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DADDY DIYInspiring products to persuade

guys to give making a go!KEEP CALM AND

CRAFTHow to promote a healthy crafty

lifestyle to adults

SHOW & TELL SPECIAL

15 pages with all the latest show news

DADDY DIYKEEP CALM

AND CRAFT

SHOW & TELL SPECIAL

15 pages with all the latest show news

craftfocus 3

April/May Issue 54

Editor-in-ChiefAlexandra North+44 (0)1376 535 611

Managing EditorRosie Orgles

EditorJulie Bonnar+44 (0)1376 514 000editor@craftfocus.com

Chief Sub Editor Louise Prance

Director of Sales & MarketingTony Fields+44 (0)1376 538 480

Sales ManagerMichael Richards+44 (0) 1376 538481michaelr@craftfocus.com

Account ManagerTracy Voice+44 (0)1376 535 618tracyv@craftfocus.com

Production ManagerScott Brothwell

Deputy Production ManagerSarah Young

Senior Graphic DesignerVicky O’Connor

Graphic DesignerStephanie Hodder, Amy Smith+44 (0)1376 535 616artwork@kdmediapublishing.com

Production AssistantCharlotte Potter

Web Development ManagerStuart Weatherley

SubscriptionsBeth Varney+44 (0)1376 514 000

KD Media Publishing LimitedPantile House, Newlands DriveWitham, Essex, CM8 2AP, UKwww.craftfocus.com

Front cover image: Image taken at CHSI Stitches by photographer, Daniel Graves

ISSN 1758-0900Craft Focus is solely owned, published and designed by KD Media Publishing Limited. Whilst every effort was made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time of going to press, the publishers cannot accept legal responsibility for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility of the standing of advertisers nor by the editorial contributions. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Craft Focus is published six times a year. Subscription rates for overseas readers are £75 per annum (incl. p+p), Cheques should be made out to KD Media Publishing Limited and sent to Craft Focus, Pantile House, Newlands Drive, Witham, Essex, CM8 2AP, United Kingdom.

Craft Focus magazine is proud to be associated with and supporters of:

contents

showsshow news 25 Keep up-to-date with what’s happening in your industry

bigger and better 31We reveal the latest news from this year’s CHSI show

hotspot for craft 52The news and trends to look out for from Creativeworld

be creative with stationery 81A round up of what to expect at this year’s London Stationery Show

united craft front 96We look back at the CHA Mega Show that took place earlier in this year

regularseditor’s letter 5An overview of what to expect in this issue

industry news 7What’s happening within the craft market

brand spanking new 17A look at the latest product launches

bookstand 54 The newest craft-related book releases

project 60Summer-inspired yarn-wrapped vase from Hester Van Overbeek

competition 70Win the latest papercraft machine from Crafter’s Companion

featuresitching to stitch 43 Increase the demand for needlecraft by stocking the latest contemporary products

keep calm and craft 47A range of products to promote a healthy crafty lifestyle for adults

shine on 63We look at products with a summery outlook

daddy DIY 73 Cross the boundaries of gender and persuade the guys to give crafting a go

pen to paper 87We share why handwriting and colouring are enjoyable experiences for crafters

fun with soft crafts 93Toy making is perfect way for beginners to start creating

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business advicewhy user experience matters 58David Fairhurst from Intelligent Retail explains how to guarantee search engines and your website’s visitors, love you it’s good to talk 100Dids Macdonald, CEO of Anti Copying in Design, discusses the benefits of the company’s Mediate To Resolve initiative

re-addressing the balance 105Sara Davies shares how she attempts to get the right work/life balance

focus onfrom Russia with love 40We talk to Evelina Buividiene, Director of Export Customer Service for RIOLIS, as the company celebrates 20 years in business

celebrating 270 years in colour 56We chat to Chris Sherrard from DMC as the business celebrates a milestone anniversary

penchant for prints 78We talk to Jane Makower from Jane Makower Fabrics about her fabrics and how the brand has changed over the years

tried and tested - naïvely pretty painting 103 Julie Bonnar puts distressed art kit from Folk It through its paces

up and coming 106Sue Walton from Multipom takes pompom making to the next level

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Keep craftingcraftingThe spring issue is one of my favourites to puttogether as it’s always brimming over with newproducts. This is mainly because we’ve spent the last couple of months visiting the big trade showsacross Europe in search of the latest innovationsto tell you about. My shoe leather is well and truly worn but I’m delighted to tell you that we’vefound some corking products!

We’ve dedicated 15 pages in this issue toreporting back from the CHA Mega show (page 96) Creativeworld (page 52) and CHSi Stitches (page

31). And if you still haven’t had enough we let you in on what’s plannedfor the Stationery Show this month (page 81) plus what’s happening inthe world of consumer shows.

We’ve got some great features including how adults can relax bylearning a craft (page 47) and how to persuade the guys to give crafting a go (page 73). I do hope you make time to chillax and enjoy the issue!

Until the next time,

Julie BonnarEditor

Julie Visit us on: Twitter: @craftfocusPinterest: www.pinterest.com/craftfocusFacebook: www.facebook.com/CraftFocus

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craftfocus 7

industry news

MOVERS AND SHAKERS IN THE CRAFT INDUSTRY PERFECT TIME TO JOIN MAPED HELIX

Maped Helix’s incoming Managing Director Gray Richmond believes he’s joining the upwardly mobile company at the perfect time, as the stationery manufacturers gains an increasingly strong foothold in the industry.  Gray, former Managing Director of Jumbo Games, will bring his expertise from the toy world into a market with a number of similarities. Gray has already identified a number

of opportunities for both the Maped and Helix brands. “I’ve got a really positive first impression of the business and feel there’s a lot of great work from which to build on. There are a number of similarities between the toy and stationery industries and various peaks in the year that need to be managed, which represent a large part of the business. Such peaks can make or break a year. Products in both industries also feature relatively low price points and high moving products and in addition, fashionable and seasonal trends need to be taken into account and planned for long in advance,” comments Gray. 

Gray has identified the writing instrument category as an area of potential growth, whilst acknowledging a need to be strong in online sales. “It isn’t just about selling more online, but ensuring that our products look and feel desirable and memorable to the end user. We can count on large international businesses as customers as well as individual entrepreneurs working from home. That’s how broad we are. We’re market leaders in a number of categories and it’s my job to ensure we stay there.” For more information about Maped Helix, visit www.mapedhelix.co.uk. BLAKE APPOINTS NEW HEAD OF SALES

Blake has appointed Gary Rowan as Head of Sales as the envelope and postal packaging company looks forward to a dynamic year. Gary has joined Blake to support and develop strategic multi-channel business growth. He said, “I’m really excited to be joining Blake. The envelope market is challenged by different pressures, the need for innovation and creative thinking, as a whole is paramount. I know that

the company constantly look for new ways to do business and I’m really looking forward to delivering new growth.” Michael Barter, Managing Director at Blake said, “We’re delighted to have Gary join us. His extensive experience will further develop our enthusiastic sales team and he brings best practice principles with him from his years in developing value and propositions. Gary is the right person to head up our sales division at such a key time in Blake’s history.” For further information about the company, visit www.blake-envelopes.com.

A round up of news from the crafting industry

industry news

industry news

DMC CREATIVE WORLD HAS APPOINTED CHRIS SHERRARD AS MARKETING MANAGER FOR NORTHERN EUROPE 

Chris Sherrard has just been appointed as Marketing Manager at DMC Creative and brings considerable experience of driving profit for household name brands. Her credentials include leveraging loyalty for Boots the Chemist, increasing subscriber retention at Time magazine, and repositioning

niche lingerie brand Bravissimo for broader appeal.More recently, Chris has shared her marketing know-how as a

consultant, delivering brand and marketing strategy to support the business goals of clients ranging from early stage start-ups to global financial companies. Chris told us, “I’m looking for a new challenge and, with a lifelong love of needlecraft, I’m thrilled to return to a European role with such an ambitious remit, in a thriving business which has creativity right at its core.” To find out more about DMC Creative, visit www.dmccreative.co.uk.

NEW PR MANAGER FOR DOCRAFTSLyndsey Mayhew has been appointed as the new PR Manager for docrafts. Lyndsey joins the company with a strong PR background and an excellent knowledge of the craft industry. Her expertise across digital, print and events will fit perfectly with docrafts marketing model and her content production and organisational skills will benefit all external press partners. Lyndsey is supported in her role by Nadine Wilson, Events & PR Co-ordinator and can be contacted on email: lyndseym@docrafts.com or by calling +44 (0)7584 071 601.

8 craftfocus

industry news

FAIRTRADE FABRICSThe cute but contemporary new fabric range from Fair Trade Fabric is the result of a collaboration between Ruth Murray, its founder, and Susie of Susie Huson Designs.

Fair Trade Fabric was formed in 2008 and had six successful years sourcing fair trade cotton fabric for crafters and stitchers who were keen to know more about where their fabrics came from. Ruth says, “People put lots of time, effort and care into making things for themselves, their homes and their loved ones, and increasingly want to start with raw materials that are produced.”

The company decided to take the next step and produce their own fair trade certified cotton fabrics, and the first set of the new fabrics has arrived. Ruth says, “I was looking for designs that were fresh and different from those already on the market.  Acknowledging that people are often drawn into sewing by the arrival of children, I wanted prints that would work well for children’s quilts but would also have genuine appeal for adults too. Susie has really nailed it! She gave us a gorgeous palette for the coordinating plains too.”

Susie says, “Fabric was a new medium for me. It’s rewarding to know that these fabrics are supporting poor and marginalised cotton farmers and producers, enabling them to achieve a fair price for their work. We’ve been delighted with the quality of the fabrics that they’ve produced.”

The full range of three feature prints, three geometric prints and 12 plains are available from www.fairtradefabric.co.uk.

SUPPORTING THE CRAFT RETAILER

Crafter’s Companion’s new headquarters store will be located near the company’s existing packing and warehouse operation. The company specialises in manufacturing and distributing crafting tools and products, and sell online and in more than 5,000 craft retail outlets across the world. 

The company has unveiled plans to open its own retail outlet in the north-east in a bid to attract more people into craft and provide a training centre for independent craft retailers. Crafter’s Companion is investing more than half-a-million pounds in the 7,000 sq ft site, which will house a Retail Centre for Excellence intended to support retailers from across the UK with training and consumer insight.

The fit out is expected to take around eight weeks to complete and will also include a coffee shop, a central hub for workshops and group sessions, two dedicated demonstration areas and themed shopping sections. In a boost to the local economy in County Durham, the Newton Aycliffe-based flagship store will initially create up to 12 new jobs. The opening of the venue will coincide with a move to the company’s new corporate headquarters, which is situated next door. 

“We’re looking to create a craft retail store different to anything that has been seen before. We want craft enthusiasts and retailers to come here to socialise with likeminded craftspeople, receive education and gain inspiration. We want to learn about retailing in a bricks and mortar store and fully understand what makes retail trade tick. By knowing how to drive footfall, increase product turns and motivate customers to return first hand, we can pass on what we learn to our retail partners,” explained Sara Davies, founder of the company. “We genuinely believe craft retailing has a future on the high street and by putting our money where our mouth is, we’re demonstrating our commitment to helping our retail partners prosper for many years to come,” Sara added. The company is looking to employ enthusiastic crafters and specialists to staff its new store with a view of opening its doors to the crafting public by May 2016.

For further information visit: www.crafterscompanion.co.uk.

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industry news

MORE SEWING PATTERN INDEPENDENTS TO BE DISTRIBUTED BY HANTEXTwo great sewing pattern brands join the growing list of independent pattern companies distributed by Hantex – Noodlehead and Made by Rae Patterns.

Noodlehead is the brainchild of Anna Graham and concentrates on producing a series of contemporary bag sewing patterns for home stitchers while Made by Rae Patterns focuses on creating simple, high-quality patterns with beautiful illustrations, photos, and easy-to-follow instructions. The Ruby Dress by Made by Rae is a great pattern for a beginner’s dress or top for woven fabrics. Ruby features a contrast yoke and gathers for a comfortable and flattering fit without the need for bust darts, zippers, or closures. Armholes and necklines are bias-bound for an easy finish. Sizes include XS-XL.

For more information, visit the Hantex website, www.hantex.co.uk.

INNOVATIVE FRAMING SOLUTIONCreative Product Distribution has announced that it will be distributing a new and creative box frame from Folder Frame. This innovative framing product range is ideal for handmade cards, invitations and displaying photographs and certificates.

Crafters will love the concept of adding that personal touch and showcasing their crafts. For more information about the products distributed by Creative Product Distribution, visit the website www.creative-distribution.co.uk.

12 craftfocus

CREATIVE PLAY APPDKL is pleased to announce that the Hama Universe app has received a brilliant review from The Good App Guide. Farel Williams, Marketing Executive, said, “It’s great to have their seal of approval for the Hama app. The review highlights that the application promotes creative and developmental play in the same way as the traditional Hama bead sets.”

The experts at the Good App Guide said, “This has been a real hit with all of our testers and they all wanted to return to it after their first play.” The review includes feedback from the children who took part in testing Hama Universe whilst also listing eight different skills, which are developed through playing on it.

The recently launched application is the first of its kind for Hama and the digital version of the traditional bead craft activity is a virtual world in which children can choose from a selection of pegboards and bead colours to create virtual bead designs, and will help to challenge fine motor skills and memory whilst also supporting creativity. For more information, visit the website www.dkl.co.uk.

industry news

CRAFTING CHANNEL GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTHHochanda, the online and TV shopping channel dedicated to crafts, hobbies, and arts, continues to go from strength-to-strength since its launch, thanks to a highly positive response from the crafting community.

The channel was recently awarded Silver in the Best TV Shopping Channel for the Crafts category at the International Craft Awards 2015. With 98 employees onsite, Hochanda has served more than 70,000 customers in just five months, and expectations are that the business will break even by the end of 2016. The channel has also established a strong presence in Germany and has plans for further European expansion on the horizon. 

As part of its growth strategy, Hochanda has recently extended its creative family by welcoming handcrafting expert and TV presenter Leonie Pujol to the fold, who joined the Hochanda team mid-February. In addition to this, leading paper crafting supplier Crafter’s Companion is set to make Hochanda its new TV shopping home this month. To celebrate the new partnership, Sara Davies unveiled the latest range in her collection as part of a weeklong takeover event on the channel. Viewers can also tune into Hochanda’s Masterclass Live HD launched this April, which will provide the ultimate resource facility for crafters when it comes to ‘how to’ demonstrations and master classes.

To find out more, visit www.hochanda.com.

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industry news

QUILT FIT FOR A QUEENUK sewing enthusiasts have until 31st May to contribute to a special quilt to be created by Bernina, the manufacturer of high-end sewing machines, to mark Her Majesty the Queen’s 90th birthday. The project will combine creating an original gift for the Queen with raising funds for Friends of the Elderly, a national charity of which the Queen is patron. For a suggested minimum charitable donation of £15 or more, Bernina will provide a fabric square, which contributors can sew, embroider or decorate with their own design. All squares will be used to create a virtual online quilt, and will include the names of contributors. In addition, an invited panel of judges will select 60 patches to create the quilt that will be sent to Her Majesty.

The finished quilt will be displayed on Bernina exhibition stands throughout the year before being sent to Buckingham Palace as a gift.

Friends of the Elderly is one of the UK’s oldest charities supporting older people and runs care homes and offers grants, befriending and volunteering services that benefit thousands of older people across the country by providing financial support for those struggling to live on a low income, or a friendly call or visit to those without any friends or family around. 

Steve Allen, Chief Executive of Friends of the Elderly, said, “What a fantastic way to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations with a quilt handmade with messages of congratulations. Thank you to Bernina for choosing to support Friends of the Elderly with this project – we’re very excited to see the final piece before it’s sent to

the Queen!”“Her Majesty’s 90th birthday will be a special occasion and as Royal

Warrant Holders, we wanted to offer sewing enthusiasts the chance to mark it in a special way with us,” explains Stephen Bogod from Bernina UK distributor, Bogod & Company. “To have your name, artwork and birthday greeting included on this one-of-a-kind quilt will be something to remember and we look forward to people taking part,” he continues. To make your donation and reserve your fabric square, visit: www.bernina.com/quiltforaqueen.

GROUND BREAKING EPOS TO HELP INDEPENDENTS TO COMPETE WITH BIG BUSINESSMay sees the launch of Local Business Week, when thousands of small businesses across the UK will be coming together to take on the corporate giants. One of the key competitive advantages that big businesses hold is the level of intelligence and data they have at their disposal, but a funky new till solution, The Good Till, is now offering small independents these insights at a fraction of the cost.

The Good Till is a stylish tablet-based solution, perfect for craft retailers and pop-up shops, which is already being used by small businesses and events across the UK, including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It’s completely customisable, integrates seamlessly with applications like Xero and Exact, and also allows businesses to give customers email receipts, which isn’t only more convenient and eco-friendly, but also helps with data capture. The Good Till Co. aims to provide a low-cost EPOS solution that’s both friendly for retailers and customers.

At a time when independent retailers are being heralded as the saviours of the British High Street, this innovative new payment solution will help small retailers fight back against big brands bridging the gap between offline stores and online data. The software continues to be developed, with multiple currency options and a smart e-Loyalty platform due to launch in 2016, which could spell the end for dozens of stamped loyalty cards. For more information, go to www.thegoodtill.com.

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craftfocus 17

An exclusive round up of the newest product offerings

brand spanking new

brand spanking new

Danish by Design Hantex has just announced it has been appointed the new and exclusive UK distributor for Copenhagen Print Factory. This Danish brand is simple in design and has a multitude of possibilities, making the stylish prints the ideal choice for lots of craft projects, as well as the ever-growing home decor market. Copenhagen Print Factory fabrics are either GOTS certified organic or OEKO-TEX certified and free of harmful chemicals, making them a popular choice.

Copenhagen Print Factory fabrics is distributed in the UK by HantexT: +44 (0)1754 820 800 E: sales@hantex.co.ukW: www.hantex.co.uk

Eco-friendly shoppingSince the introduction of the charge for carrier bags, it’s a constant battle to remember to take a shopping bag with you! Search Press has a wonderful selection of tote bags made from recycled plastic bottles from the US publisher, C&T Publishing. These sturdy, roomy bags are also water-resistant and will be handy for taking to a workshop and with a reinforced bottom panel, there sure to be a hit for storing craft supplies too.

