Our new design Blaze Your Own Trail is in her memory and all proceeds will be donated to The Girls Network charity https://www.thegirlsnetwork.org.uk
I worked beside Anne-Marie from 1996 at a Financial Services company in London and we became great friends. I last saw Anne-Marie during the Knitting & Stitching show at Ali Pali last November when I went over to her house after the event. It was so lovely to be in her company and see her and her daughters cuddling up on the sofa together.
Anne-Marie was hugely successful in her career however her family and daughters were always at the heart of everything. Anne-Marie was extremely supportive, when I set up my own small business rather than suggesting to reconsider and return to my career in Financial Services she said to me "so proud to tell my girls about your entrepreneurial spirit...so amazing what you have done" she then went on to offer me whatever support I needed.
This wasn't the first time Anne-Marie had taken the time to support me. She gave me her time to mentor me on how to achieve an Event Manager role that I applied for which I then successfully went on to achieve.
Anne-Marie's career in the Financial Services industry spanned over 25 years and in that time she worked her own way up from Marketing Manager to being Chief of Clients on the Board of a prestigious Investment Management company. She believed in herself and her own capabilities and overcame many issues to achieve her success. She had a strong values and her daughters were her inspiration and driving force. During her career she wasn't afraid to challenge things she felt weren't right to create change for the better as she believed that by doing so she will create a better more inclusive world for her daughters. She made a real impact on her journey and along the way she mentored and empowered many Women.
She used her senior position to challenge diversity and change ways to blaze her own trail to create better ones in particular for Women and to make a more inclusive workplace. She also wanted to encourage Women to make their own financial freedom through making the investment world more inclusive. She was named Diversity & Inclusion champion 2023 by the Women in Investing Awards & Investment Week.
Anne-Marie was a great mentor, leader and such an inspiration. She brought people together and provided people with a great sense of belonging, she created an environment where everyone was supported to succeed regardless of their diversity or gender. A true leader and she will always be my inspiration.
I hope that more Women Blaze their own trail with empowerment and courage, challenge for equality, inclusivity and a better way of working.
The Girls Network Charity inspires and empowers girls from the least advantaged communities by connecting them with a mentor and a network of professional role models who are women.
Anne-Marie - Your legacy is inspirational. xxx
Click below to be taken to the pattern:
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I knew we had to share her talent with crafters to also enjoy and gain the benefits of mindful crafting along the way! That was 5 years ago and it makes us so very happy when we hear how much our customers enjoy Siobhan's wonderful patterns too!
I would like you to all get to know my amazing talented sister! I sent her some questions so I could dedicate this blog post about Siobhan. It's been really inspiring to read Siobhan's answers and her dedication to the creative industry in her career. Hope you enjoy reading it too. Siobhan's hand designed products and schedule of fun paper cut workshops can be found at https://www.siobhanwatt.com
What inspired you to further your learning and study Fashion & Textiles, what were your highlights from your time at university?
I always knew I wanted to have a creative career - I was always obsessed with creating stuff & I remember how proud I felt of a Paper Mache Owl I made at Nursery when I was about 4 years old.
From there, I remember just being obsessed with making stuff. School projects were a highlight, as well as watching Hartbeat, Blue Peter and Art Attack, which always inspired me to create something.
My Dad had studied for a while at Edinburgh College of Art so I think that was also an influence. He later became a Furniture Restorer. Growing up our house was full of inspiration, art, books, furniture, ceramics, textiles - literally everything. I also knew about a 2nd cousin of mine who was an artist in New York City. I later went on to work in New York and we got to spend time together.
At High School I spent as much time as possible in the Art Room & remember being taught printmaking for the first time.
My parents were keen for me to have a practical skill & so I decided to study at Heriot Watt University, School of Textiles. There had previously been a big textiles industry there, which meant that the school had excellent facilities such as a huge Screen Printing Room, knitting machines and weaving looms. The technicians were also excellent as many of them had experience working in the industry.
Did you find it easy to start a career in the creative sector?
