42 Dream designs Meike Menze-Stöter from acufactum Ute Menze, talks to Craft Focus about their stunning designs Tell us a little bit about the company. Where are you based? When did the company start? acufactum is a trade and publishing company located in Iserlohn, North RhineWestphalia, in the west of Germany. The company was founded in 1989 and has been a family business ever since. Who founded the company and why? The company was initially founded by my mother, Ute Menze, as a retail business. Her hobby was cross stitch. Since she couldn’t source the materials close to home, she opened a needlework shop with a focus on embroidery How has the company evolved? The demand quickly increased and the premises had to be expanded. Ute Menze combined exclusive arts and craft with fine handicrafts and quickly became known beyond the city limits. In response to many requests, the retail business developed into a wholesale business. When I, her daughter, joined the company in the mid-nineties, the first books were published. Fine woven ribbons with their own designs were added to the embroidery ranges. Over the years, cross stitch became more and more associated with sewing and patchwork. The company’s own fabric collections with renowned illustrators have been popular worldwide for years now. What do you specialise in? Our main focus is on creating loving collections, which can be found in atmospheric needlework books, on fabrics, ribbons, patches, machine embroidery and cross stitch patterns Talk us through the current products you’re particularly excited about. Do you have a favourite? Michèle Brunnmeier Silke Schneider-Windt
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