There are 14 different designs to choose from and feature lovely designs from well-know people in the craft industry including this one from Kim Schaefer, best-selling author and founder of Little Quilt Company. The tote bags retail at £5.99.  Search Press T: + 44 (0)1892 510 850 E: searchpress@searchpress.comW: www.searchpress.com

Cat-crazy cross-stitchersTopiary with Crazy Cat Lady is the perfect companion to the other designs from Peter Underhill’s Cats Rule range. This quirky cross-stitch sees our cat lady being artistic in the garden and made the hedge into a purrfect cat shape with flowers for the eyes and mouth and twigs for whiskers. With the two onlookers, these cats look impressed with her work. Like all designs in this range, they all tell a story and are absorbing to stitch as the detail makes it interesting. The design measures 20cm x 18cm (7 3/4in x 7in). The kit contains Zweigart fabric, DMC stranded cottons sorted onto numbered cards, a needle, and clear charts and instructions, and retails at £22.75. Heritage CraftsT: +44 (0)1889 575 256E: sales@hcrafts.comW: www.hcrafts.com

Healthier glue optionBeacon has just released Power Tac, which is an industrial-grade adhesive that comes without any of the dangers that can be associated with this strength of glue. This non-carcinogenic formula has a less of an odour, and is faster to dry than the popular E6000 glue. It will permanently bond almost any material including glass, metal, wood, cork, fabric, concrete and leather. This acid-free glue won’t yellow or become brittle and is water- and UV-resistant, making it not only the safest glue but the most versatile for crafters too. It comes in two sizes: 1oz and 2.5oz tubes.

Beacon Adhesives are distributed in the UK by Creative Product Distribution T: +44 (0)20 8953 2143E: sales@creative-distribution.co.ukW: www.creative-distribution.co.uk

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brand spanking new

Fairy talesLavinia Stamps thrive on new ideas and is always thinking about the next challenge ahead. “It’s important to us to have new and original designs for our customers, and to always think outside the box,’’ says Tracey Dutton, Stamp Designer.

“Our work is always evolving, which is the key to this industry; keep moving forward and never stand still, Art and creativity is a journey, you never quite know where its going to take you next,” she adds. Her latest fairy and fantasy designs will be available to trade in June and July.

Lavinia Stamps T: +44 (0)1824 710 691 E: enquiries@laviniastamps.co.ukW: www.laviniastamps.co.uk

Ready to decorateExaClair, the UK supplier of Decopatch, has released a wide selection of white symbols, ideal for crafters looking to create fun and funky ornaments that will stand the test of time. The range includes icon-style clouds, raindrops, dogs, cats, rabbits and dinosaurs. They’re extremely solid and robust. The white range offers crafters more flexibility in how they decorate, making it possible to combine mediums such as paint with Decopatch.  ExaClairT: +44 (0)1553 767 235 E: enquiries@exaclair.co.ukW: www.exaclair.co.uk

Huggable loveable booksStudio e has released a bold and colourful ready printed fabric to create soft children’s books. The designs are available in five designs allowing a customer to choose from a bee, bunny, chick, dog or sheep. These are available to pre-order from the company’s UK distributor EQS and delivery is expected in July/August.

EQS distributes Studio e Collections exclusively for UK & Ireland T: +44 (0)116 2710 033E: customerservice@eqsuk.comW: www.eqsuk.com

Designer poochFollowing on from the success of Redhound for Dogs Knit Your Own Dog Jumper kits, the company has designed a kit so that dog-loving sewers can make their dog a stylish coat too. Packaged in stylish boxes, the kit includes outer fabric, lining, patterns, instructions, webbing, Velcro and bias binding. Each kit box contains three sizes of pattern and enough fabric to make the largest size. The kits are excellent for sewing shops to stock and also make great gifts. The Terrific Terrier size will fit from small Jack Russell to Spaniel size; W/S and retails at £33.99 and the Wonderful Whippet will fit from Italian Greyhound to medium Whippet size; W/S and retails at £36.99.

Redhound for DogsT: +44 (0)1622 297 100 E: debbie@redhoundfordogs.comW: www.redhoundfordogs.com

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craftfocus 21

Back to nature Fantastic Ribbons has an extensive collection of new buttons including this wonderful range of mixed carved natural wooden buttons. These are perfect for crafters who like a more natural finishing touch to their textile project or simply just want to jazz up a cushion. The buttons retail at £8.95 per kilo bag. Fantastic Ribbons minimum order is £75.

Fantastic Ribbons T: +44 (0)1392 366 762 E: sales@fantasticribbonstrade.comW: www.fantasticribbonstrade.com

Corners coveredFollowing on from the success of Kb Authentic’s Zippy Loom, the company has just released a set of corner pieces that attach to the original loom to allow you to create a round loom with 20 pegs or more. The corners easily snap together making the loom even more versatile for making hats, cowls and scarves. Made of the same durable high-grade plastic, each corner measures 3in x 2.5in.

Kb Authentic products are distributed by Viridian T: +44 (0)1173 005 244E: viridianltd@googlemail.comW: www.viridianyarn.com

Sugar and spice girlsSugar and spice, and all things nice is what Verity Rose is made from. This fabulous new collection features a number of cute characters with a distinctive ’20s feel but has a modern twist of patchwork patterns and wonderful whimsical words. Central to the Verity Rose collection are six quirky characters with their own style and personality – Cupcake, Flutterby, Destiny, Moonstruck, Starlet and Sunbeam. They are all accompanied by an animal friend and a favourite flower and have their own colour palette and set of patterns. The collection includes metal dies, embossing folders, paper pads, stamps and toppers so there really is something for everyone in this range.

Crafter’s CompanionT: +44 (0)1388 660 930 E: trade@crafterscompanion.co.ukW: www.crafterscompaniontrade.co.uk

Marbled magicThe DAS range of air-drying clays has been a popular choice with crafters and makers for more than 45 years. DAS has released an innovative marbling effect clay called Das Idea Mix. This mineral-based clay comes in six different colours. It allows you to create amazing marbling effects when mixed with Das white or terracotta clay, and once dried it won’t crack. The new addition to the range, is supported by accessories, modelling tools, leaflets and a retail countertop display unit. The product will be available from June in the UK.

DAS is distributed by Premium Art Brands T: +44 (0)1926 492 213 E: customerservices@premiumartbrands.comW: www.premiumartbrands.com

brand spanking new

22 craftfocus

brand spanking new

Vintage revivalMargo is one of the newest sewing patterns from vintage pattern designer Caroline Smith. Sew La Di Da creates vintage style patterns for today’s sewers designing styles that not only flatter the modern body shape but are also suitable for novice sewers. The brand has recently had a makeover and now has some stylish retail-ready packaging and best of all, they’re all designed and made in the UK. Sew La Di DaT: +44 (0)797 448 9121E: caroline@sewladidavintage.comW: www.sewladidavintage.com

Crafty corrosionRusty Powder is the latest product from Powertex. It can be used in combination with other products from the range, offering artists and crafters an incredible way to achieve natural rusting effects in all aspects of their work. A few tips and tricks are needed but once these have been mastered, the results are truly incredible, a real rusty treat for everyone.

PowertexT: +44 (0)1527 328 514 E: info@powertex.co.ukW: www.powertex.co.uk

Look no baking Woodware has just announced it will be stocking the new Pen Touch Ceramglass pens from Sakura. The water-based paint markers have been specially designed for use on ceramics and glass but what’s unusual about them is that the designs you create with them require no baking. The pens completely dry after 12 hours and are dishwasher proof. The pens come in two nib sizes, 1mm and 2mm, and eight different colours. There’s good adhesion on non heat-resistant ceramics and glass, making them a great choice for crafters who want to get involved in this trend.

Woodware T: +44 (0)1756 700 024 E: sales@woodware.co.ukW: www.woodware.co.uk

Modern-day cross-stitch The team at Janlynn has been busy with lots of kits launching, including its newest creation, the Pallet-Ables range. This is a series of plastic canvas kits, stitched with acrylic yarn in a half cross-stitch. Each kit contains a sheet of 7-count plastic canvas, acrylic yarn, a needle and full stitch and assembly instructions. There are six designs, each with a heart-warming or humorous message – our favourite is the caravan design shown here. These funky kits make a decorative 3D pallet measuring 10.5in x 11.5in and retail for £17.99.

Janlynn products are distributed by Solocrafts T: +44 (0)161 464 7313 E: sales@solocrafts.comW: www.solocrafts.com

Meet ou r new baby...

w w w. b u t t o n b a g . c o . u k

Buttonbag is proud to announce the arrival of its new baby crafting range. An exciting collection of eight beginner-friendly craft kits perfect for celebrating baby

showers, baby’s birth, christening, naming and first birthdays.

For more information email Sara and Sarahstudio@buttonbag.co.uk

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shows, new

s and events

shows, news and eventsWe update you on what’s happening with a round up of the shows

London Stationery ShowWhen: 26th - 27th April, 2016Where: Business Design Centre, IslingtonW: www.stationeryshow.co.ukRead our show review on page 79

British Craft Trade FairWhen: 10th - 12th April, 2016Where: Great Yorkshire Showground, HarrogateW: www.bctf.co.uk

DIARY DATES

BRITISH DESIGN TALENT SHOWCASEDThe British Craft Trade Fair (BCTF) is a three-day event that takes place each year in April at the scenic Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate. The fair is strictly trade only and showcases work from exclusively British and Irish designers and makers. BCTF differs from other trade fairs and has no mass-manufactured products or products that are made overseas. Retailers can be confident in seeing a selection of the best handmade British wares from more than 500 talented makers. The fair has now been running for more than 35 years and has helped hundreds of young makers take their first steps in dealing with the trade. The fair includes a dedicated Newcomers Gallery where every year around 72 new makers are introduced to the trade. 

SCOTLAND’S TRADE FAIR WELCOMES SPRINGDespite the wettest January, there was definitely a positive feeling at Scotland’s Trade Fair at the SECC, Glasgow with attendance up by 8.4 per cent and exhibitors up by 15 per cent, making it one of the most successful shows in recent years. Buyers loved the range and quality of the goods on offer, as well as the new Craft Gallery and the Best Product Awards. After an unpredictable year in 2015, many independent retailers reported reasonable pre-Christmas sales, so were ready to re-stock or at least re-source for 2016. Many were delighted by the quality of the products and the originality of the producers, which allowed them to source some genuinely innovative goods.

The range was expanded with the introduction of the Craft Gallery and has created a sound trade platform for high quality handmade in Scotland products. This area attracted many upmarket and gallery retailers. Gone are the days when Scotland’s Trade Fair was all about everything tartan and kitsch, today’s show has an extensive variety of products appealing to tourists, locals, big spenders and overseas visitors.

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COMTEMPORARY CRAFT FESTIVAL LAUNCHES FIRST EVER POTTERY SHOWDOWN With more than 10,000 visitors to the show last year, it’s going to be hard to beat this year. But the organisers of the Contemporary Craft Festival has promised that this year’s festival will be even bigger and better. Having all been gripped with throw down fever while watching the BBC TV series – The Great Pottery Throw Down, the festival is launching its very own version, The Festival Pottery Showdown. The winner, Matthew Wilcock, and his fellow finalists – Tom, Sally-Jo and Jim – will be special guest potters at the festival. “I’m really excited to be attending the Contemporary Craft Festival. It’s an event I’ve always wanted to go to. It will be a priceless opportunity to be surrounded by and to talk to many passionate craftsmen and women,” commented Matthew Wilcock. The highly-acclaimed festival, which recently won Tourism Event of the Year at the Visit Devon Awards for the second year in a row, returns to the picturesque site of Mill Marsh Park, Bovey Tracey, Devon between the 10th - 12th June, 2016. The festival is one of the UK’s most prestigious and much-loved craft events in the UK. More than 200 of the UK’s finest makers will be exhibiting and this year’s programme is brimming with workshops, demonstrations, exhibitions, children’s activities and entertainment, street theatre, festival food and live music. New this year is the Craft Cinema, presenting a lively programme of vintage and contemporary short films on craft and design. Hosted in a 1967 bus, originally commissioned as a mobile cinema by the late Tony Benn – then Minister of Technology – it will travel the country

showing films of the latest technical advances to the factory workers of Britain. Walk the red carpet and enjoy a genuine cinema experience in a wonderful mobile theatre. Supporting new business has been at the heart of the festival and this year sees the launching of StartUp. The very latest makers from all corners of the UK – in their first two years of business – have the opportunity to exhibit. Full details of the programme of workshops will be announced shortly. For information visit craftsatboverytracey.co.uk.

shows, news and events

A CELEBRATION OF TEXTILES The Fibreworks Festival is an annual event hosted by The Fibreworks and celebrates the world of textiles. Alongside the lectures and exhibition, there will be local makers’ stalls. The show continues to grow in scale and ambition and last year the show welcomed knitting and quilting guru Kaffe Fassett, famous around the world for his groundbreaking use of colour. This year’s special guest is Dame Zandra Rhodes, iconic British fashion designer. “It’s a great privilege to welcome Zandra to our annual Festival,” said Lesley Wildman, co-owner of The Fibreworks. In addition to Zandra’s talk, there is an exhibition of her work in the studio plus a series of workshops in the coming months using Zandra’s fabric ranges.

More information on The Fibreworks Festival and related workshops can be found at www.thefibreworks.co.uk.

CONSUMER SHOW NEWS

Following our successful product launch at the CHSI Stitches show, you can now exclusively purchase our Innovative Caddy Organiser from createandcraft.tv.

You can also visit our Amazon page at www.amazon.co.uk/defl ecto for all other products launched at the show!

To fi nd out more visit www.defl ecto-europe.com

or call 01633 280123

with Defl ecto’s innovative product range marketedto the art, craft and education industry.

r/o 31 Commercial Road, Edmonton, London N18 1TPTel: 0208 884 0999 Fax: 0208 884 4666 Email: mcourtsltd@btconnect.com

www.mcourts.co.uk /mcourtsltd

Wholesale Haberdashery SuppliersOur huge range includes

Beads, Trimmings, Lace, Buttons,

Ribbon, Sequins, Diamantes,

Motifs, Zips, Cords, Thread, Masks,

Feathers, Flowers, Bridal,

Lingerie Accessories, Craft,

Haberdashery, and much, much more.

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shows, new

s and events

CONSUMER CALENDAR Want to get your products to more customers? We list the best UK-based consumer craft shows in the forthcoming months: Craft in Focus, (www.craftinfocus.com):8th - 10th Apr: Desire Jewellery & Silversmithing Fair, Canterbury8th - 10th Apr: Craft & Design Fair, Canterbury28th Apr - 2nd May: RHS Garden Wisley24th - 26th June: Craft and Design Experience, Henley

The Contemporary Craft Festival, (craftsatboveytracey.co.uk):10th - 12th Jun: The Contemporary Craft Festival, Bovey Tracey

Grosvenor Shows, patchwork & quilting (www.grosvenorshows.co.uk):1st - 3rd Apr: Spring Quilt Festival, Exeter19th - 22nd May: Quilts UK, Malvern

ICHF shows (www.ichfevents.co.uk):7th - 9th Apr: Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts, ExCel16th - 17th Apr: Cake International, Alexandra Palace30th - 2nd May: Penshurst Place, Tonbridge

Sincerely Yours, papercraft shows (www.sincerely-yours-shows.info): 3rd Apr: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire17th Apr: Taunton24th Apr: Maidstone8th May: Newark15th May: Plymouth22nd May: Corby

BATH IN FASHION 2016 BRINGS COUTURE AND COLOUR TO THE CITY Bath in Fashion runs between 18th - 24th April to inspire and inform visitors with a varied programme of craft and design-led talks, workshops, installations and a colourful yarn bomb. Colour and textiles are interwoven into the festival agenda with a line-up of top fashion designers and media speakers including, Erdem, Julien MacDonald, Nicholas Oakwell, and fashion icon Zandra Rhodes. This year the RUH Forever Friends Cancer Care campaign has been chosen as the nominated charity Bath in Fashion. Queen of crochet Emma Leith will be creating a colourful yarn bomb on Milsom Street inspired by the vibrant colours of Zandra Rhodes, a headline speaker at the festival. “Having been recently diagnosed with breast cancer, I’m thrilled that we can support the RUH in raising awareness of their Cancer Care appeal which will provide a much needed facility for the region,” commented Emma. Generously sponsored by Mulberry, flower posts in the heart of the World Heritage city will be wrapped in crocheted scarves and adorned with a spectacular arrangement of vibrant flowers using yarn donated by Rico Design.Bath in Fashion is calling out to crochet enthusiasts across the country to get involved with the project and download the pattern from www.emmaleith.co.uk.Highlights of the festival include west-country brand, Seasalt holding a Sailor Shirt Embellishment Workshop; the Royal School of Needlework is running a millinery workshop and Yarn bomb artist Emma Leith offers the opportunity to crochet a colourful basket. Susan Kay-Williams, Chief Executive of the Royal School of Needlework, will deliver a guest lecture on the types of embroidery popular in fashion. Liberty, bastion of Arts and Crafts, will be explored by Cleo and Mark Butterfield, owners of the C20 Vintage Fashion Archive used for the recent Liberty exhibition at the Fashion & Textiles Museum. The Fashion Museum with its new exhibition, The History of Fashion in 100 Objects, is offering a series of Behind the Scenes tours. For more information, visit www.bathinfashion.co.uk.

craftfocus 31

show review

bigger and betterStitches was the largest trade show in recent years; we report why thousands flocked to the NEC this February

AT LARGEThis year, CHSI Stitches show was the largest exhibition in recent years and saw thousands of retailers, from large multiples to independents, flock to the NEC in Birmingham. The colourful trade show was packed with more than 250 exhibitors showcasing the latest innovations in the craft industry. Exhibitors brought engaging and interactive stands to the event, allowing visitors to get hands-on experience with the products.

“This has been one of our largest shows for a number of years and reflects the buoyancy of the industry and also that exhibitors see trade shows as an essential part of the ever-diversifying marketing mix. Social media complements the show in allowing connections to be made, sustained and allowing manufacturers and retailers to grow their businesses. We responded to this with hugely popular seminars from Warren Knight and talented bloggers, The New Craft House,” commented Adam Elkins, show organiser, ICHF Events.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTSVisitors to Stitches were treated to something a little different with a Narnia-inspired yarn display and Yarnia was unveiled for the first time. After making its debut at this show, the display will go on tour around the UK at ICHF Events consumer shows.

