the following year I started trying to sell my own designs locally. I met Ann Sutton, a well-known weaver based in Arundel, and it was Ann who suggested that I find a mill to weave the fabric I had designed. “She gave me some contacts in Ireland and I found a mill that would weave me thirty metres of fabric. That arrived in February 1999 and I had to start selling that. “But the Irish mill closed down, so we tried a Scottish mill and they still weave a small amount for us. But most of the fabric we have here is woven in Belgium. “I did try hard to find a mill in England, but they were all closing just as I was starting out, mainly due to competition from overseas. Initially there was a drain to India and now it’s China. “When I began researching, I found that some people who were having their linen woven in India would regularly find mistakes in the work. But they would simply send it back as it is just so cheap. “But I didn’t want that. I want it to be right every time. So we spend a little more to have it produced by the best mills we can find. Also, for many people who know fabrics well, Irish linen is still held in high regard as it’s so fine.”
Starting Small Eventually, Fran opened a showroom close to her home in Nuthurst in 2003. The footfall was very small but gradually the customer base grew, until Fran decided to make the jump into the