I wouldn’t say it was easy - but I had been lucky enough to do a bit of work experience in the industry, with a relative who was working for a fashion brand in London. After doing that, I decided I would move to London as soon as I graduated. I also did an Internship with the Color Association of the US in New York City.
I exhibited at New Designers Graduate Show, and I made a few contacts there.
When I moved to London, I didn’t have a job lined up - but I started calling round some of Print Studios. I also took the Eurostar over to PV in Paris, and talked to a few of the exhibitors. This is what got me my first full time job at Tom Cody Studio in London.
Before you started designing for The Modern Crafter what other companies have you worked for and is there a career highlight?
After working with Tom Cody, I then went onto work as a CAD designer for a large Lingerie Supplier. It wasn’t a particularly creative roll, but my job was to take the Garment Designer’s sketches and turn them in to CAD’s on photoshop, tidying up the sketches and adding colour and pattern. I really threw myself into learning the Adobe programmes. Following this I worked for a Supplier designing T-Shirt Graphics for young fashion.
After this, I got my first job with a Retailer and moved to Sweden to work for H&M. This was a real learning curve and a great experience. A highlight was getting to Travel to places such as Tokyo and New York for inspiration, as well as visiting factory’s in Turkey. I met a lot of great friends during that period too.
When you are designing for The Modern Crafter how do you initially approach the process?
First off, it depends if I’m designing for our Embroidery Range, Punch Needle Embroidery, or Punch Needle with our chunky wool. The end product always influences how I approach the design process.
If I’m designing for our Embroidery range, I know that I can use finer lines with much more detail.
I also like to think about how many colours we will be using, so I don’t get carried away in the beginning and then have to take out colours later.
I think having restrictions is helpful in the design process - it’s good to understand all of these things right at the start in order to create a successful design.
The season I’m designing for is also taken into consideration, we like to plan in some designs through-out the year.
Otherwise I’m often inspired by nature, and I like to add this into my design process. Nature has a soothing effect and we want our customers to feel that too when they are making one of our kits.
I also collect lots of books, vintage fabrics and vintage sewing books in particular are really inspiring! Living in London means I have access to a lot of great and often free exhibitions, and I feel so lucky to live around the corner from the William Morris Gallery. It’s basically a meca for textile designers.
Tell us about what inspires your approach to designing?
I think having a purpose is really helpful, having some restrictions - because otherwise it would just be too overwhelming. As well as that, it’s nice to also have a sense of freedom so you can let the mysterious part of the design process take over.
How do you create the designs, are you sketching, drawing by hand or working straight on the computer?
I really like to start by hand, sometimes this takes the form of paper collage - which is great when thinking about designs for our chunky wool kits as they really lend themselves to being quite bold and simple. If it’s our embroidery range, then I would usually start with some hand sketches, which are then scanned into Photoshop and placed into Illustrator. I find designing for our products is best done in Illustrator, because the scale can be changed without losing any quality. When I’m working on the computer I like to get into a flow state, put on some music and start to get lost in the process of designing. Working this way means that it’s easy to work on lots of different colour ways. I think it’s important to get away from my screen after a while - sometimes the eyes need a break from a design, and coming back to it the next day often makes a design stronger.
You have dedicated your career to working in the creative sector, what draws you to working creatively?
I think it’s always been a form of therapy for me, and it’s still just as important to me today as it ever was.
In addition to designing for The Modern Crafter, you have also recently set up your own indie business. Tell us about your business and range of products?
That’s right, I have recently got back into creating illustrations, and applying those to Giclee Prints, Riso Prints, Cards and Screen Printed Tea Towels. I'm also enjoying teaching others at my paper cut workshops in London.
I’ve always felt the need to have multiple projects on the go, so who knows what I will be inspired to do next. Working with Ceramics is definitely and ambition.
When I used to work as a Print Designer for high st retail, I would design patterns for Clothing, homeware and stationery.
I like the challenge of working on a variety of products - and I especially love being able to create my designs by hand. This wasn’t always possible when I worked in commercial design, as designs often needed to be created quickly. I make a point of screen printing my tea towels. I love the physical process of mixing the dye, and using my silk screens to create the designs. It’s a labour of love, but I really enjoy that connection to each product.