The stunning display, commissioned by Creative World of Crafts, featured 21 pieces made from yarn. Well-known characters from the epic tale by C.S. Lewis were immortalised in a variety of fabrics and techniques including crochet, appliqué, felt and hand knitting. Visitors saw a beautifully crafted scene of characters like Lucy, Susan, Peter and Edmund and a life-sized wardrobe. “Yarnia gave visitors a real thrill. We know craft is all about imagination and the display certainly

brought a touch of magic to the exhibition with a whole range of yarn inspirations from world-class brands such as Bernat, Caron and Lily Sugar n Cream,” commented Stephen McCalllister, sales director. The education programme saw fully attended seminars from social media and blogging experts sharing their knowledge and experience. A diverse workshop programme ran throughout the three days with many workshops booked up in advance. Among the people holding seminars was Hannah and Rosie from award-winning blog from The New Craft House who showed why blogging is a crucial marketing tool to help build and reinforce a brand, while Warren Knight spoke about the four different types of digital customer and how to create shareable content, plus a checklist to help stay consistent with the brand message.

The New Product Showcase – sponsored by Craft Focus – was situated in the entrance. This year it took on a brand new look with stylish shop windows so visitors could discover new and exciting innovations as they walked in. Each company had the opportunity to showcase one new product. C

32 craftfocus

show feedbackWe chat to others to see what they had to say about this year’s show:

SHOW RETURNERS “I’m new to both the craft industry and trade shows so CHSI was a fantastic introduction to my new world. From meetings with retail chains to crochet lessons alongside designers, from sharing plans with strategic partners to meeting magazine editors, I covered ground it would have taken weeks to do otherwise. Our stand, representing the original DMC factory in France to honour our 270-year manufacturing heritage, as well as the creativity of our customers, proved a great talking point. And it was invaluable for me to hear from so many independent retailers in such a short time. We weren’t just talking shop either, we did brisk business too and everyone at DMC is now eagerly following up some exciting conversations,” comments Chris Sherrard, marketing manager, DMC Creative World.

SHOW RETURNERS Show organiser ICHF welcomed back some major players in the industry to this year’s show.

Among them was Coats Crafts UK which brought with them a colourful and engaging stand. Anna Mitchell, managing director, said, “We were really excited to be exhibiting at the show and showcasing our latest designer collaborations in both handknit and fabric. The AW season has been a busy one for us with design lines including Arne & Carlos, Zandra Rhodes, Swarovski and a celebration of Kaffe Fassett’s 50th year in textiles.”

BRIGHT SPARKSThe Bright Sparks Pavilion delivered true to form with a collection of up and coming designers and manufacturers offering new designers and creative entrepreneurs a dedicated platform to launch new products to the trade, and provided an audience of more than 7,000 buyers.

Among the innovative products this year was dog attire business – Redhound For Dogs. Launched by Debbie Humphreys, the business moved into craft products with the introduction of its Knitted Dog Jumper Kits three years ago. Dog coat patterns followed and Debbie’s book, Dogs in Jumpers, was published in October 2014. The award-winning business was invited to join notonthehighstreet.com and since then the business has grown with Debbie supplying many well-known retailers. The range includes Bow Tie kits, which are perfect for beginners.

Jo Mann, trade account manager for Toft said: “We’ve launched a new kit format which was well received at the show. We’ve met existing stockists who were excited to see the new format as well as lots of new customers. It’s been great to be at the show as we’ve been selling to trade for two years, so it’s good to be recognised and for people to be excited about the stock.”

Kuretake returned to the show this year with an impressive stand showcasing its extensive range of ZIG pens. Elizabeth Millar, marketing executive, said: “It’s been a really vibrant show and meeting a wide range of businesses has been fantastic. It’s

been great to educate people about our pens and show people the range. Visitors loved the Clean Colour Real Brush, and the Wink of Stella glitter range. It’s been great offering retailers these kinds of solutions for their customers.”

bigger and better

craftfocus 35

show review

SHOW FIRST TIMERSFirst-time exhibitor, Go Handmade from Denmark, launched their knitting, crochet and sewing kits to the UK market at the show. The kits are styled and presented with stunning packaging and clever photography to grab customer attention and give the characters in the range personality. “The show has been absolutely great. People have been so excited about what we have to offer, we couldn’t have wished for a better response. It’s taken two years and a lot of hard work for us to develop our collection so to have the response we’ve had has been amazing,” said Hanne Tolberg, owner.

PRODUCT LAUNCHESAurifil UK used the show to launch a new design-led collaboration. “The show has been fantastic with a lot of footfall. We’ve launched the Art Gallery Fabrics (AGF) designer thread collection, which is a collaboration between the two brands. AGF designers have created a collection of threads that complements the fabric range,” reported Bradley Mitchell, UK sales manager.

SMART STANDS Many companies expanded their stands this year including Oddies Textiles, Designer Yarns, Intercontinental Yarns, Solocrafts and Via Nova International.

Jan Noort, sales director at Via Nova International said: “We started about seven years ago as the distributor for RJR in the UK. We came to Stitches to enable retailers to meet the people behind the business and meet with customers. Last year, we started selling a new range of RJR Fabrics called Cotton + Steel – these are more modern and retro designs and have been extremely popular in the UK.”

BLOGGERS’ BREAKFAST “We were thrilled to be invited by Once Voice Media to be involved with the inaugural CHSI Bloggers’ Breakfast. Everyone from cross-stitch maverick Jamie Chalmers (aka Mr X Stitch) to experienced crochet blogger, Girlybunches came along to try something new. With its quick stick, stitch and rinse away designs, Custom by Me gave new stitchers and seasoned up-cyclers an innovative and easy way to personalise textiles. Colour-changing Coloris rapidly revealed intricate patterns on the simplest cross-stitch designs, with no need to switch skeins. And a complete novice crocheted a cute mini bunny before the session ended. It was like speed-stitching and astonishing to see the fabulous things created by the bloggers in just an hour,” said Cara Ackerman, consultant and PR coordinator for DMC Creative World.

West Yorkshire Spinners brought two cleverly designed stands to the show, which immersed visitors in the theme for each collection, from vibrant urban vibes to natural collections. Emma Ross, Marketing Executive said: “The show has been fantastic and we’ve had great feedback. Last year, we won best stand and came back this year with two stands. It’s been brilliant to meet new and existing customers face-to-face. Coming to a trade show means we can bring the brand to life.”

Fabric designers, Dashwood, created an exquisitely designed stand for the show, which enabled the company to engage with retailers in a new way. David Sweet, creative director, said: “This is the first time that Dashwood has had its own stand at an exhibition. The show’s been excellent for us and being able to create and design our own stand space has enabled us to give existing and new customers a real sense of the brand and what we achieved.”

36 craftfocus

Product profilesHere’s a few of our favourite things:

Club Green has some wonderful products to offer retailers to cash in on the popularity of handmade weddings and vintage-inspired themes with lace, pearls, brooches, boxes, flowers and a new collection of buttons. To find out more visit the company’s website www.clubgreen.com.

Clara has a new trade website and two new sewing kits called Seaside Memories and Make it. Designed and made with passion in Cornwall, the kits include everything that’s needed to complete the project. Visit the Clara website for further information, www.claracreate.com.

Ombré Trends is a beautiful new fabric collection designed by Heather Jacks – a winner of the Great British Sewing Bee – for The Craft Cotton Co. This is an affordable fabric collection for those who love fashion. The fabrics are perfect for patchwork, quilting and making clothes. For more details about this range, visit their website www.craftcotton.com.

Erika Knight has launched a new summer yarn. Studio Linen is 85 per cent recycled rayon linen fibre and 15 per cent premium linen. With a refined palette of eight essential colours that will work with everything you wear, it has a clear stitch definition, and will make beautiful garments both in knit and crochet. For more information about the summer yarn, visit www.erikaknight.co.uk.

Flo-Jo Boutique produces high-quality sewing kits for the creative sewer that contain gorgeous fabrics with clear design and fool-proof instructions. The company has launched a new range of sewing kits and specialist haberdashery, which includes the Eye Mask kit using Liberty Tana Lawn cotton. For information about the other kits in the range, visit www.flo-joboutique.co.uk.

bigger and better

Sock Yarn Specialist

www.viridianyarn.com | viridianltd@gmail.comtel: 0117 300 5244

Knitting Boards and Looms

Club Green has a fantastic mix of products to make your customer’s celebrations truly handmade including a wonderful selection of items for the current DIY wedding trend. In addition, the company also has an assortment of items for Valentine’s Day, Easter, Christmas and Halloween, as well as for special occasions including parties, and baby showers. From big and bold, pastels and neutrals, there are innovative products for everyone including ribbons, gift tags, cake boxes, buntings, garlands,

trimmings and more.

www.clubgreen.comTel: +44 (0)1483 281313

Email: sales@clubgreen.com

Unit 6 Jacquemand Estate, New Portreath Road,

Redruth, Cornwall TR16 4QQTel: 01209 843831

Email: sales@cornishjutebag.comWeb: www.cornishjutebag.com

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Art Gallery Fabrics has redefined fabric for both the home sewing and professional market. Its high thread count, PIMA cotton is now the standard for discerningsewing enthusiasts and with some of the best designers in the industry and an eye oncurrent trends, the company’s place at the top of the list of fabric manufacturers is well-deserved. Art Gallery Fabrics is partnered with Hantex in the UK. For more information about the AGF fabric collections, visit the Hantex website, www.hantex.co.uk.

Juko Designs is on a mission to introduce people to the creative and therapeutic pleasures of weaving. “People always expressed interest when they saw us weaving on a card loom so we developed kits to allow people to learn how to weave,” says Samina from Juko Designs. The result is a range of weaving kits that introduce people to the art of weaving in a simple, portable and affordable manner. For further details visit the Juko Design website, www.jukodesigns.co.uk.

Vervaco offers a wide pallet of different techniques in embroidery for all different ages including counted cross-stitch, hand-painted canvas, printed tablecloths and runners, counted Aida runners, latch hook and long-stitch. The collection contains classic and contemporary designs, as well as license products. All use high quality materials like DMC or Zweigart, and kits include clear multi-lingual and visual working instructions. For further information visit www.vervaco.be.

Stackable Caddy Organiser is a fantastic new storage system from Deflecto, which has been specifically designed to stack. Removable storage containers feature hinged, snap-tight lids to make it easy to access supplies that crafters will love. To find out more visit the website www.deflecto-europe.com.

ImpressArt’s Simple Strike jig changes everything. Until now, the greatest challenge for beginners to metal stamping was keeping the stamp in full contact with the blank while striking. There’s a natural impulse to move when the hammer approaches the hands and this results in uneven impressions. The patent -pending Simple Strike Jig keeps the stamp secured and fingers out of the way. To find out more visit the website, www.impressart.com.

We love Design Works Crafts’ Zenbroidery. This is a new embroidery concept for a generation of tech-savvy crafters. Zenbroidery comes to the customer as a stamped white fabric with a handmade black ink design and is accompanied by guidance on basic embroidery stitches. To complement the designs, there’s a range of accessory packs that enable stitchers to make their own choice of coloured cotton floss and beads. For further information, visit Solocrafts’ website www.solocrafts.com.

DATE FOR YOUR DIARYCHSI Stitches 19th - 21st February 2017 NEC, Birmingham W: www.chsi.co.uk.

bigger and better

New Boho Spirit

For trade and wholesale information

Tel: 01274 743374Email: sales@cygnetyarns.com

www.cygnetyarns.com

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Tell us how the company started? RIOLIS was founded in 1996 by Oleg Akifiev. It’s a family business and currently managed by Oleg’s son, Ilya Akifiev. The company was small initially, and only had five employees that did everything from creating new designs, choosing threads and fabrics, packaging the kits, to selling and providing customer service. The initial designs were simple and it was soon decided that if the company wanted to improve designs, then the company would need to bring on board a professional artist and designer. In 1997, RIOLIS appointed Galina Skabeeva as the head of the design. She has formed a successful design team and still leads them today. She continues to bring about an endless source of fresh ideas and a wonderful creative atmosphere to work in.

How has the company changed over the last 20 years since Oleg Akifyev started the business?The company has constantly evolved during these 20 years and now has 11 departments, each specialising in their own areas including sales, design, supply, production and so on. We’ve two main locations, our head office in Moscow and, more recently, we also have a branch in Lithuania that concentrates on international production and sales.

For many years now RIOLIS has worked with the best European brands for materials, so we can offer our customers the best possible quality of fabric and threads. The product range has also grown vastly, and every year the company adds more than 100 new designs.

The company has grown into a well-known brand in Russia but what do you think makes it popular in Europe too?The same principles apply everywhere; we really do care about which materials we use and try to produce only the best designs every year. We love the products that we make. One of the advantages that our company has is that we have a flawless customer service. This high quality of customer service together with our one-of-a-kind designs and superiority of our kits makes us valued in countries all over the world. Of course, there are some designs that are more popular in the UK and in other countries like Australia, but we’re fortunate to be able to produce many designs to cater for all tastes.

How would you describe the RIOLIS product range?RIOLIS has three distinct brands. First is RIOLIS Premium – this includes exclusive luxury designs that are complemented by beautiful gift packaging. We also have a range of kits for children and beginners that are produced under the trademark Happy Bee. These needlework kits are bright, funny and easier to stitch so are the best choice for young and novice stitchers. In the Create it Yourself range, you’ll find a variety of pictures, embroidered cards, religious motives, cushions and things for the home. We’ve pictures based on famous artist’s paintings, urban scenery, village landscapes, sunflower fields, still life with cherries and Chinese pagodas – in other words, pictures for every taste and level of skill.

Have you any exciting new products to share with us?RIOLIS’ main field is cross-stitch, but we’re always trying to explore new trends and techniques. This year, we have three new

We talk to Evelina Buividiene, Director of Export Customer Service for RIOLIS as the company celebrates 20 years in business

from RIOLIS with love

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bright and sunny long stitch designs in our catalogue. We love our small decorative kits with plastic canvas, so the company is expanding this product line in the future. Like the rest of the world, here at RIOLIS we adore the adult colouring book craze. We couldn’t help ourselves and this summer will hopefully introduce a new line called Embroidery Therapy. Each kit contains a glossary of new and exciting stitches, colourful threads, a canvas with a pre-printed sketch and a chart that will help you to create some beautiful work.

What’s inside a RIOLIS kit? Each RIOLIS kit contains a colourful scene, fabric and threads, instructions in six languages and a needle. The kit contains everything except the hoop to begin working on your kit immediately.

For many years, we’ve been working with Zweigart who produce the best quality fabric for us. We use two types of thread – Anchor stranded cotton and a wool/acrylic Safil thread. All of the threads are wound on a numbered organiser so they’re very easy to use. Additionally, we sometimes use beads, metallic threads, felt, ribbons and lace – everything to make the finished result even more beautiful and original.

What are your best selling products?Each country has its own best-selling kits, there are a couple that stand out all over the world. The White Owl (design 1241) has decorated the pages of many catalogues. Two beautiful ladies from the Premium series, Velvet Evening and Lilac Evening have captivated the hearts of romantics

everywhere. We also have a series of world capitals – London, Paris and New Year, which have featured at every exhibition we have participated in.

Where can retailers see your range of cross-stitch designs?Our UK distributor is SoloCrafts who we’ve worked with since we launched in the UK in 2010. The Solocrafts team are happy to assist with any enquires and have adopted the RIOLIS ethic of excellent customer service providing this to all UK customers on our behalf.

RIOLIS is distributed in the UK by SolocraftsT: +44 (0)161 464 7313E: sales@solocrafts.comW: www.solocrafts.com

company profile

C

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needlecraft

itching to stitchIncrease the demand for needlecraft by stocking the latest contemporary products

GORGEOUS THREADS The London Bead Company stocks a wide collection of hand embroidery threads from some of the big brands. The Caron Collection threads come in wonderful selection of variegated and shaded threads in silk, cotton, silk-wool mix, as well as exotic metallics and shimmering nylon including stranded and pearl weights, while the Thread Gatherer also has a superb range of threads in linen and mohair. Other well-loved threads include Thread Worx, which are over-dyed and come in cotton, silk and metallic threads.  All these ranges have a wide spectrum of colours and textures to stimulate any form of creative stitching. The London Bead Company T: +44 (0)20 7267 9403E: faye@londonbeadco.co.ukW: www.londonbeadco.co.uk

CROSS-STITCH TALK We asked Emma Strothers, owner of Solocrafts, what sort of products should a retailer who’s new to needlecraft consider stocking to attract cross-stitchers? The most popular reason for a consumer purchasing a cross-stitch design is the celebrations of a birth or a marriage. Cross-stitch samplers to commemorate these type of events continue to fill the best-sellers list year after year for our business and that of many of our retailers. These designs are also fairly safe buys, as we can be confident weddings and births will continue indefinitely!Fashion plays an important role in cross-stitch as with many other crafts and hobbies. For instance, in recent times, owls and foxes have been prevalent themes, along with vintage or retro designs. These trends can be seen across craft areas such as cross-stitch, fabrics, paper crafts and the gift market. This means a retailer can use their knowledge of popular themes within their current range to help influence their buying decisions for a new section, such as cross-stitch. If their clients are buying up everything, with tigers on, it’s a good idea to try a cross-stitch design involving a tiger. It might even tempt new consumers into this market by providing an alternative way for them to express their love of this cat!

Seasons also impact on consumer choice: we see a surge in demand for floral and pretty scenery kits in the early spring, and summer sees an increase in beach-themed designs, while autumn and winter are driven by Christmas stitching projects. Changing the entire selection available to customers regularly isn’t a feasible option, but trying to keep the range fresh, with a new addition or two each month, is crucial. Making the section interesting and different to visitors will give them a reason to keep coming back to your store.

My final piece of advice would be, if in doubt, ask! We’re always on hand to talk to a retailer about their store and needs. There’s a wealth of knowledge available, and suppliers are happy to share this with you to help build your business, which will benefit everyone. Best of luck, and contact me on emma@solocrafts.com if you’d like further assistance.

TAKING STOCKThe latest needlecraft products you should know about!

PICTURESQUE POPPIES Heritage Crafts has a new kit to add to the John Clayton Collection. Jug of Poppies is based on one of his stunning watercolour paintings. This beautiful picture would grace any home with its lovely shades of red and green. The design measures 20.5cm x 30cm. The kit contains Zweigart fabric, DMC stranded cottons sorted on to numbered cards, a needle, and clear charts and instructions. The kit retails at £29.00. Heritage Crafts T: +44 (0)1889 575 328 E: enquiries@hcrafts.comW: www.hcrafts.com

The Scottish Hobby & Craft Trade Show11th & 12th September 2016

The Marriott Hotel, Glasgow Road

Edinburgh

Introducing to the exhibition TV craft expert Clare Charwill who will be giving workshop classes

for all enquiries if you wish to exhibit please contact Yvonne on 07770 870093 or by Email y.jackson@tiscali.co.uk

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needlecraft

ADD A QUARTER PLUSSpecifically designed with a lip and tapered edge, this ruler allows stitchers to trim excess fabric and provide a straight line for placement of the next fabric piece. The Add-A-Quarter combines the speed of rotary cutting fabric pieces with the accuracy of using templates. Once your templates are made, the Add-A-Quarter will automatically add the customary ¼in seam allowance to any straight angle. The pack comes with a 6in and 12in ruler.

