Meet The Designer
Sally Sutcliffe from Bee Creative Designs talks about her mission to build a creative crafting community in Clitheroe and reconnect with East Lancashire’s rich textile heritage
When former textiles teacher Sally Sutcliffe met soft furnishings maker Jane Staples in late 2019, it was the beginning of a truly magical partnership. Starting out on the kitchen table, Sally and Jane began to build a business making beautiful soft furnishings in the Ribble Valley.
“Our plan was to just have a go and help out family and friends with bespoke curtains, blinds and cushions, but word soon spread and we decided to launch a soft furnishings business, where you could actually meet the makers and get to know the people whose hands had stitched your curtains,” explained Sally.
Having studied textile design at university, Sally really wanted to reinvigorate the textile and craft heritage of Clitheroe and the Ribble Valley: “We live in an area that was once at the heart of British textiles and while the mills may have closed, the areas’ rich textile heritage remains part of the very fabric of Clitheroe and the wider Ribble Valley.”
From starting out on the kitchen table, Bee Creative expanded quickly, literally taking over Sally’s house, until they took the plunge and secured a business unit on Hawthorn Business Park, near Collins White tiles and Leaping Lizards last summer.
“It’s all been a bit Elves and the Shoemaker,” said Sally. “We kept reinvesting in the business, buying more fabric or new machines while working on our main projects. Our new location is the perfect place for us – we’ve created a light and airy studio for ourselves and others to, literally, be creative.”
And indeed the space is inspirational – there are views of the castle and Clitheroe skyline to the front of the workshop and scenic views of Pendle and the open countryside to the rear. With easy access and plenty of free parking, the ladies have made the space a feel-good place to be.
The workshop is open on weekdays from 9am to 4.30pm and visitors are very welcome to pop in to discuss projects, browse fabric samples or just chat about interiors in general. Sal and Jane are also happy to visit prospective clients’ homes for consultations.
“We want people to feel welcome in our environment,” said Jane. “It’s a workshop, first and foremost, but customers can sit and browse through an interiors magazine with a tea or coffee whilst chatting to us, look at fabric samples or pick our brains for design ideas.”
From a home measuring service, to making the furnishings and organising fitting, Sally and Jane take the stress out of each step of the process.
“Our approach is slightly different because we will make your curtains from any fabric. We work in collaboration with local fabric suppliers to help you choose the most suitable for your job, but we also re-make curtains and do alterations, as we love a bit of upcycling and appreciate that not everyone can afford to splash out on metres of fabric to make new curtains from scratch.”
And more is yet to come: “The interiors side of the business is now quite well established and people are getting to know what we do and where we are,” said Sally. “But I just can’t get the teaching bug out of my system – I love sharing knowledge and seeing people flourish.
“Making something beautiful is a great flow activity and gives you such a sense of achievement – so it’s not just Jane and myself ‘being creative’, we really want to inspire and encourage others to find their happy place.
“On the crafting side we’ve started off with some one-day workshops and evening classes – split into dressmaking skills and general, arts and crafts sewing skills. We are looking to expand this and we’re talking to local community groups to offer workshops throughout the year.
“We want to collaborate with people and offer more courses in our workshop. Ultimately, it’s about building a bigger and better sense of community for anyone interested in interiors and crafts. It’s these social threads that bind us together.”
01200 871536
hello@beecreativedesigns.org
beecreativedesigns.org
