Owner and kit designer Stephanie has been crafting and drawing since she can remember and spent her childhood with a pencil in hand doodling on anything and everything (see photographic proof!). After a brief spell in hospitality and event management, she was re-introduced to contemporary craft whilst working at a local craft centre and in 2010 branched out on her own to open her very own gallery and workshop space in North Dorset called Hawthorn. It was there that she taught herself how to needle felt on the quiet days (of which there were many!). This quickly progressed to selling her finished wool sculptures around the country at shows and exhibitions as well as teaching hundreds of keen stabbers how to magically turn fluffy wool into beautiful creatures and decorations. Her original needle felting kits evolved from these workshops, and in May 2013 after months of development, Hawthorn Handmade was born.