EQS distributes Add-A-Quarter Products across the UK & Ireland T: +44 (0)116 271 0033 E: customerservice@eqsuk.com W: www.eqsuk.com

BE MINDFULThe handmade home continues to be a strong trend in interiors as we see artisanal accessories move from high-end style magazines into the high street. Colourful DMC Creative World tapestry kits enable stitchers to create their own beautiful tapestry, choosing from vibrant geometrics, graphic florals or inspirational maxims to complement their personal interiors style. Each of the kits in the three stunning collections uses simple techniques so stitchers of all abilities will find it easy to create a colourful contemporary tapestry.

Stitchers can frame finished works to hang on a wall or turn them their work into a stylish cushion, customised with pompoms or tassels to brighten any sofa.

With vibrant packaging designed to standout in busy retail environments, DMC tapestry kits are ideal for anyone keen to take up a mindful new pastime. They also make lovely gifts, especially for house warming.

DMC Creative T: +44 (0)116 275 4000 E: sales@dmccreative.co.ukW: www.dmccreative.co.uk

TRENDY TOTE The Summer Bouquet tote bag kit is the perfect opportunity for crafters to combine their love of cross-stitching with fashion. The kit contains everything you need to complete this super bag including the supporting cardboard, beads, tapes and needles. The finished item measures 27cm x 21cm x 4cm and would make a lovely gift. It’s available from RIOLIS, which is distributed by Solocrafts. For more information visit the website: www.solocrafts.com.

MOTIF MANIAMore than just a book on embroidery, Romantic Motifs by Carina Envoldsen-Harris contains more than 64 reusable motif transfers to iron on and embroider providing a must-have source of design ideas for anyone who enjoys stitching. The designs include hearts, flowers and butterflies and cover a range of sizes and styles. The book is broken down into four main sections: the key stitches and techniques to learn, the samplers, the projects and, finally, the cut-out transfers.

Each design is shown as a sampler sewn by Carina in colours and stitches of her choice. Carina has a wonderful eye for colour and design, so the samplers will encourage those who might need some guidance. Clear instructions accompany each motif, with information given on the DMC thread colours and the embroidery stitches used.

The book also showcases 12 beautiful projects embroidered with designs from the samplers to inspire stitchers whether they’re looking for a small, dainty motif to decorate a child’s sunhat or a large, bold design to add impact to a cushion. The transfers are featured at the back of the book in a handy pocket and can be cut out and ironed up to ten times each. This book is a must-have resource for sewers of all abilities, and will be available to stock from August. Romantic Motifs (ISBN: 9781782212959) will retail at £12.99 and will be available from Search Press, www.searchpress.com.

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adult crfating

keep calm and craftWe reveal a range of products to promote a healthy crafty lifestyle

PAINT YOURSELF CALMPaint Yourself Calm, Colourful, Creative Mindfulness Through Watercolour (ISBN:  9781782212829) by Jean Haines is one of the latest books to be distributed by Search Press. This book encourages crafters to pick up the paintbrush and unwind with watercolours, and in doing so allowing the movement of brush on paper to calm and soothe you. Jean explores the many benefits of painting to your wellbeing, so you can escape from stress to a personal place of mindful calm. Meditative, peaceful and calming, watercolour painting offers a sense of control and self-worth to everyone, with no judgement or goal beyond the joy of painting itself. This book shows you how to calm and enhance your outlook through the movement of brush on paper. Master artist Jean Haines leads you on a journey through paint, showing you how to wipe away your worries with the soothing, gentle strokes of watercolour paint. Paint Yourself Calm will be available from the middle of May to stock and retails at £15.99.

For more information visit the Search Press website, www.searchpress.com.

WE ASKED JEAN HAINES, HOW SHE THOUGHT PAINTING COULD HELP PEOPLE IN OTHERS ASPECTS OF LIFE.“As an international artist teaching watercolour workshops all over the world, I constantly find myself meeting people who paint, not only to create but for the sole purpose of overcoming life’s problems that they may be dealing with. And I completely understand. I’ve sought solace too when painting at times. Moving away, using creativity as an escape from difficult situations when the stress of daily life can seem to drag us down is an advantage that can be beneficial to our well being.

“Watching colour flow can be so beautifully relaxing and therapeutic. But by making informed choices on which colours we use can lift our spirits and change our mood so amazingly. I use reds whenever I’m overtired to recharge my batteries when I need to feel energised. When I want to feel peaceful I turn to blues or violets. And yet for many the art of painting is seen as an action only for those who have talent or are deemed gifted enough to create.

“My new book dispels that myth. Anyone can paint. Not only anyone but everyone can use colour and move a brush simply to feel great. During writing this beautiful book, I returned to each simple exercise when my own life was so hectic. Each time, I

discovered a wonderful calm feeling that allowed me to feel ready to tackle anything once I’d put my brush down. Our lives can be enhanced by giving ourselves permission to relax at least in once a day. And you can relax with colour in the same way that I do – easily and pleasantly. Even if you’ve never painted before this book could be the one you’re looking for to add to the quality of your life. I hope readers of Paint Yourself Calm enjoy each chapter and put my book down with the inspirational feeling that their lives will change because they want them to, in a wonderfully positive way. You can paint yourself calm!” 

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LOVE YOUR HOMEDIY is as popular as ever and Needcraft has developed a wonderful new lampshade system, which allows the crafter to create cascading tiered lampshades – ideal for a bit of home improvement.

The tiered lampshades work largely in the same way as the company’s standard kits, and you can create lampshades in whatever fabric or wallpaper you wish to match your room scheme. However, the main difference is that you can have up to four lampshades underneath to create an original lighting installation for your home.

For further details visit www.needcraft.co.uk.

STRESS BUSTING ARTClairefontaine has released new and inventive products to feed the growing adult crafting trend. Designed specifically for the male market, the new Fine Art Manga paper is available in a variety of sizes. The books have added-value features such as pre-printed scales to help artists draw comic strips, and ultra-smooth paper suited to the traditional Indian ink popular in this niche hobby. Other products sure to be popular with this group of crafters is the edgy tattoo colouring-in books and Kirigami (the traditional Asian art of cutting) books that include techniques for making greeting cards, book marks and general artwork. 

ExaClair is the UK supplier of Clairefontaine. Find out more here, www.exaclair.co.uk.

UNWIND WITH NEEDLECRAFTTaking up cross-stitch is believed to be a relaxing and meditative craft that keeps the mind focused and hands busy. Picking a pretty subject to embroider also helps. Marigolds symbolise loyalty and longevity, and this wonderful colour palette of the flowers contains 18 different colours of woolen/acrylic yarn Safil and uses cross-stitch and half cross-stitch. The kit contains 14-ct linen Aida Zweigart fabric with the finished piece measuring 20cm x 20cm. RIOLIS is distributed by Solocrafts, www.solocrafts.com.

STIR YOUR SENSES Persuade your customers to try their hand at a different craft this year. Natural soap making is a craft that’s becoming increasingly popular. The Soap Kitchen cold process soap making kits are a simple way to get started.

Each kit contains the natural oils and ingredients with the appropriate colour, all measured for ease. There are easy-to-follow instructions, and the kit comes with the mould and siliconised paper to line it. The kit makes around 10 high-quality bars that contain natural glycerine and make great gifts. The Soap Kitchen has a wide range of kits on the website as well as the Rose Geranium shown here.

For more information about the kits, visit The Soap Kitchen’s website www.thesoapkitchen.co.uk.

keep calm and craft

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adult crfating

A GEM OF A CRAFT Crafters who like making pretty things might like to consider taking up jewellery making. Wholesale Beads has some brilliant tools for jewellery makers including the latest ones from Beadalon. The Bracelet Jig Drum is a 3D bracelet jig, which assists in making adjustable bangles. After forming the bracelet shape, use the sizer drums to reduce it to the correct size.

Create new shapes with the Artistic Wire Findings Forms; this patent pending fixed peg jigs allow jewellery makers to create individual findings from 20 to 24 gauges of Artistic Wire and German Style Wire. Each jig makes a consistently sized finding for an earwire, toggle and hook and eye clasp set or a connector.

For more jewellery and bead supplies visit the Wholesale beads website, www.wholesale-beads.eu.

LICENSED FOR ART DMC Creative World and The National Gallery London have collaborated to translate some of the world’s best-loved paintings into stunning needlecraft projects. The 18 exclusive kits contain everything needed to replicate Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Monet’s Water-Lily Pond and Stubbs’ Whistlejacket.

The complete collection includes favourite works by Renoir, Gauguin, Seurat and Bosschaert. Working to The National Gallery’s stringent specifications, each counted cross-stitch kit demanded meticulous colour matching, from the company’s palette of more than 460 shades of DMC Mouline stranded cotton to capture the splendour of the original artwork. The finished pieces have astonishing depth and intensity.

Judith Mather, Buying and Merchandise Director at The National Gallery Company said: “We’re delighted to be working with DMC. The company’s commitment to quality and creativity is ideally suited to The National Gallery licensing programme. To bring works of art like The Skiff by Renoir to a line of needlecraft kits required a partner that had a strong reputation in both manufacture and crafting.”

To request the new catalogue and explore the entire range, retailers should visit www.dmccreative.co.uk.

SEW ENJOYABLE June Tailor has several new tools to help make the sewer’s life easier. The Cut ‘N’ Press board is a portable and functional product that aids accurate cutting, squaring and pressing the smallest of quilting pieces. The first board side has a durable cutting surface, fully equipped with permanent angles and bias lines, while the other side is a cushioned pressing mat with diagonal lines to press and square fabrics without creating seam-edge accents on raised appliqués.

The Shape Cut Pro is perfect for use with a rotary cutter and mat. The ruler features a large size grid to accommodate the full width of fabric. The 2½in slot increments is great for cutting strips for Jelly Rolls. Layer and cut multiple fabrics for a quick cut for workshop projects and kits. The ruler measures 20in x 23in. EQS distributes June Tailor Products across the UK & Ireland, to find out more visit the website: www.eqsuk.com.

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hotspot for craftThe news and trends to look out for from Creativeworld

Creativeworld has developed into a craft hotspot for hobby, crafts and the arts’ essentials, and both hall 4.1 and 4.2 were well occupied this year. Likewise, the exhibitor poll said there was a significant increase in the popularity of the addition hall. Many exhibitors chose to put on demonstrations of new products and techniques on their exhibition stands, which went down really well with visitors.

“The show is a chance for us to present new products, for customers to try them

out, place their orders and make appointments – the interest was

there, the mood was good and we gain a good

reputation,” summised Elisabeth Metiner, Sales Manager for French paint

supplier Pébéo.

CREATIVEWORLD OSCARSThe Creative Impulse Awards for creative personalities and innovative products is also an important part of the fair. It’s the Oscars for the arts and crafts sector and for the 11th year was in cooperation with bit-Verlag publishing company. More than 65 new products entered this year’s competition.

The winners were: Creative Product of the Year – Rayher Hobby with its new cork fabricCreative Tool of the Year – US-based Artograph with the Art ProjectorComplete Set of the Year – Golden Artist Colors with the Golden A-Z Acrylic SetCreative Book of the Year – Christophorus Verlag publishing company with Hamburg Sketch Book

SHOW FACTS AND FIGURES299 exhibitors8,666 visitors from 86 countries The largest proportion of visitors came from the retail trade.The top five visiting nations were the UK, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy.

“My favourite new product was cork fabric. It’s like nothing I’ve seen before and could be such a versatile material for making everything from handbags to children’s shoes. What also pleased me was to see the growing awareness of environmental-friendly materials like vegan leather.”

Julie says...

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show review

THE CREATIVE HANDS AWARDThe search was on for the most attractive headwear design under the motto Hatmaker. The Fair received 30 entries and the award went to Velia Dietz from Stuttgart who won first place for her opulent up-cycled hat of feathers.

CREATIVE CHANGES AHEAD We give a quick update on what happened at the Fair, and what new products are on the horizon for the rest of 2016: Look at products to stock with pattern, surface and formThe Do-it-yourself market continues to grow. New for this year was the move towards more trend-led workshops including Zentangle, textile design, scrapbooking and wrapping to fully embrace the motto of ‘try it yourself’ and away from the classic lectures. Although significantly fewer this time, there were lectures on business subjects including blogging by successful creative blogger Barbara Gray.

The demographic of crafters is changing and attracting younger men and women to the sector. Dr Florian Hawranek, CEO of Kreul pointed out that much is happening in the sector which can be seen on a variety of internet sites. The trend is that people really do want to do-it-for-themselves, and show off their talents to friends and the family.

The Trend Show is always one of the highlights not only for exhibitors but for

visitors too. Alone, this is an important reason to visit the fair because there’s lots of inspiration to be gleaned from the trend.

The trends for this year were Surface, Form and Pattern. Planned by Stilbüro bora.herke.palmisano on behalf of Messe Frankfurt and located in Hall 4.1, the Trend Show invited visitors to experiment with the latest trends at a workstation. For retailers, this was the ideal opportunity to gather ideas and new material suggestions that can subsequently be used within their own shops.

The writing was on the wall Growth in street art was obvious too by the product range of materials, paints and tools shown at Creativeworld. Colart UK showcased its latest Liquitex products. Montana Cans from Germany presented trends and spray paints, and Publikat, also from Germany was there with its Stylefile Marker. Several manufacturers held workshops and demonstrations on their stands. Writing materials have also seen an increase in popularity. C

DIARY DATESCreativeworld 28th - 31st January 2017 Venue: Frankfurt am Main, Germany T: +44 (0)1483 483 983 E: info@uk.messefrankfurt.comW: www.creativeworld.messefrankfurt.com

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SEWING

Make additional sales by stocking craft books alongside other product lines. We review the latest editions to hit the shelves

bookstandPRINTINGBEYOND COTTON By Krista FleckensteinPrice: £19.99 RRPISBN: 978-1-940655-15-4Publisher: Lucky Spool Distributed by Search Press

Beyond Cotton inspires you to go beyond the commercially available fabrics and get your hands dirty. The book encourages crafters to work with new materials such as leather, rivets and industrial-grade felt. It features techniques such as stitching, carving, embellishing or stamping to create an array of personalised pieces from start to finish. With a gorgeous selection of 18 projects including how to create a leather cuff in three ways – stitched, carved and stamped – the author explains how to experiment with dyeing fabrics. The book is filled with other skill-building techniques and inspiration, all from a beginner’s perspective.

We say: “We love this book as it explains what tools and materials you need with clear photos to explain the techniques involved.”

PATTERN MAGIC 3By Tomoko NakamichiPrice: £19.95ISBN: 9781780676944Publisher: Laurence King

Pattern Magic 3 is the long-awaited next edition to the cult Pattern Magic series. Author Tomoko Nakamichi teaches how to shape fabric and produce wonderful 3D sculptural garments. With step-by-step instructions, learn the techniques to create movement within clothing using ruffles, shirring and precise, sharply pleated lines. Like the rest of the series, all the patterns are based on a basic block, which is supplied in the book, plus all the measurements and scaling information you’ll need to start pattern making.

We say: “This book is amazing and a breath of fresh air for more advanced sewers who want to learn fabric manipulation and take their sewing to another level.”

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book reviews

THE CRAFTER’S YEAREdited by Elizabeth YeatesPrice: £14.99 RRPISBN: 9780241248317Publisher: DK

The Crafter’s Year is a wonderful book that’s jam-packed with 80 seasonal projects fro the home and garden. It takes the reader through spring, summer, autumn and winter with crafts to make for each of them. A variety of techniques are used including jewellery making, simple knits, crochet, stencilling and candle making to name a few. Like all DK books, it’s accompanied by simple instructions and step-by-step images to help you along the way. From finger puppets to baking macaroons, this book is a great guide for creating little projects throughout the year.

We say: “We particularly like the tin can cacti planters found on page 75 in the summer section. How lovely these would look on your garden table?”

CRAFTING WITH MASON JARS

By Hester Van OverbeekPrice: £12.99 RRPISBN: 978-1-78249-329-7Published: CICO Books In this book, crafters can follow the author with easy steps to make pretty decorated jars for in or outside the house. Store flowers in the garden or pasta in the kitchen, there’s project ideas for lots of occasions. Create vibrant coloured lids, etched patterns on the glass, memory jars filled with shells or even a drink dispenser for summer garden gatherings. Crafting with Mason Jars includes a handy technique section with everything you need to know to get started.

We say: “This book is amazing for beginner or experienced crafters, and those who love to create chic personalised pieces for gifts or for the house.”

GENERAL CRAFTSBROOCHES 20 CREATIVE PROJECTSBy Corinne AlagillePrice: £9.95ISBN: 978-0-500-51843-4Publisher: Thames & Hudson

This A5-sized hardback book contains 20 little projects to make cute and quirky brooches. The book is clearly laid-out with step-by-step instructions to show the reader how to create pretty jewellery. From contemporary designs to vintage-shaped brooches, there’s something for everyone. What’s wonderful in

each of the brooches featured is that they’ve been made from everyday materials like scrap-metal, left over objects and recycled paper.

We say: “This is a fabulous book for using up craft materials from a simple scrap of fabric to an old pencil that all of us will have lying around.”

Book contactsCICO Books, www.rylandpeters.comDK, www.dk.com/ukLaurence King, www.laurenceking.com Search Press, www.searchpress.comThames & Hudson, www.thamesandhudson.co.uk

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DMC is celebrating 270 years in business. Tell us about the company roots and what has changed?It’s astonishing to think that DMC was founded before the birth of Marie Antoinette. When a journey from London to Edinburgh took 10 days in good weather. But as we celebrate 270 years in business, we’re also reflecting on the core values that have remained unchanged since the company was founded in 1746. Artist Jean-Henri Dollfus pioneered the manufacture of fashionable hand-painted Indian prints in 18th century France, establishing the alliance of art and business which remains at our core. And long before anyone coined the term globalisation,

Dollfus-Mieg & Compagnie began the worldwide export of beautiful European-made textiles that continues today. DMC’s pioneering spirit is evident in our early adoption of technical innovations. DMC was first to bring the benefits of silky, stronger, longer-lasting mercerised cotton to the textile industry. DMC developed the first Mouline Special – the flagship stranded cotton thread for which we remain world-renowned. Our new products continue our tradition of innovation to support customers. Our collaboration with design trailblazers began with Therese de Dillmont whose 1886 Encyclopedia of Ladies’ Handicrafts was widely translated and internationally distributed. Today, we work with some of Europe’s most prestigious fashion houses and art institutions which can be seen in our stunning cross-stitch collection for The National Gallery, which embodies out motto ‘From one fine thread a work of art is born’. We’re proud of our heritage but we continue to focus on the future, constantly interpreting the latest design trends to meet our customers’ demand for exciting new products and bring the joy of stitching to a wider audience. In fact, as we celebrate, we acknowledge the importance of our

customers to our continued success in the maxim ‘Your creativity is our heritage’.