It’s important to me that I’m producing quality items that are created in a considerate way - with as little impact to the environment as possible.
Do you have a favourite piece you have created so far?
That’s really tricky - I think I will always love the ‘twin fox’ kit as that was designed after having twins, so the design is personal to me. I also love spotting fox’s out in the wild. There is something very magical about them.
How do you find juggling everything being a mum of twins?!
I’m always learning - it’s a different challenge now they are at school. I pick them up most day’s at 3.20, so I have to be careful to make the most of my work days!
What creative tools couldn't you live without?
Sketchbooks, Watercolour paper, Ink, Gouache, Eco-Line brush pens, scissors and glue
Adobe creative suite, wacom pen and tablet, scanner & A3 Printer
You've learned a few different creative mediums, can you tell us about what those are?
Yes I’m definitely drawn to learning new creative skills! I can’t see that ever ending.
I love learning Printmaking techniques, and have enjoyed classes with the East London Printmakers.
I’ve also been out on Observational Drawing workshops, and taken on-line classes such as Children's book Illustration.
When my twins went to nursery, I celebrated by taking a ceramics class at Turning Earth, it was so therapeutic!!
To come up with a great design what would you say are the key things, does the process involve a lot of trial and error?
I think it’s important to consider the end purpose - if you have a brief that’s great - but otherwise you need to create your own brief. If I’m designing for a client there is usually a brief to follow. When designing for myself, sometimes I want to dive in without thinking about the end usage, and I think it’s good to build in some time upfront to really consider what or who you are designing for.
Ultimately in Design, you have to get it wrong a few times to get it right. If you dived right in and hit the nail on the head immediately you wouldn’t be going through the process of designing.
There’s usually a point in the middle where I think ‘this is going horribly wrong’ the trick is to stay with it all the way through that. I think that’s pretty similar for most creatives, regardless of the sector!!
As the customer does not see the creative expertise involved do you feel that this is often overlooked?
I think as consumers we have become a bit disconnected with how things are actually made - but I also believe that there is a backlash against the likes of fast fashion, and the consumer is now bored of all of that generic design out there.
Is there anything new that you are going to explore creatively next, a new medium?
I’m always interested in new creative skills, possibly more printmaking as I love discovering new ways to create textures
Are you listening to any podcasts or reading that you enjoy?
Yes loads - I find it really helpful to listen to podcasts during my working day or on walks with my dog, Archie.
I love listening to The Goodship Illustration, Indie Roller, Blind Boy, The Happiness Lab, The Sensuous Peripheries and On The Wall, from Milton & King.
Books:
The School of Life, how to think effectively
Fran Lebowitz Reader
]]>The Modern Crafter Punch Needle workshops are relaxed and fun. They are a great way to take time out for yourself to prioritise your self-care, learn a new creative skill and meet a supportive community of like-minded wonderful people along the way! Our workshops are inclusive for all. We absolutely love to teach others our crafts which we find so much joy from on many levels. We are proud to say we have taught many who have then continued to use the craft to explore their own projects and enjoy all the benefits of creating along the way.
Supporting A Woman Owned Business
By coming to our workshops or supporting us in another way such as buying a kit you are also supporting a Woman Owned Creative business. We are trying to pave the way for other Woman to be confident to run their own creative business. Sadly there are many small businesses closing down, let alone those in the creative industries who I believe have a lot of challenges in succeeding. By raising awareness I hope that we can succeed in pathing a way to keep our business going and lead a path for other artists and creatives. If we don't others may not be brave enough to try and make their living from doing something they are passionate about, are brilliant at and absolutely love!
