My name is Jan Hartley. I am originally from South Yorkshire but have lived in Monmouth in the beautiful Wye Valley for most of my life.

Whilst my children were still small, I enrolled on my first City & Guilds soft furnishings course for two years. I had made my own curtains, blinds and cushions before but I wanted to know how to do it properly. This was when I was first introduced to lampshade making and I was hooked! I enjoyed this course so much that I went on to do the advanced soft furnishings course for another two years and then followed that with a one year dedicated lampshade making course.

I have been making lampshades since around 2002. During my time on the college courses I was fascinated by the Arts & Crafts era and their belief in keeping artisan skills and craftsmanship alive. Thankfully it seems to be trendy again to learn these crafts and it is a delight to see so many younger people taking an interest too.

I also run lampshade making workshops in Monmouthshire and surrounding areas.