Are you doing anything to mark this special occasion?We can’t reveal too much yet but we’ve got lots of exciting activities planned. Our focus throughout the year is to build on our exceptional heritage and bring DMC to a wider audience. Our stunning new projects will inspire experienced stitchers while simple entry-level activities

encourage novice stitchers to give needlecraft a go. Our brand new stand for CHSI paid tribute to DMC heritage while showcasing our investment in the future. And in our 270th year, we’re stepping up our consumer marketing to support DMC retailers with activity designed to drive customers into their shops.

DMC threads are renowned for their exceptional quality and colour but are these still the company’s key products today? Our understanding of the perfect thread from a stitcher’s perspective is what makes DMC Mouline so popular. We’re proud that the business continues to be recognised as the world’s number one manufacturer of superior quality, six-strand cotton but there’s so much more to DMC. We’ve applied the same in-depth insight into developing superior tapestry wool, specialist crochet cotton and exceptional knitting yarn.

How is the needlecraft sector changing, and which sectors are most popular?We’re seeing the sector become more trend-led with customers curating their inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram then looking for projects to achieve latest catwalk and interiors style. The surge in crochet gathers pace especially among style conscious crocheters who want to put their own spin on the faux handmade products they see in high street stores. These customers appreciate natural fibres and want to choose from the widest colour range to recreate trends and reflect their own personal style. So we’ve increased our focus on crochet, and were delighted to have our efforts recognised when DMC was voted best Knitting/Crochet Manufacturer by UK retailers in 2015. Cross-stitch remains strong and we’re seeing new customers come into the market. Less confident and occasional stitchers are

We talk to newly appointed Chris Sherrard, Marketing Manager for DMC Creative about how the company has grown and adapted to offer quality needlecraft products to millions of stitchers

celebrating 270 years in colour

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looking for simple projects that allow them to express their creativity while practising their needlecraft, and we haven’t forgotten more experienced stitchers.

Can you tell us more about what’s new in DMC crochet? We’ve added a new weight and gorgeous colours to our range of specialist crochet yarns. Like Natura and Natura XL, the new Natura Medium has a smooth texture and firm twist which crocheters tell us make it especially easy to work with. We’ve developed a new collection of Natura Medium patterns which are critical to driving yarn sales and also extended our popular range for Amigurumi fans. These quirky, quick-to-complete characters are perfect for beginners to practice their techniques before progressing to more ambitious projects. The Myboshi website allows creative crocheters to design their own bespoke beanie, before buying materials, pattern books, crochet hooks, fashion-led myboshi yarn and proud maker’s label from their DMC stockist.

And what about exciting new products for cross-stitchers?Custom by Me is a quick and easy way for any up-cycler to personalise clothes,

soft furnishings and accessories in three simple steps; stick, stitch, rinse away. Adhesive designs from pre-printed Magic Sheets can be repositioned multiple times on any fabric then stitched through with vibrantly coloured Custom by Me threads. The Magic Sheet rinses away in warm water to reveal the customised fabric. Simple enough for beginners, it’s also a great way for visually-impaired stitchers to enjoy cross-stitch. DMC Coloris six-stranded cotton allows even a complete novice to achieve the appearance of delicate needlework following the most basic cross stich design. Sharing the same superior quality as our flagship DMC Mouliné, each distinctively striped skein of Coloris has a complete colour change every five centimetres, effortlessly creating intricate new effects. The colourful tapestry kits in our new collection reflect key geometric and graphic floral interior trends. These are quicker to complete than similar sized cross-stitch projects, and designed to appeal to a younger, more affluent audience who may be keen to find a pastime which helps them to practice mindfulness. For more experienced stitchers, DMC has entered into a prestigious partnership with The National Gallery in London to translate some of the art world’s best-loved images into stunning cross-stitch. Each exclusive kit contains everything an art lover needs to accurately capture the splendour of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Monet’s Water-Lily Pond, Stubbs’ Whistlejacket or a favourite work by Renoir, Gauguin, Seurat or Bosschaert. The meticulous matching from our palette of 465 sumptuous Mouline colours lends astonishing depth and intensity to each completed canvas. Finally, DIY Creative Projects are great for anyone new to needlecraft and will inspire more experienced stitchers to try new techniques. From rustic appliqué bunting to a tapestry tablet pouch, from quick and colourful embroidered felt coasters to a contemporary quilted throw, these kits

contain all the materials a customer needs to successfully create pretty and practical home accessories. The robust modern-rustic packaging looks great in any retail environment and can be re-used by clever customers as a gift box for their completed project.

Where can retailers get to see DMC’s product range?We’ll reveal our exciting plans directly to DMC stockists as the year progresses. We’d love to help more retailers benefit from consumer activity designed to inspire new and existing stitchers to try something new from their local DMC stockist. To request the colourful new 2016 catalogue and explore the entire range, retailers should get in touch. C

DMC CreativeT: +44 (0)116 275 4000E: sales@dmccreative.co.ukW: www.dmccreative.co.uk

company profile

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David Fairhurst explains how to guarantee that search engines and your website’s visitors, love you

“It’s probably no surprise to learn that the online

shops which were consistently rated with high feedback scores

were those which gave lots of product information and put

no barriers in the way of a purchase.”

Imagine this scenario. You have a brand new high street shop. All of your shelving and display units are well laid out in the best way to entice customers to browse through your wares. It’s all good so far? Excellent. Now imagine that for 70 per cent of your products, you spray paint over packaging, making details of what’s actually contained in that packaging illegible. No sane retailer would of course do the above; it’d be the death knell for sales and would lead to almost immediate bankruptcy, but sit down and relax for a minute because you might be shocked to learn that many online retailers do exactly this with their websites every day.

Virtual sales person In your bricks and mortar store, you obviously spend a lot of time making sure customer service is at a high level and interaction with

customers is focused on maximising spend. On a website you don’t have the provision of a salesperson to answer potential customer queries and have to rely on product and supplemental information to do all of your selling for you. In effect, the content on product pages has to take on two tasks; that of the product packaging and that of sales person; getting product descriptive information wrong is therefore a massive blunder and will lead to poor sales. Even worse, consider the fact that in an online store, customers aren’t able to touch and see the products you’re offering before purchase; the best we can do on a website is to provide large, detailed images and perhaps some product videos for more technical products. Miss off the images or provide low quality imagery, and conversion rates drop even further than if a description is missing.

What customers really want A recent Which? report on online shopping behaviour highlighted which online shops were regarded as giving the best shopping experience. More importantly, the report laid out exactly why the panel of experts and public thought each experience was good or bad. It’s probably no surprise to learn that the online shops, which were consistently rated with high feedback scores were those which gave lots of product information and put no barriers in the way of a purchase. The leader of the pack here was www.ao.com, specialist in household appliances. AO were praised for bountiful amounts of on-page content including large, clear images, videos and reviews as well as of course full descriptions for each of the products. We can therefore deduce that what online shoppers actually want is as much product

why user experience matters

business advice

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information as possible, laid out in an easy to absorb manner. This gives the online shopper everything they need to know about the product they might potentially be purchasing and makes the possibility of that purchase much higher. Add to this free delivery (with the option of same day delivery in some cases) and you can see why www.ao.com got voted the best online shopping experience.

Take a step back Now that we know what’s needed for a really great online shopping experience, take a step back from your own website and view with the eye of a typical website user. Do your pages give all the information you need as a purchaser? Do you really want to purchase after reading the description and looking at the images? Are your delivery policies enabling potential sales? If the answer is no, then you really have to re-think how products are presented on your website. You really don’t need to spend too much energy here figuring out what you need to do – take a look at what the top websites do and you’ll be on the right track; after all, large companies spend massive amounts of money developing websites and online strategies to make sure online sales move forward; look what these top companies do and then do what you can to mimic these successful websites. Most of all, if you currently have products with poor quality images and descriptions (or even worse, no descriptions and images at all) then do your business a favour and rectify this as soon as you can, because, otherwise, that well-designed website you have won’t be selling anything.

Why people shop online Some traditional retailers bemoan the advent of online shopping, thinking that traditional high street sales are affected because online traders are able to offer lower prices. In some respects this is true. If overheads are lower,

goods can and do get offered at a lower price point. For most online shoppers though, this isn’t the main driving factor of online shopping. Convenience. That’s the keyword here. Online shoppers love the ability to shop when they want and get goods delivered to their door; if those products happen to be substantially lower priced than high street alternatives then this is a bonus. So online shopping is all about convenience, but if the correct information isn’t present on a website then this not only ruins the shopping experience but leads to frustration and loss of sales. In the Which? survey mentioned, customers of the worst offending websites complained about lack of information, products which were grouped in the wrong categories and navigation systems which were difficult to use. A good, fresh website using the latest technology will sort out everything except the content, which is best left to a professional copywriter, in most cases. What’s needed is top quality, focused

text on all category pages, original product-focused text on each product page and a coherent content strategy (interest and article pages, ‘how to’ guides etc.), which will grab attention of both search engines and people, gaining links from other websites and social media over time. Get the content right and I guarantee search engines as well as your website’s visitors will love you – and so will your bank manager. C

David Fairhurst is Head of Creative Online Marketing at Intelligent Retail.David has been involved with search engine optimisation (SEO) and web development since 1999 and has spoken at many different retail and SEO conferences. Contact David on T: +44 (0)845 6800 126 or www.intelligentretail.co.uk.

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Hester van Overbeek creates a summer vase made from scraps of fabrics

Knot two pieces of fabric together to start the yarn. Hold one piece of fabric between your fingers and twist it away from you.

Pull the flat piece away from you and twist it between your fingers, as you did in step 2, then pull it toward you, placing it over the other piece. Continue until you reach the end of one of your pieces of cotton, following the sequence of twisting the fabric and pulling it over the other piece.

Step 3

Pull the twisted piece toward you, taking it over the flat piece of fabric.

Step2

chunky yarn-wrapped vase

Thanks to CICO Books for the reproduction of this project idea. Crafting with Mason Jars by Hester van Overbeek, published by CICO Books (£12.99). Photography by James Gardiner. This book is full of easy steps to make pretty decorated jars for in or outside the house. Create vibrant coloured lids, etched patterns on the glass, memory jars filled with shells or even a drink dispenser for summer garden gatherings. To stock visit www.rylandpeters.com.

Step1

When you reach the end of a length of fabric, add another piece by folding it inside the existing piece. Keep twisting the fabric until your yarn is long enough to cover your chosen jar.

Step4

To attach the yarn to the jar, use the glue gun and apply little dots of hot glue to the jar. Remember that the glue dries quickly so only apply glue to the lower part of the jar to begin with. Press the yarn into the glue and hold it in place for a moment to make sure it adheres correctly.

Continue to wind the yarn around the jar, applying more glue as necessary. When you reach the top of the jar, cover the top rim with yarn to hide all the glass. Cut the yarn and ensure that any loose ends of fabric are firmly glued in place.

MATERIALS NEEDED• 2cm strips (¾in) wide strips of cotton fabric in a variety of lengths

• Fabric scissors• Glass jar• Glue gun

Step6

Step5

TIP: By cutting your fabric strips to different lengths, you will ensure the joins between pieces of fabric do not line up, making for a stronger yarn.

The London Bead Co.www.londonbeadco.co.uk

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Hanah Hand Dyed “Bias-Cut” Silk Ribbons •

Distributors of The Caron Collection,

Threadworx and Thread Gatherer

range of threads and ribbons

339 Kentish Town Road, London NW5 2TJ

0207 267 9403 | orders@londonbeadco.co.uk

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er crafts

A little sunshine and longer daylight is good for the body and soul, and definitely a time for crafting. We look at products with a summery outlook

On the wings of a butterfly Hunkydory Crafts has released Stylish Silhouettes, an all-new papercraft range set to take the crafting world by storm. Never before has such intricate and beautiful elements been so easy to use, thanks to the wonder of lasers. The collection brings incredible designs to the world of papercrafting that can be inked to suit your project, coloured with pens, pencils or watercolours, sparkle added with glue and glitter, or kept white for that classic laser-cut effect. Using the collection, crafters’ projects can be made bespoke as they shape and decoupage the elements or use the elements as stencils to create amazing silhouettes.

The collection is announced as we see a surge in popularity for paper cutting. Create intricate borders and frames, or simply snip your chosen element from the backing sheet, add your choice of finish and then shape for added depth and dimension. Stylish Silhouettes is ideal for card makers and scrapbookers and also for home décor and altered art projects.

Launching with Wishes on Wings and featuring a 48- page project magazine filled with inspirational ideas for using laser-cut shapes, it comes with two exclusive laser cut sheets and double-sided papers worth £9.99. Prices start from £3.50 per sheet (trade). For further information visit the website: www.hunkydorycrafts.co.uk.

shine onBerry delightRIOLIS has just launched two embroidered panel kits, Blackberry and Strawberry in its novelty collection. These embroideries are incredibly lifelike and have been created using soft woollen/acrylic yarn Safil for more common techniques like cross-stitch and half cross-stitch. Some of the 14ct linen Aida Zweigart fabric hasn’t been sewn leaving some of the surface plain, which adds to the charm of these panels. Each finished panel measures 19cm 48 cm. We really like the cute wooden hangers, framing the work at the top and bottom. RIOLIS is distributed by Solocrafts, www.solocrafts.com.

Pretty as a princess Make every little girl’s dreams come true with the latest Riley Blake Collection Princess Dreams. The cute unicorns, princesses and rainbows featured on this fabric make it a must-have. Made up of six patterns in pink, lilac and coral, this is the ideal fabric to create something for a special little girl, from a cute little skirt, cuddly toy or a new bed quilt. EQS distributes Riley Blake Collections exclusively for the UK and Ireland. For further information visit www.eqsuk.com.

Me and my shadow Cyanotype is an antique photographic printing process and has a distinctive rich blue colour. Jacquard’s high-quality cotton sateen fabric comes pre-sensitized for cyanotype and ready-to-use, making sun printing easier than ever before. Just pull the sheet out of the pack, place objects on top, expose to light, rinse and dry and you’ll have a rich, detailed print that reveal itself after being soaked in water.

You can make full-body prints by lying on top of the mural fabric for the duration of the exposure, usually three to 10 minutes. Art Van Go distributes Jacquard products in the UK, www.artvango.co.uk.

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Up-cycling is fun!DMC Creative World has applied the company’s years of textile know-how to launch an exciting new product, which is set to bring the joys of stitching to a whole new audience. Custom by Me! will instantly transform any fabric item you choose into wearable works of art. Easy-to-use adhesive Custom by Me! magic sheets require no ironing and can be repeatedly repositioned before stitching, and rinse away in warm water to leave fabric adorned with a quirky stitched design.

There are 36 A4 magic sheets, which are complemented by specially designed threads in fabulous colours including neon brights and metallics. There’s also a range of co-ordinating high-quality DMC needles and pointed scissors. The kits combine multiple designs on an A5 magic sheet, thread and needle in neat hang packs. The range contains ready-to-customise totes and plimsoll bags, which are all keenly priced to make it even easier for customers to try Custom by Me! To view the complete range, visit DMC’s website: www.dmccreative.co.uk.

Under the sea Fantastic Ribbons has some fun buttons for stitchers, including these quirky wooden creatures of the sea two-hole buttons that will add an element of fun to any summer embellishment project. They retail at £3.21 per 100 making them great value. For more buttons, visit www.fantasticribbonstrade.com.

Beautiful buckles Imagine DIY has just finished re-photographing all its buckles. Buckles are versatile and can be used to slide on to ribbon to add a special touch to wedding stationery or used on a garment belt or in jewellery making. Imagine DIY has a wonderful selection and one of its favourites is the Beatrice Pearl Buckle.

Visit the website for more designs, www.imaginediy.co.uk.

Floral fun in the sun ExaClair is the UK supplier of Decopatch, and the company has released more maché items and perfect papers for the summer season. Very Large tree is the latest standout maché product at more than a metre-and-a-half tall. It comes in parts and can be disassembled and reassembled to help transport to party venues. Other maché items include lizards, flamingos and camels. There’s a handy summer-themed kit, Decopatch Nature, which includes a cute bird hanging ornament, a bird feed box and pretty storage boxes ready to be decorated with soft, pastel-based papers. For further information, visit ExaClair’s website, www.exaclair.co.uk.

HHH Enterprises

Our lockets are perfect to showcase art, found objects, heirlooms and more - they create more than a piece of

jewellery, they showcase a legacy.

Customers all over the world find www.hhhenterprises.com or on Etsy.com HHH Designs and discover a world of

creative components to craft one of a kind legacy jewellery.

Contact: marketing@hhhenterprises.com

Website: www.hhhenterprises.com Etsy.com: HHH Designs

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Garden sculpting Make natural materials weatherproof with Powertex Universal Medium and take crafting into the garden. Whether it’s a garden sculpture, ornamental flowers or revamping an old plant pot – there’s nothing quite like taking some scrap pieces of fabric and a few Powertex products and ending up with something that will be admired by everyone who enters your garden. For information about tutors, products and training opportunities, visit www.powertex.co.uk

Seaside specialsBy The Sea by Karen Carter is a super collection of fun seaside cross-stitch designs. It features four new kits – Beach Huts, Are We There Yet?, Boats and Fish ‘n’ Chips.We particularly like the three gulls enjoying a leftover fish and chip supper. All kits include Zweigart fabric, DMC stranded cottons sorted on to numbered cards, a needle, and clear charts and instructions. Designs measure 20cm x 11cm and are priced at £19.50 RRP. The kits are available from Heritage Craft’s website, www.hcrafts.com.

Fabulous folding Creative Product Distribution has added new packs of origami sheets to the origami range so that crafters can now make the kits in different colours. The sheets come in a selection of best-selling shades in assorted and solid colours. Kits that are ideal for summer origami include Palm Tree, Parrot and Salamander. Visit Creative Product Distribution website: www.creative-distribution.co.uk.

