What have I achieved??

After rather a long Christmas break I am back and ready to talk about what I have achieved lately.

I signed up to do a rag rugging course at Nostell Priory before Christmas because I wanted to learn about crafts from bygone years and to also learn how to do something new. We also got an inside look at what is happening in this very old property in Wakefield which I found very interesting and have now signed up as a volunteer to help with the crafts and re-enactments that take place there over the year to all in all this was a very good move to go and explore different avenues for my life.

My rag rug has been abandoned now though for a while as I take up my knitting again and I am about the have a go at weaving. I saw some very interesting weaving structures at Nostell which reminded my of the work I have been doing at the moment. I totally enjoyed making the constructed surfaces of which I made two and am going to make more with the willow tree that I have in the garden. I always seem to use the same materials for my pieces though so I really should try to use different things - maybe I will in the next project. I have done one fairly regular structure which is predominantly blue which I think works the best and the more messy one doesn't work for me. I feel I prefer work that is in rows and neat rather than messy so I will explore that in more detail in the next project and see if I can be alittle bit freer in my work.

I found the colour work alot more enjoyable this time than I did before and the yarn winding I found matched the colours perfectly and I would like to use both colour combinations within my weaving if that is possible.

I have also been on a day workshop to learn how to spin. This was a great insight into how wool becomes yarn and I would like to learn more about this subject.

understanding the textile world


Choose two internationally known textile artists whose work I find inspiring.


I have chosen Poppy Treffry. 

Poppy runs a small company based in Newlyn, a busy, messy, industrious fishing village in the far west of Cornwall. 

Poppy started small, back in 2004, selling to one or two galleries locally but four years on the team has grown from just Poppy and one cranky singer sewing machine to 7 people and 13 cranky singer sewing machines! The products are all still made in Cornwall and inspired by beautiful surroundings and they plan to keep it that way. 

Meet the Maker

Meet Cornwall based textile designer Poppy Treffry, creator of charming tea cosies and other embroidered delights.

With their whimsical motifs and gentle words inspired by her coastal surroundings, Poppy’s designs are all lovingly created by hand so each one is truly unique. We caught up with Poppy and her talented team in their harbour-side studio.

http://www.poppytreffry.co.uk

Q.Tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to start the business...

A.

I did a textile design degree at Winchester and then volunteered with a craft co-operative in Guatemala, helping women to develop their business skills and supporting them in setting up a local craft shop. I’d only intended to stay a year but I got so involved in the project that I ended up staying for three. On my return to Cornwall in 2003 I began making bags for a local shop, having taught myself freehand machine embroidery on an old Singer sewing machine that my granddad found on a dump! A business advisor from Creative Kernow (who are no longer around) saw the bags and helped me to find a workshop and set up my own studio. At first I had a part time job as well, but after 18 months I took the plunge to go full time and we’ve now been trading for about five years.

Q.Where is your business located?

A.

The studio is in Newlyn, near Penzance in the far west of Cornwall. It’s a busy, working fishing village and we can see the fishing boats bobbing around in the harbour from the window of the studio. I’m constantly inspired by the local surroundings and this feeds into my work.

Q.Do you use any specialist techniques or equipment to produce your goods?

A.

We use freehand machine embroidery to create the designs and it’s all done on 1930s Singer sewing machines. I’ve never found a modern machine that can take seven hours of embroidery! We use a mix of vintage and modern fabrics – the art is in picking the colours and weights of fabric.

Q.What are the most popular products in your range?

A.

The best selling products are the tea and coffee cosies and the most popular design is ‘Tea by the Sea’ which is one of our original designs. We’ve also recently launched a range of ceramic mugs and teapots which are made in Stoke-on-Trent and have proved very popular.

Q.What’s the best thing about what you do?

A.

Having a licence to buy as much fabric as I want! No seriously, I enjoy being my own boss and the flexibility it gives me, especially as I now have a baby daughter, Biba.

Q.Why do you choose to make your products in Britain?

A.

It’s great to be able to create textile jobs in Cornwall and I also like being hands on and having control over how the products are produced. As everything is designed and made here in the studio, we can tweak designs and try out new ideas as we go along.

Q.What’s been your proudest moment?

A.

Being featured in The Guardian's eco gift guide - as this is the paper my dad reads and meant he finally accepted that making tea cosies was not such a bad career choice for his daughter (he really wanted me to be an architect!).

Q.Where do you sell your products?

A.

We sell online through our own website www.poppytreffry.co.uk and through the online marketplace www.notonthehighstreet.com, who we’ve been with since they started. A large part of our business is wholesale and we supply shops all over the UK and further afield.