About Our Workshops
It's myself who teaches the workshops (Rachel Lawson, The Modern Crafter) and Siobhan who is the designer for our products (Siobhan Watt) hand designs all the patterns that you can choose from to create. Siobhan runs her own creative business too and creates prints, gift cards, t-towels and foremost is an exceptional artist with over 20 years experience working as a print and pattern designer. She is now also being one of those Women brave enough to pave their own path and choose their own destiny. https://www.siobhanwatt.com
Locations
Currently I'm teaching punch needle workshops in Saffron Walden at my studio, 7 Market Row, London at Spitalfields Market in collaboration with Urban Makers and Edinburgh at the world-renowned Dovecot Studios. I have also taught workshops online for team building events and private 1:1's and private parties.
Punch Needle Technique
The workshops I teach for beginners in punch needle are working with either the fine punch needle tool or the chunky punch needle tool. Fine is for fine tapestry wool and chunky is for super chunky wool. The technique for both tools is the same so you can apply the same technique if you would like to progress on to other punch needle tools in the future.
I will teach you how to punch loop and flat stitches and how to combine these techniques. You will leave the workshop feeling confident on how to do punch needle and be proud of what you have accomplished!
At the end of each workshop you have the option to stock up on other patterns and supplies with 15% off.
Quality Tools and Expertise
At the workshop I will share with you what I have learned myself about punch needle to get the best possible finish. I will talk about the tools and materials, the differences and what you need to know in particular when thinking about how to achieve your own projects. The things I will share with you is an overview of the tools, fabrics, frames and fibres. Having all of this information will help you succeed in the craft by having the skills and knowledge needed.
The workshop costs includes all tools, materials and refreshments.
In the workshop you will be working with the tools and materials that we love to work with, they are all exceptional quality to give you the best start to this wonderful craft.
We only create with 100% British Wool too, meaning that along the way by supporting us you are also supporting British Farming and British Mill Heritage. You also have full transparency over the welfare of the animal when it was shorn as our wool have been graded by the British Wool Board to authenticate our yarn as 100% British.
Locations
Our studio is located in Saffron Walden which is a historic Market Town 50 minutes from London Liverpool Street or 15 minutes from Cambridge. There is a weekly market and many independent shops such as Bricks & Makers, cafes and restaurants such as Chaters and Mini Miss Bread. You will also find artists galleries such as Heath Kane and Fry Art Gallery to explore.
Our punch needle workshop in London takes place in the iconic Spitalfields Market in collaboration with Urban Makers who organises Independent Market for Small Businesses. There is a brilliant buzzy atmosphere at the market and our workshops take place on the mezzanine so you can look down on the market and take in the sights!
The Edinburgh workshop takes place at world renowned Dovecot Tapestry Studios. There is a lot to enjoy at Dovecot Studios from their cafe to gift shop and a must is to take in the atmosphere of the actual studio from the viewing gallery. Here you can watch first hand the weavers and rug tufting artists. Their studio is set in an old swimming bath which as a space, has been transformed for the better.
If you have any questions about our workshops or would like to organise a team building or private workshop please get in touch rachel@themoderncrafter.co.uk
]]>We are so proud to let you know that we have extended our British Wool colour range and added 6 new Super Chunky British Wool colours giving you a total of 13 colours to choose from!
We pride ourselves in the materials that go into our punch needle kits to make sure that they are high quality as well as understanding the traceability and impact on the planet. We hope you will love creating your punch needle projects with our new British Wool colours!
Siobhan who designs all of our punch needle patterns by hand has also hand selected the new colour pallet. We absolutely love the new colours and can't wait to punch needle some new designs that we have for you!
To complete a cushion approx 40 x 40 cm you will need approx 250g of wool and a stretcher bar frame in size 16 or 18 inches.
When choosing our materials, quality, environmental impact and traceability are our top priorities. We are the only company in the UK to produce our own wool specifically for Punch Needle which is made from happy Suffolk Breed British Sheep!
We are very proud to be able to offer our customers our exclusive wool which supports British Heritage Mill production together with British Farmers.
Our British Wool is quality assured by The British Wool Board which means it is completely traceable as 100% British Wool. When you take time out to make a beautiful punch needle project make sure to choose a wool that will last a lifetime and also gives you the comfort of its authenticity.
