Cathryn Ward designs and creates a range of child friendly products from wool felt. Cathryn started her business when she lived in Cape Town, South Africa, teaching felting and sewing. “I was lucky enough to meet some amazing women from different backgrounds, I would teach them to felt and sew and design products for them to sell in boutique stores in South Africa and abroad. A lot of these products were featured in magazines such as Elle decoration and in Lark book series “500 Felt Objects”
Cathryn now lives in Jersey and makes her products from home continuing her business Skaapie (which means little sheep or lamb in Afrikaans). Cathryn still works with wool and felting, saying she “fell in love with it’s versatility, creative freedom and unique natural properties.” Since becoming a mother, Cathryn has been inspired to “create my range of child friendly products ranging from blankets and cushions to toys and accessories.”
Each product Cathryn makes is original and handcrafted. All the patterns are hand drawn, Cathryn felts the wool she uses, and even dyes the felt herself, so no two items are ever exactly the same. Cathryn particularly loves creating handmade toys, as she explains: “Handmade toys are not only more fun and creative but help children use their imagination too. I just love seeing how kids respond to a handmade item made with love. I think in today’s world, children need to reconnect with the natural world more than ever, and I hope I can contribute to that in some small way.”
Cathryn goes on to say “I love to be challenged in my work and enjoy making unusual and unique pieces and am always happy to accept custom requests.”
Follow Skaapie on Facebook here: SkaapieHandmade
Instagram here: @skaapie_handmade
Find out more and shop online here: myskaapie.co.uk
