Handcrafted America Season 1, Episode 5: Bladesmithing, Woodworking and Leather Bags

Clocks, Chairs and Blacksmithing

Host Jill Wagner travels the country on a quest to find talented craftsmen who still make incredible items by hand. First, she travels to Traverse City,Michigan, to meet Nathan Bower, an award winning clock maker who makes skeleton clocks with exposed inner workings. Next, she is off to Woody's Chair Shop in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, where she helps owner and seventh generation woodworker Scott Woody build traditional chairs without glue or nails. Finally, she heads northwest to Cle Elum, Washington, to help female blacksmith Maria Cristalli bend, twist, and shape iron bars into beautiful and functional items.

Quilt Maker, Rifles and Stone Carver

Host Jill Wagner travels the country on a quest to find talented craftsmen who still make incredible items by hand. Her first stop is Bastrop, Texas, where young quilter Maura Ambrose is fanatically dedicated to the traditions of hand sewing quilts and dying fabrics. In the hills of Morganton, North Carolina, Jill meets gunsmith Bobby Denton who creates elegant replicas of flintlock long rifles. Finally, Jill travels to Elgin, Illinois, to hang out in the workshop of acclaimed artist Walter Arnold, one of the few stone carvers in the United States who apprenticed in the marble carving studios of Italy.

Glasses, Bicycles and Books

Host Jill Wagner meets a glass blower who makes colorful drinking glasses; a bicycle maker has a seven-year waiting list; a book publisher prints books on his 100-year-old printing press.

30 min

Leather Wallets, Guitars and Shoes

Host Jill Wagner meets a fifth-generation leatherworker, a celebrated guitar maker and an architect who gave up designing buildings to make shoes

Wood Pens, Leather Boots and Doors

Host Jill Wagner travels to Illinois to meet a couple who fashions pens from reclaimed wood; in California, she hangs out with a custom cowboy boot maker; Wagner visits a New Mexico business, where vintage doors get a new lease on life.

Sgrafitto Ceramics, Wood Tables and Steampunk Lamps

Host Jill Wagner visits a New Jersey ceramicist who scratches designs into pottery; in Wisconsin, she meets a woodworker who makes wood flow like fabric; Wagner watches a Minnesota lamp maker make new lamps from old machine parts.

Woven Rugs, Sunglasses and Billiard Tables

Host Jill Wagner visits a Minnesota weaver who makes rugs with geometric designs; in San Francisco, she learns how to make handcrafted sunglasses; in New Jersey, Wagner meets a man who left a career in engineering to make billiard tables.

Stained Glass, Baseballs, Footballs, and Jewelry Boxes

Host Jill Wagner meets a Minnesota artist who makes stained-glass panels; in New Jersey, she visits an entrepreneur who makes vintage baseballs and footballs; Wagner helps a Wisconsin woodworker make intricate jewelry boxes.

Millinery, Longbows and Surfboards

Host Jill Wagner visits the Milwaukee studio of husband-and-wife hat makers; in California, Wagner meets two artisans who use exotic woods to make precision longbows and surfboards.

Denim Jeans, Wood Marquetry and Metal Bedframes

Jill visits a North Carolina clothing designer who makes custom blue jeans; in Boston, Jill learns how to create elaborate designs using thin sheets of wood veneer; in Oregon, she meets a man who makes custom steel bed frames.

Silver Flatware, Aviaries and Fly Fishing Rods

Jill Wagner visits a Massachusetts silversmith who makes heirloom flatware; in North Carolina, Jill meets a craftsman who builds amazing aviaries; in Oregon, Jill learns how to make traditional bamboo fly rods.

Outdoor Furniture, Flutes and Handmade Paper

Jill Wagner visits a North Carolina woodworker who turns whiskey barrels into rustic outdoor furniture; in Boston, artisans turn precious metals into world-class flutes; in Oregon, Jill transforms old rags into fine handmade papers.

Dad's Favorites

Host Jill Wagner seeks out artisans who make handcrafted products designed to appeal to men, including bamboo fishing rods, writing pens, baseballs, footballs, hunting knives, outdoor furniture, and more.