Jane Mickelborough has carved all her life but only started carving wooden spoons from green wood in 2011.

Although she does different types of green wood-working, she is especially fascinated by wooden spoons – what appear to be simple, everyday objects are, in fact, very subtle three-dimensional shapes. The variability of the wood itself means that making a beautiful, functional wooden spoon and one with a hinge is a real challenge that is never the same twice.

She is particularly interested in the traditional spoons that used to be made in Brittany, NW France where she lives. These intricately decorated spoons, which were often made to fold, were used at weddings and festivals, where it was usual to bring your own spoon and knife. Her blog posts give some more information about these old spoons.

She has taught spoon carving at Spoonfest in the UK, Täljfest in Sweden, in the USA at Greenwood Fest in Plymouth MA and in 2018 at the Spoon Gathering at Milan MN. As well as teaching at home, she and her husband, Peter, organise an annual green wood working festival where they live, in Brittany.

In 2017 Jane was awarded a Willie Sundquist and Bill Coperthwaite Slöjd Fellowship in recognition of, and to continue her research into Breton Spoons.