60 Quirky textiles Poppy Treffry, Compan Director and Tamsin Hosken, Wholesale Manager talk to Craft Focus about their fabulous range of giftware and sewing projects Tell us a little bit about the company. Where are you based? When did the company start? The company was first started in 2004 in a tiny attic space in Newlyn, Cornwall. Initially it was just Poppy and one very old Singer sewing machine which she used to develop a technique called Freehand Machine Embroidery. Her first collection featured tea cosies, cushions and textile pots drawn in stitch with imagery taken direct from her sketches of fishing boats, cottages and flowers. How has the company evolved? What’s new? Over the years the company has grown and Poppy began to work with freelance stitchers to re-create her designs. As orders came in, she recruited a small team to work with her on cutting and finishing the products, and then on marketing and production. During the Covid pandemic Poppy developed an online course which she called Embroidery Club which took off and now forms an important part of the year for the team. Her new course Quilt Club takes place in early 2023. What do you specialise in? We specialise in freehand machine embroidery, and we sell mainly accessories, gifts and homewares all featuring Poppy’s designs, either embroidered or printed. Our little coin purses are a staple product as are our little embroidered products. More recently, our new sewing projects (inspired by Poppy’s embroidery clubs) have become great new products and opened up new customers in the crafts sector. Talk us through the current products you’re particularly excited about. Do you have a favourite? We’re really excited about our new tea cosy project. Tea cosies have been a quirky feature of Poppy’s collections right from the beginning so it will be lovely to offer a cosy that customers can make themselves. The design is inspired by Cornish coves and lighthouses and we’re really happy with it! Do your products suit all levels of crafters? Our sewing projects are perfect for those just starting out with their first sewing machine but they’re also great for the experienced sewer who wants a quick achievable project, and they make great gifts too.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTA0NTE=