Sarah Hodgkinson
A Derby mum who ditched a successful career in engineering for crafts during the pandemic has won a national award.
Sarah Hodgkinson set up Crafty You Crafty Me in July 2020 after taking redundancy from the aerospace division of Rolls-Royce. The business, which sees Sarah produce craft kits for enthusiasts and host creative workshops across the UK, has been a huge hit with demand for felting, sewing and DIY mosaic packs at an all-time high.
And now Sarah, from Hilton, has been awarded top-prize in the prestigious Best New Product category of the Craft Business Awards 2021 for her mosaic coaster party pack.
She said: “The past 18 months has been a huge learning curve for me, and I am absolutely over the moon to have received such huge recognition for my business from industry insiders.
“The mosaic party pack has been one of our biggest sellers this year. We’ve had a lot of orders for the Christmas mosaic and Christmas sewing kits – including a big order for 800 sets from a buyer in Manchester – as people start their Christmas shopping. Our festive felting kits have been really popular, too.”
It may seem like quite a diverse change of career for the 37-year-old but, says Sarah, there are striking similarities between engineering and crafting.
“The general product design, so how you take an initial concept and turn it into an actual product are pretty much the same,” she said, “and crafting a final design from individual parts uses a similar logic.
“For example, the felt penguin kits we make, when you break them down, are made up of a number of shapes assembled together bit by bit to make your penguin.
“I find crafting really therapeutic; it’s great for mental wellbeing and I find nothing more relaxing than crafting in an evening or creating felt animals – as long as you don’t stab yourself with the felting needle!”
Her love of crafts began at an early age and she would frequent the wool shops in her home city of Bristol and, later when she moved to Derby, Wren’s; the family business which has been in Allenton for more than 45 years.
She jokes that there is a long-standing family debate over who taught her to knit, aged six, but one thing she is certain of is the positive impact that crafting can have on mental wellbeing.
“Coronavirus saw a huge change in mindset,” said Sarah, who spent 14 years working for Rolls-Royce.
“It changed the way in which we all went about our daily lives, and I think we’re all far better at taking care of our mental wellbeing post-pandemic.
“Crafting is fantastic for wellbeing. I have held sessions with yoga groups which have been really successful while sessions I hosted at National Lottery Heritage venues and community sessions in local village halls have done well.”
Sarah has had support for her fledgling business from fellow SMEs in Derby and Derbyshire; she’s collaborated with small companies including Swadlincote cosmetics brand Divine Box and Colleague Box – the Derby business set up during the first national lockdown by Spondon husband-and-wife, Adam and Natalie Bamford.
And that, she says, has been a highlight of the past 18 months.
“A lot of hard work has gone into making Crafty You, Crafty Me a success over the last year-and-a-bit,” said Sarah, “and having the support of other local businesses like Divine Box and Colleague Box has been a huge boost.”
Sarah has had support, too, from former Dragons’ Den star Theo Paphitis, who shared a few pearls of wisdom with her at a trade fayre a couple of months’ back.
She said: “Crafty You, Crafty Me was lucky enough to be selected as one of Theo Paphitis’s ‘Small Business Sunday’ winners; every Sunday, Theo chooses six lucky small businesses to endorse on social media platform Twitter and these businesses are then invited to enter their profile on the SBS website.
“You’re then invited to attend networking events throughout the UK and it was at
at an event for small businesses where he was a keynote speaker, that I had the chance to quiz him about what makes a successful start-up. It was great to meet Theo in-person and to take away a few words of wisdom from such a well-respected business owner.”
Sarah has big plans for Crafty You, Crafty Me for 2022 with new ranges planned and workshops pencilled in throughout the year. She sees the wholesale market as an area in which she’d like to expand further.
“Selling kits in large quantities is something which we’re getting better at and there is a real need for it,” smiles Sarah, “I’m excited to see the business grow further in 2022 and this award gives us the kudos to push on.”
Crafty You, Crafty Me have a range of kits – from sewing kits to mosaic packs and felting kits – kits which are perfect for beginners and intermediate crafters. Prices start from £9.95. For further information visit: www.craftyyoucraftyme.com or email: [email protected].
