Craft Focus - Dec/Jan (Issue 70)

12 craft focus industry news DEBBIE SHORE SEWING CLUB LOOKS SET TO MAKE WAVES Legendary designer Debbie Shore’s Half Yard Sewing Club is now open online. Members will receive exclusive monthly patterns with video instructions and access to online feedback sessions where it’s possible to ask questions. Crafters can share their ideas and see Debbie’s online studio. They will also be invited to take a peek into her sewing world via the club blog. Since it launched, the site has been attracting rave reviews from well-known names and brands including Fiona Pullen and The Craft Cotton Company. “For as long as I can remember, sewing has been a part of my life,” explains Debbie. “My mum was a seamstress and had a sewing room with cupboards full of wonderful fabrics, old biscuit tins filled with buttons and threads, and drawers full of ribbons and lace. She’d encourage me to make dolls’ clothes and then dolls, before moving on to making clothes for myself. She was my inspiration and my passion is now to inspire others.” To find out more, go to halfyardsewingclub.com CARAN D’ACHE SET TO WOW AT PAPERWORLD The historic Swiss brand Caran d’Ache will be exhibiting at Paperworld in Frankfurt from 26 th - 29 th January, 2019 on stand G62. The company was established in 1915 and is still a family- owned business. Jakar International has been the sole distributor of its artist materials and colour products in the UK and Ireland since 1960. A pioneer in its field, Caran d’Ache launched the first metallic clutch design, the Fixpencil, in 1929. In 1931, it followed with the first water- soluble colour pencil, Primalo, before adding Neocolor water-soluble and water-resistant wax pastels in 1952. It will be exhibiting a range of its latest products including Luminance and Museum colour pencils, extra fine dry pastel pencils and cubes, and the Graphite Line and All the Colours of Black ranges. The full Caran d’Ache collection will be available to view at the show. Visit jakar.co.uk for details. MAKE IT SHOW WINS EMBROIDERS’ GUILD AWARD The Make It and Knit & Stitch It shows have won the South East West (SEW) region Embroiderers’ Guild Betty Laker Award. The prize was made in recognition of the event’s long-standing support for the organisation. “We are delighted and very proud to have been nominated for and presented with the Betty Laker Award,” says Kate Valentine, show organiser. “The SEW region Embroiderers’ Guild have exhibited for many years and always inspire our visitors with their intricate and stunning projects.” Based in Farnborough, Hampshire, the Make It and Knit & Stitch It shows are one of the UK’s leading consumer exhibitions for fans of papercraft, card- making and needlecraft. More than 10,000 people are expected to attend the next event, which takes place from 22 nd -23 rd February 2019 at the newly-built exhibition centre near Farnborough airport. Visit make-it.org.uk for details. FMM AND CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS TO COLLABORATE FMM Funcraft has announced a new partnership with Creative Expressions. The Funcraft brand was established in 2017 to provide cutters and clay for crafters wishing to make embellishments for cards, home décor and art projects, but it soon became clear that the company needed the ability to provide additional products to complement its range. New items like colours, shimmers, glitters and canvas boards were required to create a one-stop shop for customers. As a result, FMM is to work with Creative Expressions to provide this service. “We knew that we needed a partner who carried a complementary selection of products and could also help us reach retailers to introduce the FunCraft range,” explains Siobhan Lees, head of sales and marketing. “Creative Expressions was a natural choice for us as the company had the best ‘market fit’, serving customers with a large number of craft-related products. Not only did the company fit the bill on paper, its values and ways of working are very closely aligned with ours, so we knew from the start that we could work well together.” The ongoing success of the collaboration has resulted in sales for both companies, with exciting new initiatives planned for 2019. Go to fmmfuncraft.com for more information.