Sand between your toesSandy Toes is a wonderful seasonal papercraft collection from Kaisercrafts. With wonderful colours and images that will put you straight back into relaxation mode and remind you of the beach and far away destinations, this collection will keep the summer holidays coming all year round. Distributed by Jones Crafts at www.jonesnottm.co.uk.

F b l f ldi

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Wax Lyrical Encaustic art is a lovely medium for expressing floral images. Simple dots of colour to indicate flowers can be the first steps in landscape decoration. Foxgloves, poppies and all sorts of flowers can develop with a little observation and looking at those shapes in their simplest forms. Take a photo with your phone and print it out onto absorbent paper and use the stylus to colour over the image, following the perfect colour and shape guidance beneath the applied wax colours. For more information on getting to grips with encaustic art, contact Arts Encaustic at www.encaustic.com.

Fabric flurry The Great British Sewing Bee is about to hit our screens again this year and along with it a surge for fabric. ITS Textile Traders has a wonderful selection of dressmaking fabrics and currently has Liberty Lifestyle Craft Cotton ranges starting at £4 per metre. The company also sells fabulous assorted boxes of print craft cottons with many designer brands included. With approximately 100m per box, the fabrics are amazing value for money and work out at £2.25 per metre. For more information on what’s available visit the website, www.its-sales.co.uk.

How glue will travel!Summer crafting with Glue Dots’ range of adhesives could not be easier as they’re ideal for decorating and personalising countless summer crafting projects. If you’re working outside, it’s hard to beat Glue Dots best-selling handheld dispensers as they’re the ultimate in convenience. They come in a range of six different adhesive formulas including Craft, Mini, Ultra-thin, removable, permanent and poster.

Highly versatile, they’ll glue just about anything you can think of including paper, card, glass, textiles, metal, plastic and wood. Dispensers are one of the company’s fastest selling lines. They fit in the palm of your hand and are perfect for all sorts of crafting. Just press the dispenser onto the surface and pull towards you to dispense the right amount of adhesive for the job. Stylish looking, these pocket-sized dispensers store easily in a drawer, toolbox or handbag.

For orders and new account opportunities please contact distributor, West Design Products at www.westdesignproducts.co.uk.

Summer stitchlets Kits in the Stitchlets range of counted cross-stitch by Mouseloft retail at just £2.29 each, making them ideal summer impulse purchases. Each kit contains everything needed to stitch the design, including clear instructions. All your customer needs is a pair of scissors, making these little kits ideal for taking on holiday, stitching on the train or in a caravan. The Stitchlets range currently comprises around 90 designs giving plenty of choice for all age ranges and abilities. They also make a light-hearted break from a larger, long-term project. New designs include the floral dolphin and pink ice cream shown here, hummingbird, patchwork elephant and a friendly pet rabbit. A point of sale display is available free with a pack of 50 or 100 kits. For more information visit www.mouseloft.co.uk.

Presents a One-Stop Shop for all your Quilling needs

Quilling Handbooks (Beginners, Advanced and Children)

A Comprehensive range of Quilling kits for all ages and abilities, to create pictures, cards, gift boxes and mobiles.

A wide range of Quilling papers

Quilling tools

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Quilling Class Packs

A range of accessories including card and gift box blanks and handmade papers

www.pasttimesquilling.com113a Broadway, Duffield, Belper, Derbyshire, DE56 4BW

Tel No. +44(0)1332 840582 email: info@pasttimesquilling.com

A one-stop shop for all your Quilling products

70 craftfocus

WIN!

ACCESSORIES INCLUDED:� 1 x Diamond Press machine

� 2 x blank folders

� 6 x fashion metal dies

� 8 x word metal dies

� 12 x Nesting metal dies

� 4 x mini fashion metal dies

� 8 x mini stamp and die sets

� 6 x stamp and die sets

� 4 x embossing folder sets

Win one of the latest papercraft machines from Crafter’s Companion – we have two of them to giveaway with complete accessories!

THE PRIZE INCLUDES:The prize includes the machine and the complete die, folder and stamp offering. There will be 51 items in total – Diamond Press machine, two different sized blank folder refills and 48 accessories. Total retail value is £304 and what’s more, we’ve two sets to giveaway!

The Diamond Press mini die-cutting and embossing machine is a brand new tool for crafting on the go! Simple and easy-to-use, this handy gadget is an affordable alternative to other die-cutting and punch systems. It die-cuts and embosses up to 1 ⅞ inch wide and you don't have to play around with lots of different platform combinations - you simply put your die in the cutting folder and away you go! And with a retail price of just £29.99, what's not to love about it!

TO ENTERTo enter the competition, go to www.craftfocus.com, fill in your details and answer thefollowing question:Q. How many embossing folder sets come with each prize?Closing date is 31st May, 2016

on

competition

TERMS AND CONDITIONS1. Competitions are not open to employees of

KD Media Publishing Ltd

(also excludes immediate families)

2. Entrants must be trade and over 18 years old

3. The competition closing date is subject to

change without prior notice

4. The winner will be notified in writing

5. The editor’s decision is final

6. The prize is not transferable and has no

monetary value

7. No purchase necessary, and there is no

charge to enter via the website:

www.craftfocus.com

For more information about paper craft products contact:Crafter’s CompanionT: +44 (0)1388 660 930E: trade@crafterscompanion.co.ukW: www.crafterscompaniontrade.co.uk

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men’s craft

ing

daddy DIYPersuade the guys to give crafting a go and dispel the concept that it’s just for the girls!

We caught up with Thomas Jaenisch and Felix Rohland from MyBoshi to ask them about how they got into their craft:  What made you decide to take up crochet and why you think gender shouldn’t get in the way of taking up a hobby you enjoy?“We were on a skiing-trip in Japan, bored and looking for something to do when a friend showed us how to crochet a beanie hat. At first our craft skills were very amateurish but soon we improved to competition level producing the coolest caps. When we got back home, we started our own crochet business. Friends and family made a joke of it, but we thought: Why not try? Just because, it’s usually a girl thing, no way were we going to let that stop us.” “Our latest development is www.myboshi.net, which is an online marketplace with various instructions and a platform for international designers who want to share their crochet designs with the world. This shows what men can achieve if they are passionate about a particular craft.”

Funky Four Stitching is becoming more and more popular with men, and to fill this demand Solocrafts has four funky new cross-stitch kits from Design Works Crafts, featuring motivational messages in a retro style. All the designs come with 14-count navy Aida fabric, stranded cottons, needle, charted design, and full instructions. The colour scheme and subjects have broad appeal and are a great introduction to this popular craft for both men and women. Each piece measures 5in x 7in, and has a recommended retail price of £13.99.

SolocraftsT: +44 (0)161 464 7313 E: sales@solocrafts.comW: www.solocrafts.com

Power of Sculpting The diversity of the Powertex product range and the possibilities that it gives really appeals to men who see it’s potential from a different perspective to female artists and crafters. Whether using the products to create scenery for model making, sculpting with the clays, adding interesting texture to artwork or shaping fabrics into works of art, the company has found that men bring something totally different to Powertex.

“At shows, the company often spot men stood in the aisles whilst their wives shop, but find they are drawn in as they recognise the possibilities of our products and many end up taking part in a workshop, ” says Tracey Evans, owner.

PowertexT: +44 (0)1527 328 514 E: info@powertex.co.ukW: www.powertex.co.uk

BOOKWORM Books are always a wonderful way to get men interested in crafts and they also make great gifts too.

Art CultPop Art by Thomas Böhler is a colourful book that shows how to achieve this fantastic art style. Pop Art prints are characterised by bold and vibrant images, lending themselves to reproduction and making them perfect for beginners. With advice on everything from choosing the correct materials to using photographs or a real life reference and adding colour and bold design effects. More than just a decorative hobby, this book will inspire you to create one-of-a-kind pop art designs. This book will be available from Search Press in May.

Pop Art By Thomas Böhler Price: £8.99 RRPISBN: 9781782212331Published by Search Press, www.searchpress.com

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Hot Stuff A long time favourite with men is the fantasy imagery so readily accessible through working with encaustic art. The random effects of wax and iron create a multitude of forms, colour blends and interesting detail. These can then be worked into by scraping away colour with a scriber tool or developed by addition of further details using the low heat stylus tool. Castle images are very popular and don’t require much drawing skill at all. Even rubber stamped images of dragons and unicorns can be waxed over with the drawing tip to make the final piece look totally authentic. Arts Encaustic LimitedTel: +44 (0)1239 831 401 E: mail@encaustic.comW: www.encaustic.com

Boy’s Toys Antex has a range of pyrography tools to suit men who’re looking to take up a new craft. The Pyro master kit is ideal for beginners and contains everything to get started. It includes 10 branding, nine freehand drawing and shading tips, as well as a stand, wooden keyring and leather fridge magnet. The kit is priced at £24.98.

The advanced machine – Fire Writer professional kit is perfect for those who would like more of a challenge. The slim pen is comfortable when working and features easy-to-change tips and is priced at £149.99. There is no need for formal training to achieve stunning results, and is an ideal way to create personalised gifts.

Antex Crafts T: +44 (0)1882 613 565 E: sales@antexcraft.co.ukW: www.antexcraft.com

An All Rounder Gorilla Glue has added to its expanding range by introducing an innovative new product; Gorilla Super Glue Brush & Nozzle. Crafters can look forward to a new and exclusive concept that will provide greater accuracy and versatility for all applications with its dual application offering. Traditional super glues on the market have a nozzle but with this new product development from Gorilla Glue, users now have a choice with two dispensing methods from the one tube, which is a key point of difference.

The product includes the same impact-strength of Gorilla Super Glue formula, reinforced with rubber particles, commanding the heavy-duty strength properties that are synonymous with the Gorilla Glue brand. Use it for home improvements, woodwork and modeling making. Gorilla Super Glue Brush & Nozzle retails at £6.99. If you’d like to stock Gorilla Super Glue Brush & Nozzle contact the company below.

Gorilla Glue T: +44 (0)1257 241 319 E: eusales@gorillaglue.comW: uk.gorillaglue.com

daddy DIY

The Upholstery Studio, Inc. N. 800-433-7440

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Ottomans

Staple Remover

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upholstery instructions, videos, tools and kits

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man-madeProducts for making Father’s Day special

Cards for men It’s coming up to that time of year again when most paper crafters turn the thoughts to cards for men, not always the easiest to make for. However, the number of male crafters is growing year on year and that has got to be good for us all. Woodware’s latest release in the Francoise Collection designed by Francoise Read has several stamps suitable for the men in our lives. Woodware’s ever-popular Just Words Tiddlers are perfect for any occasion and even cover words for grand and great-grandfather!

Woodware Craft Collection T: +44 (0)1756 700 024E: sales@woodware.co.ukW: www.woodware.co.uk

Train enthusiastsRIOLIS is celebrating 20 years of making some of the best needlecraft kits on the market today. And you can almost hear the Rattle of Wheels from its stunning new embellished cross-stitch design. This could be stitched as a special Father’s Day present, or even given in kit form to introduce this great pastime to a dad! The kit comes with 14 count printed aida, and the train is stitched, giving a 3D effect upon completion. The kit uses Anchor stranded cottons, and contains a large-scale colour chart, needle and full stitching instructions. The finished piece measures 30cm x 40cm and has a recommended retail price of £50.99. 

For more information or to order, please contact Solocrafts on 0161 464 7313 or email sales@solocrafts.com 

Anyone for golf?Heritage Crafts has two new golfing cross-stitch designs by John Clayton to its offering. Adding to the popular Sporting Scenes range, John has captured the feel of a relaxing round of golf on a summer’s evening.  Golfer – Bunker is a humorous look at the unfortunate golfer who redeems his poor tee shot with a perfectly struck sand wedge while in Golfer – Fairway, the golfer watches with satisfaction as his ball flies straight and true to the green.  Both kits feature Zweigart fabric, DMC stranded cottons sorted on to numbered cards, a needle, and clear charts and instructions. 

Heritage Crafts T: +44 (0)1889 575 328 E: enquiries@hcrafts.comW: www.hcrafts.com

daddy DIY

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When did the business start and how did you become involved?My great great grandfather started the business more than 150 years ago and it was never my intention to be part of the family business – I went to university to study economic history. However, I’ve always loved drawing and was interested in product design but it wasn’t until later that I went to The Royal College of Art to study Design Management and Marketing.

Here, I learned to work on live projects and this gave me the oportunity to work with some wonderful designers. I considered lots of jobs including working as a jeweller – my mother was a silversmith but I inherited my father’s talent for being able to sell so I joined the family business and started promoting the company’s printed cotton fabrics.

How has the company changed over the years?Most well-established businesses especially textile companies go through a series of high and low periods with trends and sewing come in and out of fashion. The business was a general merchandishing company when I first joined.

At first, the company specialised in bridal and occasionwear fabrics. Bridalwear fabrics became very competitive with the arrival of inexpensive readymade dresses from the Far East. I finally took over the business in 1999 and knew that we needed to create our own USP. I started to develop our own exclusive range of copyright fabrics.

Can you tell us some more about the INPRINT exclusive collection?It’s proving to be a shrewd decision and the collection is becoming well-known for its quirky designs. The collection has a real British feel to it with designs including the English wildlife, riverbank and seaside. These are particulalry selling well to fabric shops where retails can cash in on the revival of the home sewing market. All fabrics within this collection have been beautifully drawn and printed. It’s been a real team effort getting this just right. We prefer not to print other people’s designs and this is where our strength lies with one-of-a-kind prints.

We talk to Jane Makower from Jane Makower Fabrics about the brand and how it’s changed over the years

penchant for prints

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How do the designs for the collection come about?I’ve spent the last five years building up the studio and bringing in some young new designers on a part-time basis. It doesn’t make sense to employ designers full-time as although this is an expensive process, it does only takes up to two months and a fraction of the year. We’re always on the look out for talented designers and work with many students that have just left art colleges and want to learn hands on experience of the industry – it’s a two-way relationship and works well.

How many new designs can we expect to see from the collection?We now create betwen 60 and 70 prints a season, which we stock in bulk. Customers like to hear about the designs they’re buying so we encourage all our designers to talk about their designs to customers. It makes good busines sense for everyone to get involved. Sales have increased and one third of the company’s business comes from its copyright cotton prints which are designed in London. Our cotton print collections include this season’s African Sun, Indian Spice Market, Gymkhana and Cyclists and the Queen’s 90th

Birthday. They can all be seen on our website www.makower.co.uk under ‘Cotton Prints.’ Each of these collections has been made into a project - see projects on the website with easy to follow instructions which can be downloaded by individual enthusiasts and teachers.

What other fabrics ranges do you have?We also have a volume plain fabric business which includes longstanding partnerships with large companies like the John Lewis Partnership.

What drives you and the business?I’ve a real passion for fabric and I’m an active memeber of The Draper’s Company – one

of the 12 great London livery companies. Founded more than 600 years ago, this charitable organisation addresses contemproary issue within the industry.

In 2019/2020, my role as ‘Master Draper’ will take up a considerable amount of my time but the day-to-day running of the Makower business will be in the hands of a much-capable team who are aspasionate about the business as I am.

Do you think home sewing has seen a revival in the last few years?Most definitely. Sewing at home is no longer associated with thrift and home sewing alongside baking, painting and pottery, has become even more popular thanks to supporting TV shows. The next series of The Great British Sewing Bee, begins on BBC2 in May. The revival in interest is certainly helping to boost business for retail fabric shops. Prints like our African design will be featuring in retail fabric shops across the country to tap into the renaissance of the home made, the bespoke and the individual one off.

Jane Makower FabricsT: +44 (0)1491 412 391E: fabrics@makower.co.ukW: www.makower.co.uk

company profile

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C

ap

plic

raft

www.applicraft.co.uk

Quality foils for transfer on to textiles, acrylic, wood, paper, glass and more...

Use with foil glue, appliglue, double sided tape, and glue dots amongst others

Visit applicraft.co.uk for inspiration and ideasgreat results from quality products

textile foils by the metre

textile foil craft packs

A4 & A5 textile foils

mini textile foil packs

craft packsappliglue craqueluretextile foils decoupage

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be creative with stationery We round up what to expect at this year’s London Stationery Show and what it has in store for craft retailers

Craft retailers will have plenty to see at the London Stationery Show in April. The show continues to grow and attract a great mix of suppliers and brands offering a wide selection of children’s and creative stationery, art and craft, fun novelty accessories, stylish storage, paper products and writing instruments. The exhibition’s combination of top brands and suppliers such as Daler Rowney, Caran d’Ache, Faber-Castell, Glue Dots, West Design, Craft & Stationery UK, Brian Clegg, Edding, ExaClair, Staedtler, uni-ball and Stabilo and new entrants to the UK market from Europe and beyond, make it the ideal event to visit to get a speedy overview of what’s hot and on trend

in stationery, spot complementary products and discover what consumers will be looking for in the run up to Christmas and into 2017. Understanding what makes a pen wonderful to use or wanting a beautiful notebook and pads to record projects in, craft visitors will find the London Stationery Show full of great products for their customers, all in one place. Moreover, all retailers recognise that beautiful, functional products make perfect gifts, and it’s the close connection between catwalk fashion trends and their immediate transition to fabulous designs on notebooks, calendars, pens and pencils, desk accessories and organisers that earns

stationery its shelf space – simply put, a good selection of stationery offers retailers a cost-effective way of staying on trend and adding colour and style to their product offer.

Join in and benefit from National Stationery WeekThe London Stationery Show is the trade part of the consumer driven National Stationery Week and offers retailers a fantastic opportunity to also get involved with the ‘Writing Matters’ campaign that aims to keep Britain, including children, writing. “We’re very keen to see more craft shops making the most of the publicity this event generates, and contributing their own ideas,” says Chris.

National Stationery Week is now in its fifth year. Last year’s campaign generated millions of pounds worth of media coverage and additional retail sales, reaching more than 20 million consumers with the message that writing by hand is important and plays a vital part in personal communications.

From a craft shop’s perspective it’s a great opportunity to promote and sell design-led social and gift stationery, and lots of stylish and fun writing products. National Stationery Week provides all the marketing tools a shop needs to get involved online, so it’s easy to benefit from the tremendous publicity boost that stationery receives during the week.

FACT FILE The London Stationery Show 26th – 27th April, 2016 Business Design Centre, Islington Open times: Tuesday 9.30am – 5pm, Wednesday 9.30am – 4pm.www.stationeryshow.co.uk

To find out more about National Stationery Week, which runs from 25th April - 1st May 2016, visit www.nationalstationeryweek.com and for details on World Stationery Day go to www.worldstationeryday.com.

