76 THE HERITAGE FAMILY Heritage Crafts’ Susan Ryder talks to Craft Focus about being a much-loved cross stitch supplier since the ’80s! Tell us a little bit about the company. Where are you based? When did the company start? In 1987 I gave up my job as a primary school teacher and turned my hobby of counted cross stitch into a business. We sell cross stitch and tapestry kits world-wide, which we produce here near Rugeley in rural Staffordshire. How has the company evolved? In the late ’80s cross stitch was becoming very popular and we were lucky enough to grow with it. I’d been producing my own designs for a while and it was lovely to be able to spend most of my time designing. We started by selling our kits at local shops and at craft fairs all over the country. I gave talks, demonstrations and workshops and it was very rewarding to see how much people enjoyed cross stitch and how therapeutic they found it. We next exhibited at trade shows in the UK and America, started working with other artists and designers and the business grew quite rapidly. Our kits were in most cross stitch shops in the country and we worked with distributors in other countries. It was a very exciting time! What do you specialise in? We started by specialising in designs of British buildings such as cathedrals, cottages, castles, and later maps of the British counties. This British theme still continues with lovely country scenes, landscapes and shoreline designs as well as British animals and evocative scenes from the past, but over the years we’ve extended our range to include more contemporary designs. Talk us through the current products you’re particularly excited about. Do you have a favourite? We’re always working on new designs and I have many favourites. At the moment my favoured design is Tranquillity by Elaine Serenum, which shows a beautiful swan swimming on lovely peaceful waters. I’m particularly excited about our
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