Hello
Welcome to Crafts by Katie! I'm Katie, the creative mind behind the brand. My specialty is turning your baby's clothes into cherished keepsakes that you'll treasure forever.
From Fabric to Keepsakes – The Story of Crafts by Katie
From a very young age I’ve loved all things sewing and craft. My Grandma introduced me to a sewing machine in my early teens, and I was hooked straightaway. I still remember choosing fabrics in her local shop and stitching my very first project – a purple patchwork cushion.​
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Crafts by Katie began when I realised I was making far too many handmade items to keep or gift to family. Sewing has always been my creative outlet, so I started attending local craft fairs with baby bibs, aprons, bags – anything I could dream up. Alongside sewing, I worked in training roles and spent my pregnancy driving around Lincolnshire helping to support dementia-friendly communities with the Alzheimer’s Society.
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When I became a mum for the first time in Spring 2016, I decided to focus fully on my craft so I could work from home. Using some of George’s well-worn babygrows, I created my first keepsake quilt. I had already been quilting for years, so the process felt natural – and when a friend asked me to make one for her, Crafts by Katie truly began to grow. Since then, I’ve created well over 400 keepsake quilts and memory items for families, transforming cherished baby clothes into beautiful, lasting treasures.
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Alongside being a full-time mum and running my keepsake business here in Grantham, I also run The Fabric Squirrel – my online fabric shop. Somewhere in between I manage to eat, sleep, and tend to my garden and houseplants. I couldn’t do any of it without the support of my husband, whom I met when we were just 17.
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Both businesses complement each other perfectly: I’m surrounded by beautiful fabrics every day, and I can offer a wide range of high-quality backing fabrics for my keepsake quilts and memory animals. I feel incredibly lucky to share my love of sewing with my customers, and I honestly can’t imagine doing anything else.
My Story
From a very young age I have loved all things sewing and craft. My Grandma introduced me to a sewing machine in my early teens and since then I have been hooked. She took me to pick out some fabrics at her local fabric shop and we made a purple patchwork cushion.
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Crafts by Katie was born when I started creating too many things to use or gift to family. I simply needed a way to get some of my creativity out. I would attend craft fairs regularly with baby bibs, aprons, bags, pretty much anything! When I wasn't sewing I worked a number of jobs delivering and coordinating training and also spent my pregnancy driving around Lincolnshire trying to help make a more dementia friendly community through the Alzheimer's Society.
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When I became a Mum for the first time in the Spring of 2016 I decided to hone my craft in and really focus on it as a career to allow me to be a full time mum. With some of George's not so special babygrows, I created my first keepsake quilt. I wasn't new to quilting so this came easily to me. A friend then asked me to create one for her. It has grown and grown since then and I have now lost count of how many I have made, but it is nearing 300.
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Alongside being a full time mum and my keepsake business I also run The Fabric Squirrel, my online fabric shop. At some points during a 24 hour period I also manage to eat, sleep and tend to me garden and houseplants. I couldn't do it all without the support and encouragement of my husband who I met when we were just 17.
The two businesses are the perfect marriage, and they allow me to surround myself in pretty fabric and offer a wide range of fabric backings for my keepsakes. I am forever pinching myself that I am able to share my love of sewing with my customers and I now cannot imagine myself doing anything else.