Q.Which other British producers inspire you and why?

A.

I love The Black Rabbit which is run by my best friend Lindsay Marsden. I also loveTeresa Green’s screen-printed linens, Anorak’s outdoor products which are perfect for camping, Hope & Benson for their beautiful handmade handbags, and of course my partner Justin Duance who creates his wonderful handcrafted jewellery in the studio next to ours.

Q.Do you make an effort to buy British when food shopping?

A.

Yes, being located where we are there’s a constant supply of freshly caught fish. The restaurants around here also make the most of local produce – we like The Bakehouse in Penzance. We’re also big fans of the Lafafa falafel wagon which tours events in the South West, such as the Newlyn Fish Festival.

Q.Where is your favourite place to holiday in Britain?

A.

For a short break we like to visit Porthcothan in North Cornwall between Padstow and Newquay. We stay in a lovely cabin right on the beach called The Red Buoy. We also love St Agnes in the Isles of Scilly where we camp every year at Troy Town Farm which is the most south-westerly campsite in Britain. There’s a great place to eat on St Agnes calledHigh Tide which is a beach cafe during the day and a seafood restaurant in the evening, serving local produce such as freshly caught crab.

Q.And finally, what do you do to relax and unwind when you’re not busy working?

A.

 A walk on the cliffs is always a good way to unwind. I also walk to and from work – it’s about a 20 minute walk along the seafront from our home in Penzance to the studio in Newlyn, which makes the perfect start, and end, to my day.

Buy Poppy's New Book!

Feeling inspired? Why not buy Poppy’s new book: Free and Easy Stitch Style

This treasure trove of projects includes home accents such as cushions and curtains, and accessories such as handbags and purses to show off your sewing in style. Step-by-step instructions, illustrations and photographs combined with a fresh and funky design mean that 'Free & Easy Stitch Style' is bursting with needlecrafting personality and creativity!

(Photo of Poppy Treffry: Mike Thomas)

Taken from here.

I am impressed with the way that Poppy encourages her followers to plunge into the craft of freestyle machine embroidery and her book is a very helpful tool. I also like the fact that she is now selling the kits to make your own.

A young and fun approach to freestyle machine embroidery, encouraging the reader to break the rules with a sewing style that's all about rough edges, uneven stitching and mismatched fabrics! --Sew Today Magazine

"This is the perfect title for those who believe that sewing should be a fun and relaxing hobby and not an endurance test" --Sewing World

"This is the perfect title for those who believe that sewing should be a fun and relaxing hobby and not an endurance test!" "Poppy's designs are fresh and contemporary and her relaxed style puts them within the grasp of stitchers of all levels of expertise." --Sewing World

Product Description

Expand your sewing creativity with freestyle machine embroidery as you've never seen it before! Talented textile designer Poppy Treffry takes you into her studio and demonstrates how to create quirky, fun and memorable pictures and motifs. Layering, fraying and applique all add to the free and easy effect, while techniques such as freestyle shading and texturing create pictures with charm and attitude. The treasure trove of projects include home accents such as cushions and curtains and personal accessories such as handbags and purses to show off your sewing in style. Step-by-step instructions, illustrations and photographs combined with a fresh and funky design mean that "Free & Easy Stitch Style" is bursting with needlecrafting personality and creativity.

Taken from here.

I am a designer living and working in Cornwall. Me and my team use ancient singer sewing machines to stitch my lovely collections of accessories for fashion and the home.

Bridging the gap between fashion and craft my pieces are contemporary and individual and perfect if you are looking for something unique.

I sketch almost every day and subjects can be everything from the rooftops of St. Ives to knives, forks and tractors! Through stitch my drawings are transformed.

Having grown up in North Cornwall on the fringes of Bodmin Moor I studied at Falmouth Art College and then Winchester School of Art. From here I spent several years in Central America. living and working with women’s cooperatives. I returned to Cornwall in 2003 to set up my business and now live in Penzance.

Every piece I create is unique and individual. I search high and low to discover the most beautiful fabrics. I hope you enjoy using them as much as I enjoy making them.

In 2010 I opened my first shop in St Ives, Cornwall so if your visiting the county do come and visit.

My work is about transferring my drawings into stitch. I sketch almost every day and subjects can be everything from the roof tops of St. Ives to Andalusian chickens. Through stitch my drawings are transformed, they take on a looser more childlike quality and colours become patterned and textured fabrics. I work in both two and three dimensions making framed embroideries and textile 'pots'.

There is also a very practical aspect to my work which means my drawings may also become bags, cushion covers or tea-cosies.

Taken from here.

I've got this one!!!