Want to see our OriginalStitch Manuals? These are where the Stitchers get all their information, from which fabrics to choose, to which stitches to use. Take a factory tour!

Catherine, founder of OriginalStitch
Catherine tends to spend most of her time designing product prototypes and dreaming about new collections for OriginalStitch, whilst chivvying her Stitchers and cooing over everything they make. Either that or she’s in the innards of the website, or picking up daughters from school and wondering idly when she will ever get round to doing the laundry. Catherine doesn’t get much time for making anything to sell, but when she does, her OriginalStitch symbol is a little fiddle, because she’s a musician too. Sometimes she does a little melodeon – but bets you don’t know what one is! Keep your eyes peeled, you never know, you might just get one in your next order.
 Amanda
Amanda is the original OriginalStitcher! She made the mistake of saying she had some time on her hands, and owned a sewing machine, and got pounced on by Catherine at the school Harvest Festival. Since then she hasn’t looked back, and steals her daughter’s clothes for Pencil Rolls, then lies about it. She’s got two quite big boys too, and sports the pencil roll when she and daughter have to drag themselves round after the rugby playing boys. Amanda joins Catherine in the steering of the OriginalStitch ship through crafty waters. OriginalStitch symbol: A little dormouse, because she always used to fall asleep everywhere!
Shelagh
Shelagh is Catherine’s mum, and chief product design consultant and advisor. She slaves over a hot dolly sling most days, when not making quilts, curtains, clothes or woolly bobble hats; or else she can be found nattering at her local knitting group KnitWits, or spinning yarns at her spinning group. As if that weren’t enough she’s also a dab-hand at getting dressed up in leathers as the pillion on Mr Shelagh/Catherine’s dad’s Harley Davidson, or rearing vast amounts of veg from her garden near the seaside, whilst simultaneously renovating the entire house. OriginalStitch Symbol: A little thistle, because although she grew up in England, she’s Scottish really.
 Kirsty
Catherine was so jealous of Kirsty’s beautiful cottage in the Chilterns when she first went in, that she announced she might burgle it. She decided in the end to use it instead for product photoshoots, since it’s full to the rafters with beautiful things made from fabric. Kirsty is a real clever bod – doing a City and Guilds in Quilting, and she will be heading up our Bespoke Quilts department when we launch that this year. In the meantime though she is busy making OriginalStitch products and sporting a bump to add to the menagerie of two boys, a dog, a cat and a husband! OriginalStitch Symbol: A little button
Jennie
Jennie is one of those types that's always been crafty, making dolls and Barbie clothes when she was small. "My fave was a circle with a hole in it and voila! A skirt!". We can assure you her skills are a little more advanced now! She finally took the plunge into running her own little craft business last year, after a break from a fashion and textiles course to have her three boys, and a career in the NHS. Jennie's work can be seen in some of our bright and jolly kids' backpacks - go check 'em out! OriginalStitch Symbol: A daisy - "I love daisies for their simple unassuming beauty. And as much as I love my three boys to bits, it is looking like I will never have that little girl called Daisy!"
 Mairi
Mairi is Catherine’s sister, and thus fell from the same crafty apple tree as Catherine. In her proper job she’s a bookseller, but she also finds time to design gorgeous little things from fabric, which will make their way into our Personal Style collections when they launch next year. More importantly though, she is a master baker of devilishly good muffins, which we in the family call Starry Mairi’s Muffins, and urge her to open a shop of that name. OriginalStitch Symbol: A little book (although her husband said “What about that elephant bum picture you can draw?”)

Julian
Julian knows absolutely nothing about fabric, or stitching; in fact his total inability to notice cushion covers, quilts or tea-cosies is quite legendary. However, he possesses an excellent business mind, which is just as well because wife Catherine sometimes says things like “I don’t want this one to sell, I love it so much I want to keep it...” So Julian is on hand to stick his oar in on the commercial side of things. He is also Chief Entertainer of small daughters at weekends while their Mum makes what he would probably describe as 'a bit of a mess' in her sewing room. OriginalStitch Symbol: Julian would have a little football, if he ever learned to stitch!
|