Craft Focus - Jun/Jul (Issue 73)

48 Made to measure Hawthorn Handmade offers a contemporary twist on traditional techniques. Creative director Stephanie Carswell reveals the secrets of this successful formula How long has Hawthorn Handmade been in business? I started the company on my own back in 2013, taking around six months from the initial idea to the launch. I already had another craft business at the time – a gallery and haberdashery – and ran both side-by-side for a year before I decided to focus on kits full time. It was another 12 months before I took on premises and my first employee. Until then I was doing everything myself from my spare room and a storage unit! What were your first products, and how has the range developed since then? I launched with just six needle felting kits and a small selection of bundles. Some of these still survive, including the rabbit and snail, which continue to be firm favourites. We also had a magpie, seal pup and narwhal, which have moved on to make way for lots of other animals. After a few months I started developing other designs including mini kits, quickly followed by our second craft, crochet (since discontinued) and our third, embroidery. In 2017, we expanded into weaving, which we’ve really seen grow over the last six months. Embroidery is currently our focus point and we have a new collection launching soon. You recently introduced the innovative Go Kits range – where did the idea come from? I really enjoyed developing the pop-up loom with my talented mum Mary and the wonderful Roy from Candy Box Crafts and wanted to make something else in wood – I just love this material. After the success of the loom, I was looking to expand our weaving range and have always loved circular designs. The Go Weave product offered a way to bring all this together in a quick and affordable project that’s perfect for beginners or using up a stash. When working on prototypes we wanted to do something with the circle of ‘waste’ wood from the centre of the loom, and so our Go Stitch discs were created. We’ve had a wonderful response so far, with lots of new and existing customers taking them on. The product offers a great way to introduce a different craft without taking up too much space or needing lots of extra bits, which makes them perfect for smaller shops. What are your bestselling lines? Since it launched roughly two years ago, our pop-up loom has shot up our list and become our bestselling product. It can now be found in retail stores all over the world, and the weaving trend only seems to be growing in popularity. The embroidery kits are our top range, with animals like cats, unicorns and puffins showing no signs of slowing down. Your products are inspired by the natural world – how do you mix this with contemporary design? I’ve always loved nature and animals but was never inspired by the craft designs available, which tended to be very traditional. My embroideries were originally a series of illustrations that I had done for my own pleasure, but once finished they clearly lent themselves to stitching kits, with clean lines and a fresh colour palette. They have really hit a gap in the market for beautiful designs that offer something a bit different.