“The craft sector has a positive influence on the wider stationery market. Craft retailers are incredibly

adept at encouraging hands-on activity with their customers, and this has a positive effect on interest in

the wider stationery market,” says Event Director Chris Leonard-Morgan.

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Non-stop learning The show doesn’t just offer visitors the largest selection of paper and writing products, suppliers and brands under one roof – it also hosts the Stationery Awards and puts together a series of quick-fire industry presentations designed to help busy retailers gain a wider understanding of the stationery sector, the trends, its future and the opportunities it represents.

The first stop, literally as you enter the exhibition, is a display of all the entries for the Stationery Awards. Judged by a panel of leading buyers from all types of retail, the results are announced at the end of the first day, and the entrance display updated overnight to highlight the winning products.

“It’s rare to see such a large collection of products in one place and incredibly useful to browse through. Every year our judges go away with a list of things to follow up on that they’ve never seen before, or might not have considered previously,” reveals Chris.

Secondly, the exhibition runs a short programme of industry talks to celebrate World Stationery Day, which launched last year.

“The success of National Stationery Week generated enquiries from all over the world about running similar campaigns, so we introduced World Stationery Day – this year it is on Wednesday, 27th April – in recognition of this. Last year, we had visitors from Australia,

South Africa, New Zealand and America at the show, who took the ‘Writing Matters’ concept back to their own customers and countries,” explains Chris.

This year’s programme will include a keynote address from a leading retailer (last year it was Paperchase), an industry performance review by a leading market

research company and a presentation by trend forecasters Scarlet Opus, who’ll cover what consumers will be looking for this Christmas and on into spring/summer 2017.

“Meeting the people behind the brands and products and being able to discuss their thinking and business is as vital as seeing the products themselves,” says Chris. “In the same way that writing by hand has its place in this increasingly digital age, meeting face to face still has a hugely valuable role to play in social networking and doing business.”

Products, people, planningSo whatever your priority – new products, new suppliers, new ideas – the London Stationery Show has plenty for everyone to discover and enjoy:

A comprehensive stationery supplier line-up of any UK trade show, two thirds of whom don’t exhibit anywhere else.

An amazing array of fabulous, colourful, funky, stylish and gorgeous products to satisfy every stationery addict.

The opportunity to listen and talk to many of the stationery industry’s leading companies – not just in the presentations, but in every aisle at the show.

be creative with stationery

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Manuscript Pen Company Stand M315 Manuscript has added some exciting items to its Callicreative range – The StyluScript Pen is a calligraphy pen and stylus for tablets, which comes with a free Calligraphy App and the 10 duo-tip markers set that’s perfect for creative lettering and doodling.

Staedtler UK Stand M541 Staedtler is celebrating its 50th anniversary in the UK. The company is presenting its best-selling writing instruments, exciting promotional plans and new display concept as well as sharing a celebratory glass of Champagne with visitors. The company recently unveiled plans to give its revolutionary Noris colour colouring pencil a tremendous promotional boost with a carefully targeted cinema advertising campaign. Aimed at parents and children, two concentrated bursts are scheduled for Easter and summer holidays to tie in with major film releases and seasonal buying peaks. The Noris colour was launched last year, and is the company’s reinvention of the colouring pencil using ground breaking, eco-friendly manufacturing processes to produce a superior pencil that has improved lead strength, intense colour and a tactile surface.

The partnership is with artist Johanna Basford, whose adult colouring books have topped the best-sellers lists features on the promotional packs of colouring pencils and Triplus fineliners and fibre-tips.

Pomegranate Europe Stand M340 Pomegranate’s mission is to invigorate, illuminate, and inspire through art. This has driven the company to find the most inspiring art and publish it across a wide range of high-quality formats from colouring books to jigsaw puzzles. Visitors to the show will be able to see the new lines including the stunning new adult colouring books featuring intricate and detailed artwork by Tim Jeffs, Doug Harrington and Ernst Haeckel. Carefully reproduced in ready-to-colour form, these new hardback colouring books give colourers of all ages a less restrained, more artistic medium on which to express themselves. Jakar International Stand M620Jakar will be showcasing the re-launched flexible curves in a grey colour, four sizes of blistercard, as well as five sets of new poster colours, glitter, fluorescent, metallic, acrylic and popular colours in chain packaging. Also on display will be the new Caran d’Ache products including the presentation set of Zebra fluorescent pencils, the Esprit des Alpes discovery set, which includes an adult colouring book, five Supracolor pencils and a blender plus the 2mm Fixpencil by the Swiss Architect Mario Botta comes in a stylish hexagonal box and limited edition Matterhorn red crank pencil-sharpening machine in a presentation metal box. ExaClairStand M501Exaclair has a diverse and eclectic range to offer and is the UK supplier of Clairefontaine, Rhodia, Exactive, Europa, Iderama, J Herbin

and G Lalo. Kevin Wharton, Marketing Manager at ExaClair, says a great deal of thought has gone into this year’s stand. “It has been designed to not only showcase the latest styles and innovations in ExaClair’s brands, but also to demonstrate the value-add products ranges that fit well within stationery stores, but sometimes sit outside traditional stationer portfolios.

Decopatch, the papercrafting brand, is the sort of product range that visitors might not expect to see at the show. Using compact merchandising, the company will show that with limited initial investment, retailers can diversify their product portfolio with exciting products that lend themselves to both impulse and destination buys.   Glue DotsStand: M530Glue Dots International is showcasing its ever-expanding retail range at this year’s show. Glue Dots want to encourage product trial so, the company will be offering great counter and floor standing display units with up to 65 per cent off the normal RRP. The displays hold a range of the best-selling hand-held dispensers in a choice of adhesive formulas including: Permanent, Removable and Poster. Glue Dots now has 30 products that cover three specialist ranges including stationery, craft and DIY. There’s also a choice of three adhesive formats: dispensers, sheets and rolls as well as a range of adhesive strengths and sizes. Glue Dots offer a new way to glue with high quality, double-sided adhesive, which bonds instantly - no mess, no fuss and no drying time. Non-toxic, acid free and can be used on wide range of surfaces including paper, card, glass, wood, plastic, metal and foam, which makes them ideal for a wide range of crafts.

EXHIBITOR’S PROFILE

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Club Green has a fantastic mix of products to make your customer’s celebrations truly handmade including a wonderful selection of items for the current DIY wedding trend. In addition, the company also has an assortment of items for Valentine’s Day, Easter, Christmas and Halloween, as well as for special occasions including parties, and baby showers. From big and bold, pastels and neutrals, there are innovative products for everyone including ribbons, gift tags, cake boxes, buntings, garlands,

trimmings and more.

www.clubgreen.comTel: +44 (0)1483 281313

Email: sales@clubgreen.com

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creative stationery

The power of the pen is back. We take a look at why handwriting and colouring continue to be enjoyable experiences for crafters

pen to paperCalligraphy alive and kickingChiaro Perano is the founder of Lamplighter London studio, which specialises in modern and decorative calligraphy and illustration. She spends her days creating digital and hand drawn lettering and design for clients for use on stationery, installations, advertising and events.

Nib + Ink – The New Art of Modern Calligraphy is her latest book and is a playful insight into the popular craft of modern calligraphy, beautifully illustrated with step-by-step instructions and one-of-a-kind project ideas. This book will reignite a connection with writing and help people discover exciting, creative and interesting ways to develop their own original style of modern calligraphy.

Printed on luxurious paper and with room to practice letters and ideas on the pages, readers can play with type, get creative with letterforms and grasp calligraphy basics by following tips, techniques and easy instructions. Nib + Ink will help those who want to design all sorts of different projects from beautiful invitations and gorgeous stationery to chalkboards and framed quotes.

Nib + Ink – The New Art of Modern CalligraphyBy Chiaro PeranoPriced at £12.99 (trade) ISBN: 978 0753557280Published by Virgin Books

We asked Chiaro Perano, from Lamplighter London, how important is handwriting in the digital world?“I think people have realised that handwriting contains personality, and that there’s infinitely more value in it than in something typed. Imagine getting a birthday card from your best friend. The tail of the ‘y’ in birthday flicks and loops round in an expressive way, and you can tell they had fun writing it. And because of that, you may well keep it forever! And I believe this is the reason for the revival in the art – it’s a valuable form of human expression. Typing is convenient, yes, but handwriting is a lot more than just words. I hope my book will be appreciated by designers, stylish crafters and lovers of beautiful stationery.”

“Calligraphy as a visual art is having a huge resurgence. In an age of machine-made uniformity, there’s a renewed modern

appreciation for handwriting. It’s a subject that is actually coming up more and more at the moment, with schools

going so far as to debate whether to teach handwriting at all anymore, and to replace it with typing lessons. I’m happy to

say that we’re seeing a huge surge in demand for handwritten artwork and calligraphy on envelopes,”

says Chiara Perano from Lamplighter London

Written in gold and silverJacquard’s Pearl Ex Metallic calligraphy set is the perfect starter for those interested in getting back to handwriting. The set contains three jars of Gum Arabic and nine jars of Pearl Ex plus instructions on how to mix the ingredients to make a wonderful ink to write with.

It’s a simple process and the recipe for a good ink is four parts Pearle Ex pigment to one-part Gum Arabic. Stir and mix together before adding one teaspoon of water and continue stirring. The benefits of using Pearl Ex is that you can add as much or as less water as you like for thinner and thicker inks. It also mixes up really smoothly.

Use with a nib to and when dry, it has a wonderful shimmer. It’s perfect for handmade cards, scrapbooking or letter writing.

Jacquard products are distributed in the UK by Art Van Go T: +44 (0)1438 814 946 E: art@artvango.co.ukW: www.artvango.co.uk

designed by Joi Hunt

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pen to paper

Multi-technique art padsExaClair has added to Clairefontaine’s Fine Art collection with its new Paint On multi-technique pads. The range’s 250gsm paper is suitable for acrylic painting, gouache ink, dry or oil pastels, collages and dry techniques. The pads are available in sizes: A2, A3, A4 and A5 and come in either white or natural sandy colours.

 “These multi-media pads are a very clever and affordable way for budding artists to delve into a wide range of mediums without having to buy a pad for every type,” says Nick Parry, Head of Art and Craft at ExaClair.

ExaClairT: +44 (0)1553 696 600 E: enquiries@exacalir.co.ukW: www.exaclair.co.uk

Premium colouring Following on from the adult colouring craze and taking it up a notch, Caran d’Ache has released a high-quality colouring book for enthusiasts which features a ring binder finish for easy page turning. The book also comes with a giant poster in the back, which can be coloured and proudly displayed. To accompany the book, there’s also a series of superior quality 12 watercolour acid-free postcards. The book retails at £24.99 and the postcards at £9.99. Both are distributed by Jakar International and will be showcased at the London Stationery Show.

Jakar InternationalT: +44 (0)20 8381 7000 E: info@jakar.co.ukW: www.jakar.co.uk

In technicolour AquaBlend by Spectrum Noir pencils collection is available to order now from Crafter’s Companion. AquaBlend is a superb range of watercolour pencils that are perfect for colouring, sketching and illustration. Whether you’re a beginner, a hobbyist or a professional artist, each pencil is fully loaded with pure artist’s grade pigment, allowing for flawless colour laydown. The pencils are encased in matte coated Californian cedar wood and have all the advantages of premium artit’s watercolours using the purest high pigments. There are four sets to choose from Primaries, Essentials, Naturals and Florals and each set retails at £29.99.

Crafter’s Companion T: +44 (0)1388 660 930 E: trade@crafterscompanion.co.ukW: www.crafterscompaniontrade.co.uk

e - crafts.co.ukSuppliers of Card Making, Scrapbooking, Craft and Bridal Supplies

Suppliers of

sales@e-crafts.co.uk | 01384 230000

Craft and Bridal SuppliesCard MakingScrapbooking

Card EmbellishmentsFloral Products

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The art of colouring and tangling Crafters are talking about Zentangle and this trend is fast becoming hugely popular. It’s a drawing technique that brings meditative relaxation and emotional balance into everyday lives. Starting off with just a few strokes, these are built up, little by little, turning into patterns (tangles) which, when joined together, result in a small work of art. It’s possible to create beautiful images on paper using fine-tipped black pens – and by choosing the appropriate edding products, they can also be applied to many other different materials and surfaces. The edding Tangle Outline Set contains three black precision fineliners in a choice of stroke widths suitable for light-coloured paper, plus a silver edding gel roller for dark paper. With its flexible brush tip, the brushpen can be used to colour in either the finished patterns or pre-drawn colouring pictures. The new edding Tangle Colouring Set comes with ten vibrant colours. Both sets contain detailed instructions to help you get started. For more information about the ranges visit the edding website: www.edding.co.uk.

Glowing metallics Gansai Tambi Starry Colors is the latest product from Kuretake, which represents the highest quality of Japanese watercolours. Starry Colors is a set of six colours making up a lovely range of metallic shades, perfect for adding some luminous effects to illustrations, letters, landscapes, cards, and many other craft projects. The watercolours can be used with a Menso brush or with a nib. The traditional Japanese watercolours are designed for those keen on handicrafts as well as for professional artists. They’re non-toxic, water-based pigments and acid-free. The new line of Starry Colors is available within Kuretake’s popular Gansai Tambi range. For more information visit the website www.kuretake.co.uk.

We asked Chris Leonard-Morgan, Events Manager for the London Stationery Show and National Stationery Week initiatives, does writing really matter?“As Mark Twain might have said, tales of the death of writing (and drawing) by hand are greatly exaggerated! At least, they are in the area of personal communication and recreation. Being able to write by hand in 2016 isn’t only as useful and important as ever, but it’s also becoming increasingly fashionable to do so – stationery is hot and writing is cool, as more and more people come out and declare that ‘writing matters’. The plethora of ever-changing stylish and fashionable writing and paper products have much to do with this, I believe. What’s not to like? They’re a positive encouragement to get and keep writing, and who would have thought that we would ever see colouring books become so popular with adults? The future is bright – literally.”

Get behind the campaign between 25th April and 1st May to prove writing matters, www.nationalstationeryweek.com

pen to paper

r/o 31 Commercial Road, Edmonton, London N18 1TPTel: 0208 884 0999 Fax: 0208 884 4666 Email: mcourtsltd@btconnect.com

www.mcourts.co.uk /mcourtsltd

Wholesale Haberdashery SuppliersOur huge range includes

Beads, Trimmings, Lace, Buttons,

Ribbon, Sequins, Diamantes,

Motifs, Zips, Cords, Thread, Masks,

Feathers, Flowers, Bridal,

Lingerie Accessories, Craft,

Haberdashery, and much, much more.

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fun with soft craftsToy-making is having a renaissance, and it’s the perfect way for beginners of any craft to start creating. We checked out some of the latest products in this sector

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YARNS THAT ARE A HIT WITH TOY MAKERS Toy making is proving to be a huge hit in the knitting and crochet market, and Cygnet Yarns has commissioned many crochet and knitted toy patterns in the last 12 months due to this demand.

Pato Value DK is the new and improved value double knit yarn with 26 shades in the range, and is proving to be a big success for toy makers. Its affordable price tag and hardwearing quality makes the yarn a top pick for this craft. Cygnet DK also lends itself to quality toy making due to its robust characteristic and array of 46 colours to choose from. The broad spectrum of available colours in both ranges include vivid shades of bright pink, orange, aqua and pastel shades including peach, candy and lemon giving crafters a large assortment of colours suitable for a mixture of projects. The range has shades perfect for dolls faces, brights for striking toys and pastels that are ideal nursery additions.

Cygnet Yarns T: +44 (0)1274 743 374 E: sales@cygnetyarns.comW: www.cygnetyarns.com

LET IT GO AND CROCHET Disney’s Frozen crochet kits are available in four characters including Olaf the Snowman, Sven the Reindeer, Princesses Elsa and Anna. Each kit comes with step-by-step instructions, useful photos and helpful tips, which makes the kits ideal for novice crocheters too. The kit contains yarn, needle, crochet hook, stuffing and accessories – pretty much everything you need to complete your Frozen crochet toy. These make perfect gifts and are ideal for those Frozen fans. Collect the set and recreate the movie magic at home.

And for those who really love the Frozen theme, the company also sells Puccie, designer knitting kits for dogs.

S E SimonsT: +44 (0)117 955 4710E: sales@sesimons.co.ukW: www.sesimons.co.uk

THERE’S A MOUSE IN THE HOUSE 14 Days a week patterns consists of a French-design collection of softdoll patterns starring the cute little mouse Hortense. The company uses the popular National Nonwovens and versatile Woolfelt. This little mouse measures 48cm (19in) high and can be dressed in a variety outfits. Currently, there are four patterns available in the UK from its distributor Hantex – Hortense The Mouse And Her Undies, Hortense The Mouse Blizzard Outfit, Hortense The Mouse Gardening Outfit and Hortense The Mouse Summer Outfit. These retail for under £10, which make them excellent value for stitchers.

14 Days a week is distributed in the UK by HantexT: +44 (0)1754 820 800 E: sales@hantex.co.ukW: www.hantex.co.uk

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fun with soft crafts

DOLL PHENOMENON Not a stuffed animal but a well-dressed doll. With the reinvention of the iconic Barbie doll, who is now available in several different body types, sewers will be looking to make clothes for the 29cm doll.

Simplicity does a range of sewing patterns for this doll size including Simplicity 1242, which contains a collection of vintage-inspired garments. Another pattern to consider stocking is Simplicity 1234 which includes Disney’s Frozen outfits including coronation gowns for Elsa and Anna, capes and day dresses. The doll patterns retail at £5.65.

Simplicity T: +44 (0)161 480 8734 E: uk.sales@simplicity.com W: www.simplicitynewlook.com

KNIT & PIECESS E Simons has announced that it has taken over sole distribution of the Sandra Polley range of knitting patterns, branded Knits & Pieces. The company has been established as a wholesaler of knitting products, haberdashery and ribbon for more than 30 years making them a perfect match with Sandra Polley.

The Knits & Pieces designs include a series of wonderful animal, toy and teddy patterns for all knitting levels from miniature dolls, cute puppies to classic teddies and fetching dog garments. The easy-to-follow instructions and clear illustrations allow the user to create a superb knitted project. Sandra Polley has always been involved with crafts and in particular likes to create little characters from scraps of yarn.

S E SimonsT: +44 (0)117 955 4710E: sales@sesimons.co.ukW: www.sesimons.co.uk

HEIRLOOM DOLLS Alice’s Bear Shop has a wonderful collection of heirloom ragdoll making kits. These traditional calico doll making kits come in a Kraft box with extensive instructions, so even novice sewers can have a go. Each kit contains all of the fabrics, wool, filling, trimmings, outfit and handmade English glass eyes for the older doll lover.

