Kirsty says, “I’ve known Nicola and Clive for over 10 years. In fact, they encouraged me to open the shop in Fordingbridge in the first place. I’m really excited about having two spaces and being able to help all the crafters out there. With both shops, I will be able to offer new and different types of stock to beginners and the more experienced quilters and seamstresses. This year has been hard for a lot of people and it’s been great to offer products that have helped people with taking up a new hobby or revisiting one. Sewing is very calming and good for the soul. Since we have reopened, it’s been lovely catching up with regulars and seeing what they have made during lockdown.”

Created by You in Fordingbridge offers classes for quilting, making blinds and sewing and these will continue alongside the pottery painting studio that Kirsty installed when she opened in 2017.

Kirsty adds, “It’s been great seeing people coming back in for workshops and the smaller groups have been more intimate. Our workshops on how to make your own masks have been really popular and have given me new opportunities to bond with the local community, who perhaps had never considered sewing as a hobby. Now, I’m looking to get to know some of the faces on the other side of the forest too as I split my team across the two sites.”

Kirsty, along with her partner Nick, will be taking on new team members at both shops as part of the expansion. Created By You is a winner of the 2020 Prestige award for the South of England and Nicola’s Fabrics won Highly Commended in the British Sewing Awards in 2019. Anyone who wants to help support this venture can donate at https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/new-forest-fabric-shop-tells-a-positive-yarn.