Did you know that the part of the brain responsible for memory is right beside the part responsible for smell? This explains why smell, like nothing else, causes memories to come flooding back into our minds. We’ve probably all had numerous experiences of walking into a new environment and being immediately immersed in a scent which triggers a vivid memory. This could be the smell of a detergent ushering in a deluge of memories of school corridors and lockers; maybe it’s a type of food, submerging you for a moment in a warm, cosy world. Or perhaps it’s a complete blindsider, when a fragrance you’ve not smelt for decades suddenly transports you back to a childhood incident you’d completely forgotten. 

We all associate scents with different seasons. Crisp, light floral notes as new life bursts forth in spring; heady, full notes in summer alongside some classic holiday fragrances such as coconut or sea air; warm, earthy, vibes are what’s needed for the autumn such as vanilla and cinnamon; and rich spicy, scents for winter, with extra layers of orange and clove for Christmas. 

Christmas scents are perhaps the most evocative of all. The smell of freshly cooked mince pies or ginger spiced cookies wafting from the kitchen, the fresh fragrance of pine as Christmas trees are hauled into the house and the inviting aroma of mulled wine gently warming on the hob, all conjure up memories of Christmases past and dreams of Christmases to come.  

While perfect Christmases don’t exist, there is so much we can enjoy and appreciate about this season, not least some cosy evenings at home, with lights twinkling, a warm candle flickering and a mug of something warm and comforting cradled in our hands. What better to usher in these cosy Christmas vibes than a hand-crafted candle, wax melt or reed fragrance?  

These days we are all familiar with the busy run up to Christmas, however, in days gone by, the four weeks leading up to Christmas (known as Advent) were a time of preparation, reflection and fasting. While we generally don’t observe these four weeks in such a way now, in order to avoid losing our heads in a whirl of panic buying, it’s probably a good idea to pause and reflect and be thankful for all we have instead. A beautiful way to weave this into our daily lives is to light a candle and relax… 

Here at Craft Insurance, we are delighted to have a wonderful array of clients who create home fragrances and have shelves jam packed with irresistible products. Candles are particularly linked with the Christmas season, and their warm glow is assured to create a welcoming atmosphere. There is a plethora of mass-produced candles, less expensive than hand crafted ones, but we would obviously recommend buying locally made candles, crafted with love and skill.  

A candle from one of our clients will be made with artisan craftsmanship, using responsibly sourced raw ingredients. Many craft businesses try to use local suppliers, which supports the local economy rather than pouring pounds into big retailers. Their carbon footprint is much smaller than their factory counterparts as they use time honoured methods, relying on manual labour rather than energy consuming machinery, and all this generates less waste products. Thought is put into packaging too, with many wrapping their products in plastic free alternatives. In addition to all this, the raw materials will be of a higher quality and so the candle will last longer.  

We all love Christmassy fragrances, but there is more awareness now of the health risks associated with synthetic fragranced candles. The answer to this is obviously to buy hand crafted candles, made with natural products like bees’ wax, soy or coconut wax, with wicks made from cotton or wood. And, rather than manufactured scents, handmade candles use all natural botanicals, giving not only a much more defined scent, but a clean burn.  

If you have hopped onto our website to explore home fragrance making insurance, you are very welcome! Or you might be looking to renew your insurance and research the best deals. Our basic package for home fragrance making insurance comprises public and product liability insurance and also includes professional indemnity cover. Public liability insurance covers you for any claims made that harm of damage has been caused by yourself or a member of our team as a direct consequence of a business activity. For example, if something has fallen to the ground at a fair and a member of the public trips over and has a minor injury, this insurance would cover you for compensation and/or legal fees.  

Product liability insurance covers you for any claims made that your product has caused harm or injury. With both, even if it is not your fault, the insurance will cover you. While you will ensure risk assessments are up to date and common sense will avoid most mishaps, it is the unexpected incidents that we can’t foresee for which insurance is our buffer.  

Professional indemnity insurance is also included in our package, and this allows you to teach or demonstrate your craft. If you are not already doing this, you might consider holding candle making workshops or courses? If you have home fragrance making insurance with us, you will be covered to do this. 

As you research insurance quotes, you’ll notice that Craft Insurance aims to deliver what we say, with no exclusions and clarity and transparency. We are a family-run business and have the benefit of having learnt from those who have worked in craft insurance for decades; we have assessed the risks and know what craft business owners need. So, get a quote from our website, and if you need any help, pick up the phone and either Sam or Naomi will be glad to assist.  

Along with tea, Marmite, and Cadbury’s chocolate, the thing often most missed by Brits living abroad is our seasons. There is something both comfortingly familiar and invigoratingly new about our seasonal rhythms. CS Lewis explains this as providing just enough predictability to give us a sense of reassurance and just enough change for a sense of surprise.  

We know that snowdrops will appear in January and yet are still delighted to see them. We look with expectancy for spring blossom and are pleased and appreciative when it appears in all its delicate, frothy glory. We plan holidays with the expectancy of warm summer weather and are glad to exchange heavy winter coats and boots for T shirts and sandals. As the sun’s heat gradually wanes and the season of mellow autumn abundance is ushered in, we would be upset if there were no conkers to collect and our hedgerows were not adorned with scarlet berries. And then as the year reaches its conclusion in winter, we baton down the hatches and make the most of cosy evenings at home, knowing that it will not be too long before those tentative green spikes emerge through the sodden soil and the snowdrops will appear, bringing with them the hope of longer days and warmer weather.  

