A ‘craftpreneur’ who caught the eye of Dragon Theo Paphitis has told how the attention couldn’t have come at a better time.
Gemma Winter is the bubbly character behind online business It Started With a Stitch.
And while early lockdown saw creatives embark on an ordering frenzy, recent weeks have seen a lull - with uncertainty abounding.
She also falls outside of the government support packages, having made the long-held passion her career when she left retail management.
Last Monday had felt like a particularly big ask for the normally enthusiastic business woman, but a social media alert telling her she had won the retail tycoon’s Small Business Sunday Twitter competition quickly put the spring back in her step.
Her Waltham-based work was showcased to more than half a million followers in his weekly initiative, now a decade old and nearly a decade on from fellow Grimbarian Jo Smedley’s Red Herring Games win.
Like her predecessor who moved to online murder mystery events, she too has had to modify and diversify after the pandemic cut her off from her pom-pom parties and studio workshops, where she shares her crafting passion.
“I’ve followed Theo for a long time,” she said. “Like many, I watch Dragon’s Den, see some people and think ‘I should go on that’, more so now with Sara Davies, a craft entrepreneur there - she is doing exactly what I’d like to do.
Most Read
“I’ve tried to inject personality when I’ve entered, I’ve put pictures up of children who have had pom-pom parties, and I’ve covered over my lockdown thing, my Facebook Lives, online videos, all that I have been doing to make it accessible. It was incredible to see I’d won.”
The publicity hit has seen congratulations pour in, from previous winners to parcel giants DHL - as well as Theo himself.
Gemma’s love of craft and creation saw her study for a degree in Embroidery in Manchester, with a visit to the Saatchi gallery in London inspiring her to use text as art.
First pieces were sold in Affleck’s Palace in Manchester, with many of her skills self-tought, having found a supplier in Didsbury.
From an aside while working in retail - including 15 years with House of Fraser - she took the plunge and made it all-consuming in 2017.
She describes herself as having the ”eye of a magpie and a desire to experiment with bringing traditional crafts back up to date” and with the ability to “embellish the life into anything” from wall hanging to wedding decor.
A home workshop and space at Welholme Works, the former FA Would HQ in Ladysmith Road, had helped her thrive.
Don’t miss
“The beginning of lockdown was amazing, everyone panicked - creatives were thinking ‘all this time at home, what can I do?’ Gemma said, casting her mind back to March. “People were sewing, crocheting and learning to knit. I was so busy. There was demand for what could be posted, and I changed what I stocked to make sure it could get through a letter box.”
The mother-of-one produced 11 videos and launched subscription models too with kits, with online follow-ups for those more serious.
However, as the pandemic has stretched out, she is feeling the pain of the lack of physical opportunity.
“The last couple of months have been a struggle, I fall outside the help, shops can get grants, other business bank loans, but I’m managing to keep my head above water,” she said.