missing something...

Well possibly, -just possibly mind - it might encourage people to get into sewing, knitting, quilting (we defo need more quilters in the UK) etc. I always come across people who say: I used to be a seamstress,knitter, embroiderer, but I can't be bothered now. Besides making me green with - I have to self-teach myself everything with great pain - I think how sad.

I remember meeting a lady once who said 'Oh I can make everything. I used to make my own curtains and clothes, but now I can't be bothered I just go to the shops and buy it because it's so much cheaper and easier, and I can't be asked to make them for anyone else anymore either.'

Besides a big waste of talent she could be passing on to someone like me, I do think because so many people have limited experience of making anything by hand, it reflects in the low prices people expect to pay for something hand made.

I've spent hours appliqueing a skirt for a girl's dress today. But I'll be expected to sell it at the same price as something selling in Mothercare or worse Primark.

If more people crafted, there would be more appreciation for skilled handy work done personally by people actually living in the U.K.

God, I didn't know how passionate I actually felt about it! Possibly I've been thinking about it too much.

Yes, but they just end up flogging their book/DVD/tape measure covers. Im v cynical when it comes to 'ambassadors' I'm afraid.

So true. There is that annoying aspect, and it is very patronising to real crafts people agreed.

anthea turner..sorry but cant stomach the woman, she seems a cheap and poor imitattion of martha stewart..
mylene...omfg plz not here..she is one annoying up her own backside twonk
i have to agree with stitchthis and fabdarl that i think it would be very patronising to real crafters out there and rather off putting...give me stephanie weightman anyday, she is a true queen of craft x

Personally, I can't see any need for a celebrity ambassador. However, what was good about Kirstie Allsopp is that she went to visit real craft experts and showed them off. At no point did she claim to have done everything her self and is was made perfectly clear that she hadn't done it all herself in the Homemade Home programme (and its sequel). Surely she had to have done it all herself for the series where she entered stuff in competitions thug? I assumed so anyway.

The "craft of the week" spots were very lightly touched on though, I agree, and some certainly deserved more airtime.

There is no need for celebrity ambassadors for crafting. If you want to encourage crafts, you need to do what American mothers in France do - they find impoverished old granny French crafters (knitters of baby bootees etc) in rural markets and export their products to boutiques in Los Angeles where the products sell for a fortune and make the grannies lots of extra money and raise awareness of the value of crafts.

That doesn't do anything for crafts, just raises the awareness of paying over the odds for stuff in a LA boutique.

You are very wrong, SoupDragon. Raising the value of handcrafted products on the global market is the very best long term way of ensuring that handcrafted production continues.

I think the way to do it would be to find a group of craftspeople who create beautiful, imaginative products, and also have charisma, engaging personalities and the ability to inspire people, and make them into celebrities in their own right through a craft-based tv programme. That would be better than picking an existing celebrity at random just because they dabble in something a bit crafty occasionally.

They did this in the 1990s for interior and garden designers - Lawrence L-B, Linda Barker, Anna Ryder Richardson, Charlie Dimmock, Diarmiad(sp?) Gavin etc. Maybe it's time for craftspeople.....

CuppaTeaJanice Think you've hit it bang on the head.

Also I think there is a real big need for a more prominent male crafter in the public eye. My son loves sewing and quilting. None of his friends do, and try finding fabric that appeals to a boy that isn't covered in army print or dinosaurs etc.

You and your son should have a look on ebay, fabulousdarling. Not so much for fabric, but loads of embellishments and trims that would appeal to a boy. For example, I've just bought some mini sew-on tool shaped charms, reflective ribbon trim and vintage sailor buttons, with the intention to make a top for my son. I reckon that sort of thing would be of interest to a boy! Plus, a lot of the bits come from China and Japan, so lots of interesting stamps and labels on the packaging!