INSPIRING PEOPLE

Cornwall based designer Emma Horan found lockdown presented her with a unique opportunity to move to a brand-new St Austell studio

Written by Lucy Evans

Fancy stitching by the sea, not just on holiday, but all year round? That’s what Emma Horan gets to do! With a range of cross stitch kits based on the Cornish coastal landscapes and seascapes, she’s happiest being creative in her adopted county, launching her new St Austell studio and shop this year.

Emma, who didn’t get hooked on stitching until her mid thirties, re-located to Cornwall a few years ago. There she was inspired to create acrylic paintings of the coast. “As I had also just started stitching I was on the hunt for colourful modern cross stitch and thought I would try and combine the two,” she recalls. “I purchased some graph paper but then by chance stumbled upon some cross stitch design software in a second-hand bookshop for 20p so thought I had to give it a proper go. I completed my first design, St Ives North Harbour (and stitched three different versions) –I posted the picture on twitter with the hashtag #crossstitch and the response was incredible.”