Wool fibres have a spring-like structure. It's superior resilience means it returns back into its original shape every time. This is perfect for punch needle projects as the loop the needle creates keeps the perfect pile!
Yes! We have new punch needle cushion patterns, a punch needle wall hanging and also some new hoop wall art patterns. These will all be available as kit or as a bundle with the pattern and wool. We are also giving you a choice of any of the colours in our Punch Needle Alphabet, Love Heart, Star, Bag or Hanging Plant Pot Kits. If you would like to customise the wool colours in any of the other kits just give us a shout!
It is available now! Available as single balls or as bundles.
We can't wait to hear what you think about our new colours and to see your punch needle creations!
If you have any questions about our wool or would like a sample sent out to you free of charge please drop an email to rachel@themoderncrafter.co.uk
Thanks so much for being here and supporting our small business!
Rachel & Siobhan xx
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The pattern has been designed by Siobhan it is an easy pattern to create. Some sewing skills are required to finish but it is a great one for beginner level too. Take the time out to enjoy being creative with your hands whilst letting your mind relax.
Here is what you will need to make it:
You will also need backing cloth, some stuffing, ribbon or extra wool to hang, pins, needle & thread or sewing machine.
Have a look through the instruction guide here. We hope you enjoy making yours and are proud of your finished creation!
Please tag us on your makes via google reviews or instagram @the_moder_crafter
Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas,
Rachel & Siobhan xx
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When and why did you decide to open Ragged Life?
It took time to grow my business Ragged Life into what it is today. It all started in 2014 when I was still working in Marketing at Unilever, a couple of years out of university. I’d done rag rugging as a hobby since the age of fourteen and after a chance encounter was asked to run a one-off class at Tea and Crafting in London. I really enjoyed teaching that first evening class, so agreed to run more rag rug workshops on the side alongside my full-time job. As I was teaching more workshops, I needed more tools and materials, which I began pulling together into beginner kits and also selling on the side. Before I knew it, I had a side hustle that I felt confident could become a full-time job if I was brave enough to leave my cushy graduate job. Well, I took the leap of faith and here we are today! Now Ragged Life has grown into the place for rag rug materials, workshops and textile inspiration.
What had you done before? Did any of these skills help?
My first job out of university was working in Marketing for Unilever. At the beginning, I worked in the disruptive water-saving innovations team (I’ve always been passionate about the environment), before moving onto Marketing for Flora margarine and then Lynx gift packs (yes, the ones that appear in everyone’s Christmas stockings at some point in their life). The skills picked up at these jobs certainly helped when it came to developing a strong brand, designing packaging and understanding what customers want, but it is on such a different scale (television campaigns, big budgets etc…) that there is probably less overlap than you’d think. I find it’s a lot easier to find your authentic voice with a small brand like Ragged Life as you pour your heart and soul into it.
How did you decide on the name?
This is such an interesting question, as it’s not something I’ve thought about for a while. I decided to name my brand “Ragged Life” for several reasons. Firstly, you can’t be too obscure – the name needs to somewhat link to what you do. We’re a one-stop shop for all things rag rug related, so “rag” (meaning old clothing / textile waste) is at the heart of what we do.
However, on a deeper level, Ragged Life is about more than just rag rugs. We promote a sustainable lifestyle where we embrace the imperfect. No matter how neat you try and be, a rag rug, it will always have flaws. That's what makes it unique and interesting. It's the same with life and people. Ragged Life is about embracing imperfections as they're what makes life vibrant ✌️
Tell us about the range of products you stock?
Our Ragged Life range consists of beginner rag rug kits, quality rug-making tools, craft books and materials. Basically, we stock everything a rag rug newbie needs to get them started and much much more. In 2019, we added recycled materials to our range. We now work with British woollen mills to save blanket selvedges, mohair pieces and other gorgeous fabrics from going to landfill. We call it posh recycling as it’s all 100% wool and fabulous quality.
In 2021, my second book “Rag Rug Techniques for Beginners” came out. This contains eight different techniques for making a rag rug from across the world. As these techniques require different tools and materials, our Ragged Life range expanded to include all these too… peg looms, coiled rag rug rope, twining looms etc…
We mostly sell our Ragged Life products through our online shop (www.raggedlife.com), but you can also find us at certain big craft fairs. We’ll be at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace in October, for example.