There’s a real emphasis on creativity and recycling with each kit and includes patterns, layouts, measurements to encourage re-use and creativity. Rita is the latest gypsy doll to be added to the collection and would make a great gift already made or given as a kit.

Alice’s Bear ShopT: +44 (0)1297 444 589 E: info@alicesbearshopuk.comW: www.alicesbearshopuk.com

TSTTTSTTTS TSTaylorsSupplies0161 834 0329

Adhesives, glues, all essentials range, all sewing essentials, arts & crafts, beads & jewellery accessories, bias bindings, bits and bobs for crafting, bows and ribbon flowers, bridal, buttons, card craft, care and repair, clothing trimmings, dance accessories, crochet hooks and

yarn, curtain tapes, dress making papers, dress shields, dylon dyes and accessories, elastics, ambroidery, tapestry, aida, eyelets, fabric marker pens and chalk, feathers, fabric, fasening clips, felt, fibre filling and wadding (toy fill), glitter, furnishing, hand sewing needles, hemming and fusible webs, hook fasteners, hook & loop (velcro), interfacing, knitting patterns, knitting pinks & accessories, kitting yarns, knitting yarn robin collection, lace & trimmings, lingerie accessories, machine bobbin (spools), machine embroider threads, machine needles, machine sewing accesories, packaging, patchwork & quilting, pins and safety pins, piping cords, ribbon & double

satin, ribbons fancy, rotary cutters & matts, scissors, sequins spangles card embelishments, sewing aids, sewing threads, sewing travel kits, tapes webbings, tape measures & rules, thimbles, threaders & accesories, toys & accesories, zips...

www.taylors-supplies.co.ukinfo@taylors-supplies.co.uk

& many more fantastic wholesale products!

Taylors Supplies Taylors Supplies

Taylors Supplies Haberdashery wholesale, Augustus Street, off Empire Street, Cheethamhill, Manchester, Greater Manchester M3 1HZ

New Boho Spirit

For trade and wholesale information

Tel: 01274 743374Email: sales@cygnetyarns.com

www.cygnetyarns.com

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united craft frontWe look back to see how the CHA Mega Show, that took place earlier in the year, brought the craft industry together

Thousands of creative product buyers from chain and independent retailers, as well as distributors, attended the 75th anniversary of the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) Mega Conference & Trade Show that took place back in January at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.  

“This year’s CHA Mega Show succeeded in bringing the entire

creative products industry together to learn, connect and discover new trends. Plus a series of innovative ideas that would help businesses grow and provide customers with

the right products, techniques and materials to express themselves creatively,” said Mark Hill, newly

announced President and CEO of the CHA.

WHAT THE SHOW HAD TO OFFER Trend information The CHA Mega Show was a hotbed for what’s trending in the industry, kicking off with a

wonderful keynote address by international forecaster, Philip Fimmano of Trend Union and Edelkoort. To a standing-room-only crowd, he shared eight archetypes of a

consumer and also provided insights into the mindset of millennials, who are seeking out handmade products and hands-on hobbies. “They want more and more customisation on what they buy and input in the making process,” said Mr. Fimmano.

CHA’s Designer Committee also presented a showcase representing what’s currently trending now with 3D portfolio displays of current trends in colours and motifs, handcrafted home décor, renegade crafts, jewellery art and more. Other show floor destinations included the New Exhibitor area, with more than 100 companies participating including some first-time manufacturers, toy, children’s crafts, papers and paint suppliers.

As the creative classroom of the industry, the Conference Programme was well attended with 213 total educational programmes, of which 51 were sold out. The conference included workshops, business seminars, and demonstrations that provided on-point knowledge and education for craft retailers, distributors, creative professionals and designers that would help them to grow their businesses and strengthen their skills.       

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show review

NEW FOR THIS YEAR This year, the show played host to a group of companies from the Netherlands who exhibited in the Dutch Pavilion representing the charm of this country’s crafts.

The Art & Paint Pavilion – sponsored by the Society of Decorative Painters – included hands-on make ‘n’take painting classes for attendees. 

Celebrities and social media stars who love to craft included Sondra Celli of TLC’s My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, Julie Fei Fan Balzer, Rebekah Meier, Tim Holtz and Sizzix’s surprise guest David Tutera, drew large crowds to exhibitor booths and led live demonstrations of new creative art trends and techniques.

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FACTS & FIGURES3,972 visitors attended the show370 exhibitors67 countries represented12,000 new products

show review

HOT PRODUCT WINNERS The CHA Hot Product Showcase – a show highlight – featured 21 hot product finalists in eight categories along with new-to-market innovations from exhibitors.  The winners represented an array of products that appealed to experienced crafters as well as those learning a new craft or DIY skills.

DIARY DATE FOR NEXT YEAR CHA Mega Show 19th – 23rd January, 2017 For 2017, the CHA Mega show moves to the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona, and will take place 19th – 23rd January. For exhibiting information contact: Andrew Morton at amorton@craftandhobby.org. For international inquiries or further information about the show visit: www.chamegashow.org.

THE WINNERS THIS YEAR WERE:Bead & Jewellery – Bangle Bracelet Weaver Too by Kleshna for Beadalon

Cake & Food Decorating – PenBlade Craft Knife by PenBlade Inc

Fabric & Needle Crafts – 8in Tabletop offset Scissors from Fiskars

Floral Crafts – PenBlade Craft Knife by PenBlade Inc

General Crafts – Bow Genuis by Berwick Offray

Kids & Crafts – Kat & Duke by Happenchance

Paper Crafts – Mini and Mega MISTU by My Sweet Petunia

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June/July 2016 (issue 55)Editorial deadline: 6th May 2016 Advertising deadline: 13th May 2016Published: 31st May, 2016

Don’t miss the June/July 2016 edition of Craft Focus

DON’T FORGET TO PICK UP YOUR COPY….

next issue…

Craft Focus is packed full of the latest product launches, industry news and business advice from leading experts in the fields of retail, e-commerce and business management.

HABERDASHERY HAVENThe hottest sewing notions to stock

CRAFTING WITH CHILDRENCraft essentials for keeping little ones entertained in the holidays

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Dids Macdonald, CEO of Anti Copying in Design, discusses the benefits of the company’s Mediate To Resolve initiative

Is there an alternative to litigation if your designs have been copied? Yes, definitely. Mediation offers a user-friendly alternative to the cost and time-consuming experience of having to go through an often, debilitating legal process. So, whether you’re a claimant or defendant, the trick is to encourage both parties to come to the table and talk before either gets too entrenched in the legal process.

How can one ensure that both parties will attend mediation? Well, a good start is to campaign industry organisations to adopt mediation as part of their code of conduct in the event of a member-to-member dispute. For example, if ever there’s a dispute between ACID members, it’s a condition for all members, having signed our code of conduct, to first go to mediation. It just makes sense. Who wants to even enter into protracted and costly litigation?

“The trick is to encourage both parties to come to the table and talk before either gets too entrenched in the

legal process.”

Angus Gardner, Managing Director of Caroline Garner Publishing, said, “A lawyer friend of mine once said to me that litigation should be reserved for life or death situations. The fact of the matter is that the

process of litigation is both expensive and all consuming. Neither are good things for a small business, and so I fully endorse ACID’s Mediate To Resolve initiative, where matters can be resolved with the help of a trained and experienced mediator, quickly and before costs have got too painful.” Sadly, copying is part of the culture in a competitive world such as the craft industry and often, those who copy most are the ones who can afford endless litigation. They often adopt the strategy that they can stonewall legal challenge and perpetuate litigation so that micro- and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) innovators simply have to give up the fight. But, help is at hand – ACID will be announcing the extension of its successful exhibition grass roots mediation model and will introduce Mediate To Resolve – an alternative to dispute resolution. This is a mediation service without IP lawyers, but with a highly skilled intellectual property mediator. The parties jointly appoint a

mediator, who’s an independent third party, to act as a catalyst to assist the parties to craft their own solution to the dispute rather than have one imposed upon them. The mediator cannot force the parties to accept a decision and the mediator will not offer one.Nick Kounoupias, ACID’s Chief Legal Counsel and also a mediator said, “Mediation is generally pretty under-utilised in IP disputes but in the vast majority of cases mediation offers a quicker, cheaper, less stressful, less distracting and far more satisfying solution to a dispute than litigation, and importantly enables parties to craft a settlement that works for them rather than one imposed by a court.” Mediation has proven itself over the last 15 years to be an effective way of resolving disputes without the need to go to court. ACID’s statistics broadly reflect this trend; of the 3,500+ exhibition mediations that ACID has handled to date, only about 30 per cent were not settled on the day, with the vast

it’s good to talk

business advice

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majority settling very quickly afterwards, and only three going to court. Nick added, “This process and the trust placed on the mediator by all parties provides the framework within which to reach a solution and helps defuse some of the tension and upset that persists in litigation through correspondence. At mediation between two designers and manufacturers this year, the mediation ended a few hours later having settled their differences and sharing a taxi and a drink on the way back to their respective train stations. So it does work. Give it a try.”

So what advantages does mediation have over litigation? 1. FlexibilityMediation is a flexible process conducted confidentially in which a neutral person actively assists parties in working towards a negotiated agreement of a dispute or difference, with the parties in ultimate control of the decision to settle under the terms of resolution.

2. Your own settlementMediation enables the parties to craft

their own settlement and agree terms of settlement that can exceed the possible remedies made available by a court. In contrast, a judge is constrained in the remedies he can award.

3. Selection of neutralityThe parties can select their mediator, who can be trusted and respected by both parties and is an expert in his field.

4. Nothing to loseBy entering into mediation, neither party loses their right to pursue other dispute resolution methods such as litigation. It can take place at any time, including during litigation. 5. ConfidentialityThe mediation is completely confidential, unlike litigation, which is open to public scrutiny.

6. Maintains relationshipsLitigation by its very nature is adversarial and often irreparably damages relationships, whereas mediation encourages communication and co-operation between the parties and can often preserve

relationships and generate future business.

7. Court expects mediationRecent cases have shown that the court may deny winners at trial their costs and expenses if they have unreasonably refused to mediate.

“Mediation and other Alternative Dispute Resolution

mechanisms offer many advantages over litigation and

can be particularly valuable in IP cases. ACID’s Mediate To

Resolve service gives access to a quicker, cheaper and better means of resolving problems. My congratulations to ACID for this vital piece of work and all

they do to improve their service,” comments

Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE, CMG, Minister for

Intellectual Property on the ACID scheme.

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Dids Macdonald has more than 25 years experience within the design industry initially owning an interior design company and latterly as a designer-maker. She launched ACID (Anti Copying in Design) because her products were consistently copied. To find out more, visit www.acid.uk.com.

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tried & tested

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Julie Bonnar puts Folk It’s first distressed art kit through its paces

In a recent poll, 86 per cent of our readers told us they would find it beneficial to know about new products as they come to the market. Tried & Tested will put the latest products through their paces. Contact Julie Bonnar on editor@craftfocus.com, if you have a product to feature.

Folk It E: hello@folkit.coW: www.folkit.co

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Folk art is characterised by its simple naïve styling, and has become a very popular trend over recent years.

With a little practise, anyone can have a go.“

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naïvely pretty painting

THE PRODUCT Folk It! Series No. 1 is a collection of six painting kits that will introduce your customers to learning how to paint in the folk art way. The kit range starts at the very beginning with level 1, starter kits and teaches you three basic designs – hearts, roses and daisy chains. The kit contains everything you need to make a distressed pretty card and envelope and a wooden hanging heart, along with quality paints from DecoArt, specialist brushes and the special dotting tool.

The kit aims at making you an expert at using it so it’s important not to skip any of the steps, creating the designs on the black paper is a great way to learn. The hardest part then, will be deciding between the dot roses, daisy chains or heart of hearts design to decorate the hanging heart, card and envelope. 

TIP: The success of the project depends on developing skills with the dot tool, and in this case, practice really does make perfect! The more you perfect the technique the better you’re finished project will be.

HOW TO USE ITWhat I really like is that the kit comes with an easy-to-follow DVD and instruction booklet that guides you through every stage of the card and heart projects. The dotting is the secret weapon and key to Folk Art painting, and I was surprised at how it can make such beautiful designs with a few dots.

REASONS TO STOCKNo previous drawing or painting experience is necessary so they will appeal to a wide market.

Following on from the starter kit, there are five smaller kits that let crafters develop more skills. These include level 2 – bluebird and

level 3 kits – vintage rose, delicate lace and art angel. Customers will keep coming back for more. The follow on kits come in a retail-ready hanging pack for easy display.

The starter kit is competitively priced at £25 and the follow on kits at £10 RRP.The techniques can be used again and again on all sorts of craft projects like this suitcase shown here.

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business tips

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When it comes to running your own craft business it can be hard to find time for yourself and the ones you love. With so much on your plate, it’s easy to start living for work instead of working to live and before you know it, you’re in a repetitive cycle of feeling guilty because you’re not at home with the kids and feeling guilty about not putting the extra hours in. We’ve all been there but, here’s the catch, if you can’t concentrate on being a parent or being a business owner without feeling guilty, then you’re not going to do either one to the best of your ability. No matter how passionate you are about your career, there’s nothing more important than making time for your friends and family. It doesn’t matter how successful you are, in the world of business you’ll go through tough times, so having the love and support of those around you will go a long way in helping your company survive and thrive.

So, just how do you get the perfect work/life balance? First of all, stop beating yourself upIt’s impossible to be all things to all people. That might sound like a cliché but it’s so true. If you stop expecting to be able to do everything all the time then you’ll get better at doing the important things.

In truth, the perfect balance all the time doesn’t existIt’s actually more about counterbalancing and recognising that some things such as work, health and family will take precedence over each other at specific times. Just build

in time and discipline to ensure you’re always mindful of re-addressing the balance and spending your energy on the things that are truly essential.

Set aside a certain amount of time a week that is all about your familyI’ve learnt to compartmentalise my schedule and block time. Every Thursday, I take the day off and spend it with my son, Oliver. I plan our days in advance and fill them with activities so that we both have a great time. As for work, it can wait. Spending quality time with my son on Thursday and in the evenings means that I don’t feel guilty about working the rest of the week because he’s having fun at nursery or with his grandparents and I’m doing what I do to best of my ability.

Learn to delegateYou’ve grown your craft company from a concept to what it is today and for any business owner it’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to do everything yourself. Surround yourself with great people. You’re not a master of everything, so outsource the tasks that aren’t your area of expertise and this should give you some extra time so that you don’t have to work into the night.

If you’re just starting your business, then please don’t underestimate how hard it is. I know first-hand that the earliest days are the most difficult and a new business demands all of your energy both mentally and physically, so accept all the help you can get. Whether that’s from the in-laws, siblings or good friends, use your support network and don’t try to do everything on your own.I couldn’t run my business the way I do

without the support of two amazing sets of grandparents to help look after Oliver and luckily even though I travel a lot, technology means that my son can always see me.

So there you have it, my magic formula to a work/life balance!Different things work for different people and if you can’t take a full day off work then start smaller and finish a couple of hours early one day a week. Put the time into finding a schedule that works for you, then stick to it and sooner or later you’ll find that the illusive work life balance comes naturally. C

Sara Davies is a Durham-born craft entrepreneur and the founder of Crafter’s Companion. For further information, visit www.crafterscompaniontrade.co.uk

Sara Davies reveals how she attempts to get the right work/life balance

re-addressing the balance

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Tell us a bit about the business, and how it started?I designed the Multipom pompom maker to take the production of pompoms to the next level, and enabling lots to be made at once. I’ve been using this method of making pompoms for many years, and saw an opening in the market for such a tool. I’ve included pompoms within my own work – such tiny ones at times that you wouldn’t recognise them as pompoms.

Multipom took off in March 2014, and we sold out by the end of day four at a retail show and launched it to the trade in 2015. We’ve definitely contributed to the current pompom craze.

In 2015, Multipom was nominated for Most Innovative Product. What makes this tool so special?We’re so excited to have been nominated in the British Sewing Awards for the ‘Most Innovative Product’. Multipom is a revolutionary method of making pompoms. It’s extremely portable and suitable for use when sitting on a train or in front of the TV. Everyone remembers laboriously making pompoms using two circles of card. Other gadgets have come onto

the market making the process slightly easier, but still only making one pompom at a time, and requiring a different device for each size of pompom.

Making pompoms with the Multipom pompom maker is much quicker, and all sizes from tiny ones just 1cm diameter up to 12cms diameter can be made on the same tool. Make up to 20 small identical pompoms at once. Use any yarn to make coordinated projects or use up leftovers. Our existing customers say that it’s such an advantage being able to make so many pompoms all the same size. The Multipom is a fun and useful tool for all ages. Educationally, it offers the application of some simple maths. For young children, counting, and for slightly older children, measuring and simple division can be incorporated, with the added end result of creating pompoms to use in craftwork.

“Pompoms are fun and people love them; crafters can’t seem to

get enough of them.”

How can retailers buy the tool, and what comes in the kit?For retailers, it’s available packaged in a clear plastic wallet with contents clearly visible to the customer. The leaflet contains easy step-by-step illustrated instructions on how to make pompoms the Multipom way. There are tips and ideas of how to make them on a cord and creating different shapes etc. The tool is a perfect product to sell alongside yarns, haberdashery and craft kits. Made from metal and powder coated, it’s strong and robust. We’re keen to supply both small independent shops and larger retailers and have a low minimum order amount.

What sorts of projects can crafters use it for?Pompoms are produced with two ‘strings’,

which can be used to attach them to virtually anything. Children love to use the pompoms to tie onto bags, make hair accessories and decorations. For soft furnishings, they’re fantastic for tied quilting or transform a simple plain throw into a luxurious bed cover. Add pompoms to the edge of cushions, coordinating them with a colour scheme. A plain lampshade can be transformed by attaching pompoms to the lower edge. Braids and trimmings can be made at a fraction of the cost of commercial ones, but more importantly they can be made in whatever colour you want. Use up any oddments of yarn, thick or thin, to make pompoms, which coordinate with a project. Transform and re-vamp ready-made bought garments by applying pompoms. Create one-of-a-kind pieces of jewellery with the addition of beads. Garlands and bunting, with pompoms attached to each flag, can be made quickly and easily for events such as weddings.

pompom perfectionWe talk to Sue Walton who designed the Multipom tool, taking pompom making to the next level

MultipomT:  +44 (0)7956 509 394E: trade@multipom.comW: www.multipom.com

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