Pigletwillie - Maker of things

24/06/2026

Up early to pick the cherries espaliered against my fence and trained over my logia.
The beauties were then ran through my juicer, the pulp sieved to remove stones and put aside for jam making.

The juice was reduced to make a cordial, bottled and finally, poured over crushed ice to taste.

100% morello cherry, no sugar, no chemicals and it tastes absolutely wonderful.

Now into the workshop to convert perfectly good wood into man glitter.

21/06/2026

What a great weekend at The Festival of Lesiure run by SDDC at the Maurice Lea Memorial Park.
A big thank you to all who visited my stand to chat, buy something or just look. Also a big thank-you to all of the volunteers, Stewards and organisers.

Big news here too, I have been accepted to stand at the Leicestershire County Show held on the bank Holiday weekend in August. A big not to what I do and something I need to start preparing for quite soon

21/06/2026

I'm back for day 2. Thank you for all of the support and custom yesterday. The weather it brighter and warmer today so come out to support a wonderful event.

20/06/2026

20/06/2026

I am at this big event today and tomorrow in the Bandstand zone. Come and introduce yourself.

18/06/2026

New food and child safe filaments have arrived.

I'm more interested in the food safe aspect as all of my filaments are tested to EN71-3 standards for child safety.

The problem is, what foody item do I make with them?

17/06/2026

This Saturday and Sunday, the weather looks good....see you there in the Band stand zone.

17/06/2026

A date for your diary,

I have been invited to stand at Calke Abbeys Christmas Markets 18th, 29th and 20th December.

17/06/2026

This Helixcore geared fidget takes fidgets to the next level.
Fitted with two internal sealed skateboard bearings and internal weights for maximum inertia, these geared fidgets are heavyweights in the fidget world and are guaranteed to keep any fidget collector entertained for hours.

They will be available at Artisan Fayre next week along with a restock of other fidgets, toys and lighting.

15/06/2026

’m often asked, why do you have UKCA labels on every toy that Pigletwillie - Maker of Things makes? What does it mean? How long does it take, and why bother?
Well…
#1 - It’s the law. Every toy sold in the UK needs to be safety tested to either UKCA or European CE standards, and then marked with any relevant safety risks and age rating information as appropriate.
#2 - To do this, every toy I make needs to undergo at least 5 rigorous physical tests, including Torque, Tension, Drop, Impact and Compression.
#3 - I then have to prepare a Risk Assessment, Testing Checklist, Safety Requirements Checklist, Technical File and a Declaration of Conformity. All in that’s about 25 pages of legally required technical documentation, and 15-20 photos of the testing process and results to evidence this.
#4 - I have to make all of this available for Trading Standards if asked and keep our records for at least 10 years.
#5 - I have to do this for every toy, in every different filament type/manufacturer I use.
So, for these 3 new toys alone, made in just 2 colours, it has required around 30 tests to be completed, 150 pages of documentation to be prepared, and an investment of around 18-21 hours.
All this on top of the laboratory tests I have had to pay for to make sure the filament we manufacture with is safe, in case it should accidentally be ingested.
So when you see cheap Temu 3D Printed toys or Etsy sellers and market traders that don’t have UKCA tags, please ask yourself, is it worth the risk of buying something for children that has NOT undergone all the necessary safety testing.
I think not, and thats why I will always UKCA test and mark every toy I make. Because I am as serious about safety as I am about the quality of everything I lovingly make for you, right here in the beautiful county of Leicestershire.
If its cheap, its often for the reason that its poor quality and untested.
Thanks for all your support, and I hope to see you at an upcoming event very soon.
Pigletwillie