What does a ‘normal’ day look like?
The fun part of running your own business is that each day is different. Some days I may make a new video for YouTube, other days I’ll be planning launches for the coming year. On the other hand, some days I rag rug the whole day. Although it’s funny as people think that’s what I do every day!
On an average day (kind of like today as I write this), I spend a few hours writing a blog post for our Ragged Life Blog (www.raggedlifeblog.com). This could be showcasing a new project that I’ve made, sharing students’ work, launching a new product or a textile artist Q&A, for example. I then spend an hour or so replying to customers’ technical questions or chatting with them on social media. It’s so lovely when I get through photos of what former students have made.
Not so fun, but every day involves a bit of housekeeping on our website to make sure any sold out blanket yarns are de-listed and new ones added and new workshops are scheduled. I love tinkering with the website to make it more user-friendly where I can.
I used to send out the post every day, but now my lovely team members make sure it goes out. Lizzie loves wrapping orders up neatly so opening them feels like a present.
Tell us more about your kits?
Our rag rug kits include all the tools, instructions and hessian to make your first rag rug project. We sell kits to make rugs, cushions, 3D flower bouquets, Christmas wreaths and more. Each kit comes with visual step by step instructions, as well as access to our online “Kit Companion Page” with exclusive content, such as tips for beginners, videos etc…
As the ethos of rag rugging is about using up old clothing, we never include fabric in our kits. We want customers to make their projects their own by using fabrics / clothing with memories (perhaps old childhood clothing or in colours to suit their homes). The nice thing about rag rugs is that you can mix together all different types of fabric – everything from jersey and cotton to swimming costumes and fleece. I love how much texture lace adds to a rug, for example.
Do you have a favourite piece you have created so far?
This changes over time, but now my favourite piece is this rag rug jacket. It’s more of a concept piece than a practical piece of clothing (I can barely bend my arms in it), but it’s exciting to push the boundaries of what can be done in rag rug.
Before making a rag rug could you describe your design process, are there any tips you can share on coming up with a great rug?
I like to collect inspiration from all different places before I start a design – ceramics, art, textiles, Pinterest etc… Generally, I come up with a pattern first then decide on a colour scheme. Sometimes the colour scheme is dictated by what fabrics I have available e.g. if I know I have a lot of pastel fabrics lying around that may be the inspiration for the colour scheme. It’s slightly different than most crafts as you’re trying to use up what you have rather than buying materials. Although sometimes I do buy specific colours from the charity shop.
My greatest design tip for anyone making their first rag rug is to keep things simple. Rag rugs have so much great texture that you can do a simple design and it’ll look very effective if you’re happy with the colours. Other than that, don’t fight the character of the technique you’re using. The shaggy technique will make any complicated design disappear as it is so fluffy and wild, so you need to do a precise technique (such as the loopy technique) if you want to do something pictorial.
Which item is your bestseller? Why do you think that is?
Our best-selling product is the Ragged Life “Easy Peasy Rag Rug Kit”. It includes the hemmed hessian, quality tools and step by step instructions to make a classic rag rug from scratch. It contains our best-selling individual tool – the Rag Rug Spring Tool – and comes beautifully packaged up, so makes a great gift too. I think it sells so well as most people interested in rag rug making want the convenience of knowing they have all the best tools to start them off.
What items are your personal can’t-live-without?
The Rag Rug Spring Tool. It’s the easiest and quickest tool to make a rag rug with. I’ve never come across a person who hasn’t loved it.
What do you enjoy most about running Ragged Life?
I love the freedom of being my own boss and being creative every day. I also love working in such a friendly industry. People who craft are nice people (perhaps it’s because craft is relaxing?), so it’s always a pleasure teaching them and chatting to customers at fairs. I can’t imagine I’d be saying the same thing if I was working in a more cut-throat industry!
What has been your career highlight?
