“Is this even real?”: How a SWEF Grant backed a Somerset maker’s breakthrough

When Kathryn Lewis, the 30-year-old Somerset-based rug-maker behind Fluft UK, was commissioned for her dream project there was a moment when she began to doubt the request was even real.

But a quick check confirmed it – top fashion designer Richard Quinn was asking her to make a custom daisy design rug to go in Liberty’s to help promote his new collection.

“It was just an amazing feeling to get the commission,” she says.

“There was one point when I was thinking ‘hold on – is this just a spam email?’. But we confirmed it was genuine. Getting the material was a challenge, plus it was so big we had to move the project out of my workshop into my dad’s garage to complete it.”

Kathryn has always been creative – a talent nurtured when she baked and made cards with her grandma as a child. After leaving a stressful job she discovered crocheting as a hobby during lockdown, which led to an interest in rug-tufting.

The idea she could translate her talent into a business came from an unlikely place: her husband needing a new mat for his Ford Transit Van. Despite looking everywhere (including Ford) – nothing fitted the van right.

“I’d seen online about rug-tufting and just thought, ‘well I can make you a rug if we buy a kit’,” says Kathryn.

“It basically went from there and we started selling products at local artisan markets. People saw what I did and wanted to do it themselves, so we began to run workshops. I wanted to create a relaxed space where people could have a creative outlet and take their designs home at the end of the day.”

Growing her business

The Richard Quinn commission attracted other clients who wanted luxury hand-made rugs. And a SWEF Enterprise Fund Grant for £1,500 helped support Kathryn as her small business developed into something bigger.

“It’s really helped me grow,” she says.

“It’s given me help expanding to where I need to be: putting money towards advertising and making sure I can buy wool and materials for my work. It’s definitely given me a push in the right direction.”

Right now, with a newborn baby to care for, Kathryn is putting the workshops temporarily on hold to concentrate on new commissions. Fulfilling a creative brief can be challenging – but Kathryn says she loves the delight when clients see a finished product.

“It’s brilliant when someone gets that bespoke rug and you can see that they’re over the moon,” she says.

“I absolutely love giving people that feeling.”

Our SWEF Enterprise Fund provides business grants of up to £2,000 to young business owners aged between 18-30 in Somerset, North Somerset and BANES. We have grants available for Start-Ups and Established Businesses.