26 Sew, stitch, play! Meet Debbie Harding, the creative force at DoodleCraft Design, the wonderfully crafty take on game night Tell us a little bit about the company. Where are you based? When did the company start? We’re a small family stitching business based in the East Neuk of Fife in Scotland, we have a small design studio and gallery and two log cabins offering selfcatering stitching retreats. The company started in 2015 creating contemporary and traditional cross stitch and blackwork designs. Who founded the company and why? The company was founded by myself and Gavin Harding. I was made redundant unexpectedly after 20 years in the card payments industry and at the same time told by my GP that I really wasn’t fit enough to go out to work. I suffer from Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Sjogren’s Disease. I realised quite quickly that I had to have something to keep myself busy. I’d always enjoyed stitching and, before my illnesses had a passion for drawing and painting, so Gavin and I decided to set up a business designing cross stitch and blackwork kits. How has the company evolved? The company started out small. I looked after the new business, while Gavin maintained his day job, helping out in the evening and at weekends. We joined Etsy, set up a website and attended local craft fairs and, after about a year of doing it, decided to take the next step into the world of large shows. We started with the Knit & Stitch shows and the Festival of Quilts and have been doing these for the last 12 years. Today, Gavin has been able to give up his day job and works on the operational side of the business which leaves me free to do what I love best, designing! What do you specialise in? Initially, we were best known for our stitched games boards. We have designs for chess, backgammon, ludo, snakes & ladders, tic-tac-toe and other lesserknown games like hnefatafl and mancala. Snakes & ladders was our first design and is still as popular as it was when it was first created. Talk us through the current products you’re particularly excited about. Do you have a favourite? DoodleCraft has eight ranges of designs: Stitch-your-own games boards This range includes everything from chess to snakes & ladders, we have our standard designs but you can also personalise these kits if you want something a little special to stitch as a gift and a modern heirloom. Creating by stitching This range includes items which have a purpose once they have been stitched,
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