I’m immensely proud that I’ve now had two books published – “Rag Rugs, Pillows & More” and “Rag Rug Techniques for Beginners”. It’s such a great feeling seeing my books on shelves in Waterstones. I’ve also enjoyed some of the more obscure events – cutting up school uniforms on CBeebies with Danny Sebastian from Bargain Hunt, appearing on live TV shopping channels or being chosen as a global expert to create an online course with Domestika.
www.raggedlife.com www.raggedlifeblog.com https://www.instagram.com/raggedlife/ https://www.facebook.com/raggedliferagrugs https://www.youtube.com/raggedlife
]]>What is Punch Needle?
Punch Needle is a traditional craft for rug making. Using 4 items, a punch needle tool, fabric, frame and yarn you can easily start this mindful craft. We like to describe punch needle as 'drawing with wool' and whilst creating with your hands your mind relaxes along the way. You don't have to concentrate too hard or worry about dropping a stitch so you can easily sit and watch a film or listen to the radio whilst creating your project! With the end result being a finished practical item there is a great sense of joy too! We've discovered through writing our Punch Needle book that you can make many projects from wall hangings to cushions to rugs or toys. There are so many possibilities!
Punch Needle shouldn't be confused with rag rugging or proddy rugs as the punch needle tool that is used for punch needle works differently to these other traditional techniques. Working with a ball of yarn, the Punch Needle tool creates a continuous loop as you punch, the loop grips into the weave of the fabric and is secured in place by the stitch the needle creates. When you are using all the right tools and materials together with the correct technique it won't unravel. With rag rugging or latch hooking you work with strips of yarn and latch these strips on to hessian.
Punch Needle is a craft that is simple to master making it easily accessible for even those with no craft experience. We've taught age 7 upwards how to punch needle and even the youngsters love it and it keeps them away from technology!
How to Get Started?
We have a number of beginner hoop kits which is the perfect way to start as we match the correct weight of yarn and size of punch needle tool for you in the kit.
If you would prefer to buy the tools and materials separately, here are our recommendations:
Chunky Wool Punch Needle Tools
Tool - Oxford Size 10 Punch Needle or Lavor Adjustable Punch Needle
Fabric - Open weave fabric
Yarn - Super chunky wool or double up finer yarn. Making a project that will take more wear? Use our British Wool or a hard wearing yarn.
Frame - a stretcher bar frame or gripper hoop
Fine Wool Punch Needle Tool
Fabric - Close weave fabric
Frame - Embroidery hoops or stretcher bar frame
Yarn - Embroidery thread, tapestry or aran wool
Of course you're very welcome to drop us a note if your still unsure - we're here to help! rachel@themoderncrafter.co.uk
Happy punching!
Rachel & Siobhan
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Our address is 7 Market Row, Saffron Walden and we are right next to a Toy Shop for anyone looking for kids gifts! The market square is right behind our shop and with market day on too there will be a buzz in the air! We also have Bricks & Makers on our street run by Cat who stocks beautiful items from small business. Saffron Walden is located in between London and Cambridge so if you are in the surrounding area please come visit too!
We also have a store opening offer with 10% off our embroidery and punch needle kits!
We can't wait to meet you all and share our story with you and talk about our products including our own range of 100% British Wool. We'll be launching some of our 'winter' kits in store too (no C word yet!)
It feels like it is all coming together what's been a long stage of planning and investment too. We really hope our very first HQ will be the start of a very happy journey for The Modern Crafter!
If you'd like to know more about our process to opening I will set up a separate blog about that soon too. Maybe it would be of interest to share what we've learnt with any other small business out there about to make a similar leap!
For now we look forward to seeing you on Saturday!
Rachel & Siobhan xx
]]>Oh my!! We've taken on a premises....well a 'shop' to be exact. Have we gone mad you might ask?! Well quite possibly, I guess you can never be sure when you're running your own business if you have made the right decision?! This has definitely been one of the toughest decisions to make and we're keeping everything crossed it has been the right one...time will tell. Our new little shop is based in Saffron Walden which is a beautiful market town in-between London and Cambridge full of independents, artists, galleries, antique and charity shops!
