How This Craft Shop is Encouraging Creativity in Scarborough
Samantha Hunter opened her independent craft shop in Scarborough last year, and it's already become a creative hub for the whole community
Samantha started crafting in 2018, making clothes for herself and her daughter. ‘I wanted to sew an embroidered patch onto a skirt but couldn't find one I liked, so I learned how to make it myself,’ she explains. ‘At that point I was still working in childcare, so hand embroidery was something I picked up now and again rather than all the time.’
That all changed in lockdown. ‘The nursery I worked at closed and suddenly I had time at home,’ she says. ‘My daughter and I spent a lot of time walking around Scarborough and I started taking photos of places I love. When we were home, I’d sit and stitch. I began printing my photos onto fabric and hand embroidering over them, starting with a little seagull, and it just grew from there. Hand embroidery became really important for my mental health. It helped me slow down, focus and switch off, and I realised how powerful something as simple as stitching could be. That’s what led me to turn my Scarborough designs into hand embroidery kits, so other people could enjoy that calm, mindful flow of making too.’
The Stitching Lady, which opened in March 2025, grew from a love of crafting as a family. ‘My daughter and I both craft, but there aren’t many places in Scarborough to buy supplies for embroidery or crochet,’ explains Samantha. ‘I was always ordering things online and hoping for the best. Whenever we go anywhere new, we always look for yarn or craft shops and after a trip to Norway, where there were amazing craft shops everywhere, I started dreaming about opening my own. When a shop came up in 2024, it just felt right! Even the building felt meant to be – it was already painted in the colours of my embroidery branding. Bringing all our favourite crafts together in one space felt like the natural next step.’
Samantha’s independent craft shop specialises in hand embroidery, cross stitch, knitting and crochet, with a bit of needle felting and macrame, made by more than 20 independent makers, many of them based locally and throughout Yorkshire. ‘The shop is a lovely, welcoming space and very much about taking time,’ Samantha says. ‘We love a good chat about crafts too. All the kits we stock, including my Scarborough embroidery kits, are designed and put together by real people. A lot of thought goes into the instructions, the threads and the designs, so customers can relax and enjoy the process, not feel overwhelmed. The shop is a little creative hub.’
Supporting other makers was really important to Samantha from the start. ‘I’ve sold my own embroidery kits at artisan markets for years and made some lovely friends along the way, so I already knew there were loads of talented people doing great things,’ she says. ‘Some of our makers are local to Scarborough, York and Saltburn, and others I’d followed online for a long time. It feels good being able to support them and give their work a proper space in a craft shop.’
Samantha also runs workshops in crochet, knitting, macrame, needle felting, hand embroidery and cross stitch. ‘We keep the groups small so everyone gets proper support, especially beginners,’ she says. ‘The workshops are more than just learning a new skill, they’re about switching off, taking a breather and enjoying making something with your hands. We keep things relaxed and friendly and there’s no pressure to be “good” at it.
‘A lot of people walk in and say it’s their idea of heaven, or tell me their mum would absolutely love it! That always makes me smile, I know my late gran would have loved it too. People often comment on how lovely the shop is and how nice it is to have a space that’s about creativity and wellbeing, not rushing or doing things perfectly. I’m most proud of the people we’ve helped. Seeing people gain confidence, relax and enjoy themselves has been the best part of it all.’
One collaboration Samantha is particularly proud of is her ongoing work with Dads Behaving Madly, a local support group for dads and male carers of children with SEN. ‘I suggested trying a craft workshop because of how good making can be for mental wellbeing, and because crafts shouldn’t just be for women,’ she says. ‘They absolutely loved it! One dad said he’d been put off art at school years ago and never tried again because of a comment that he wasn’t good at it, but he found the macrame session really therapeutic and felt proud of what he’d made. They’re coming back for more sessions this year.’
Looking to the future, Samantha hopes one day for a bigger space to continue her work. ‘My dream is a craft and bookshop with a café,’ she says. ‘For now though, I just want to keep getting more people into crafting and help them experience how good it can be for your mental health. If people leave feeling calmer than when they came in, I’ve done my job. Crafting helped my own mental wellbeing so much and that’s something I’m really passionate about sharing. My Scarborough hand embroidery kits are especially close to my heart because they’re about slowing down and celebrating the place I’ve grown up in.’