Up until now we've been operating The Modern Crafter mainly from my living room in Saffron Walden. Siobhan has a studio space in London where the creative thinking and design magic happens. Then it's over to me to manage the stock, fulfilment and a few other bits related to running a small business.
When boxes had to be stored behind the sofa we knew we'd got to the point where we had to do something about the storage issues...haha! So I'd been on the look out for a while for a premises that wasn't going to cost the earth and then the 'shop' caught our eye.
I went to see it and loved the brick walls and light that shone through the bay window. We felt it would also be a welcoming spot to invite our customers to come and hang out with us at creative workshops making projects together.
We're so grateful to our community on social media for encouraging us and our business and we hope that our local community will enjoy having us!
So what's our plans?
We'll we've got to roll up our sleeves first of all to give the shop a bit of a lick of paint, remove all the cobwebs and resident spiders! Then sort the outside and add our branding. Siobhan plans to add her illustrations to the windows or interior walls which will be fun!
Luckily my brother-in-law is a commercial property interiors designer so he's going to give a hand on the on the interiors and in particular look at our storage solution!
Initially we're planning to work from the shop during the week as our studio then open as a shop on a Saturday (aiming for around September) and take it from there based on demand. We'll be planning a small workshop for around then too.
We feel nervous about this gigantic leap but super excited that we are even in this position to make this brave move.
We're hoping that our new premises can give us a calming working environment with the space we need to help us keep growing and so that we can welcome you all to join us for workshops.
Ultimately we're here to support everyone with our diy kits or at our workshops in combining their creativity by using their hands to craft, create calmness along the way and a great sense of achievement with your finished project!
We'll update you all on how 'the shop' is progressing along as it's definitely looking a bit bare at the moment and needs plenty of new textiles to make it more homely!
Keep you posted on our blog via our newsletters - please sign up to our newsletters to be first how things progress.
Rachel & Siobhan xx
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We are so very excited to tell you that we've only gone and made our own 100% British Wool for punch needle...!!!
We have seven different colours in our new British Wool collection to start with and our best selling beginner Sunset and Monstera leaf punch needle kits now contain our new British Wool.
We're really proud to be able to finally share this little piece of The Modern Crafter news with you!
It's a massive milestone in the journey of our small business and to be able to have developed this product for our customers is an absolute dream come true!
None of this would have been possible without YOU and we cannot thank you all enough for all of your support in making our small business journey this far even possible.
We've been working on our new collection of super chunky wool for over a year now and have designed our British Wool collection specifically for punch needle projects from rugs to wall hangings to cushions and anything else your imagination can invent! We believe the superior quality of our new wool is outstanding.
Our British Wool works perfectly with the Oxford size 10 needle and the Lavor adjustable punch needle which we stock as single tools or within our punch needle kits.
We'll also be launching two new kits in celebration of the launch of our new wool. Our new punch needle kits contain two patterns for you to make with our British Wool, these are called Dusk and Waves. In the next couple of weeks we will be adding some new cushion kits which are made with our British Wool to our collection too, please join our mailing list so we can let you know when these are available.
You might be asking why we choose British Wool for our Products?
As a small business we are mindful of the impact that our business makes on the planet and we care about the materials that we include in our kits and how they are made.
We believe in using superior quality materials to give our customers the best experience and we are now giving our customers the additional confidence that they will have transparency on the heritage of our wool.
Wool is a natural fibre and the process in which wool fibre is made is kinder to the planet as synthetic fibres require oil and refineries to make them.
It is also important to us knowing that we are supporting British Farmers and that our wool is made under the British animal welfare standards.
We are extremely proud to support our local farmers and to provide you with a superior sustainable product that has been graded as 100% British Wool from the British Wool board.
By supporting British farmers we are also reducing our carbon footprint impact on the plant by ensuring the wool that we use has not been unnecessary flown from the other side of the world.
We can't wait to hear what you think and see your British Wool punch needle projects!!
Rachel & Siobhan xx
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