As well as the changing seasons of our environment, seasons also change within our own lives and the lives of our businesses. These do not follow a regular a cycle and indeed are not always welcome, but it is good to be aware of them. We will experience seasons when we’re full of energy, overflowing with ideas and excited about the future. These are very productive both personally and within our businesses; we’re metaphorically sowing seeds, making connections starting new ventures and relationships.  

Then we have seasons when we maybe don’t have much capacity to take on new projects or tasks, but we’re swinging along at a steady pace; nothing new, but just a stable everyday walk. We could call these our summer seasons. We associate autumn with abundance, but also with the falling of leaves, preparing for the winter. We could liken this both to seasons of harvest and of letting go. We have sown the seeds, worked hard for a sustained period and then a season arrives when we’re able to reap the benefits of the effort we’ve put in over the years. There also will be seasons when we are full to the brim; we simply don’t have capacity for anymore, and we need to consider letting go of some commitments. 

Finally, we come to the winter season, maybe the least understood. Winter is a time when everything looks dead and bare; no leaves, very few flowers, long, cold nights. It’s a time when many animals hibernate and birds migrate to warmer climes. Yet….it is also the time when the soil is prepared for next year’s sowing; historically it’s the time when tools were mended, and hedges and ditches were repaired and maintained and animals fed and kept warm. Days are short, so there was more time indoors and less time physically working the land. We all have winter seasons in our lives, and this can overflow into our businesses; times when we are bone weary, when we have no new ideas and see the future through very blurred lenses. Time worn habits are helpful to keep us gently moving forward through these seasons, but maybe they are also times when we genuinely need to rest and restore. Although the outlook may look bleak, these may well be times when when, while we rest, the soil is quietly being prepared for the next rush of creativity.  

As our businesses traverse through varying seasons, one thing we have to do with regularity but also need to evaluate for change, is craft insurance renewal. Every year, before you do your craft insurance renewal it’s worth checking through what has changed in your business over the last year to ensure you get the best package, ideally suited for your unique business. Here are a few things to look through. 

Have your contact details changed? Are there any updates in the crafts you are making, teaching or demonstrating? Our basic package at Craft Insurance consists of product and public liability and in addition we include professional indemnity insurance in this. Thus, you are covered to sell, teach or demonstrate your craft.  

What about tools and machinery? Have you purchased or updated any of these this year? If so, you are able to add business items cover for any individual items you want to insure. This is well worth considering if your business is reliant on the tools or equipment you use. You might also consider insuring your stock/raw materials. Our insurance covers you for any damage to these, both in your workshop/ place of storage and in transit to shows and fairs.  

Have your sales increased? If your annual turnover is more that £250,000 or sales to USA/Canada more than £25,000 …well done! You’ll need to note that on your insurance renewal.  

Is there anything else that feels different to last year? Are there any other ways in which you’ve expanded or stepped out into new ventures?  

If you’re looking for craft insurance renewal and haven’t come to Craft Insurance before, it’s great you’re here now! We are a small family business with decades’ worth of experience in working with craft insurance. We know the risks involved and have evaluated and built our policies around them. We almost certainly won’t be the cheapest in a search, but this is intentional. Our policies are clear and transparent and don’t have lots of exclusions. We communicate directly with each of our customers, either by phone or online, whichever is easier for you; no long waits in an anonymous call queue. As a family business we, like you, value each one of our customers. So, pick up the phone or drop us a line and either Sam or Naomi will be here to talk with you. We look forward to hearing about your unique business!  

A perusal through the history of quilting not only enlightens us to the engaging story of the twists and turns in the evolution of the quilt but also gives us a fascinating insight into the social history of certain time periods. The earliest mention of quilting in Britain was in the medieval era, when it was used to make bed covers, wall hangings and clothes. The padded nature of a quilt made it a comfortable option of clothing to wear under armour. We then see this technique emerge in the production of quilted silk doublets and breeches in the 17th century, and later being used in the creation of jackets and waistcoats. 

While we may associate quilting with the home, quilts were also made professionally in some larger towns and cities around the UK. The word ‘quilt’ stems from the Latin word ‘culcita’ which means bolster or cushion. Quilting involves two layers of fabric joined together, with a layer of wadding in between. 

Whilst creating a quilt was generally a solitary occupation in Britain, across the Atlantic, in the USA and Canada, it became a group task. Known as Quilting Bees, these gatherings emerged as groups of pioneering women congregated together to work on a quilt. Born out of the necessity to create low cost, warm bed coverings, women sewed away in their own homes over the winter and then in the warmer, summer months convened to assemble to quilt. Soon these became a vital social hub, an opportunity for women who were far from their homes and families of birth, to share stories, swap recipes and walk through the joys and challenges of life together.  

They were the ultimate in upcycling, using worn out clothing and scraps of material to make a new, repurposed item. The quilts they made were not just functional, but beautiful and personal, often telling a story for those who made them. Girls were taught alongside their mothers and neighbours and quilts were created for special occasions such a marriage or the birth of a baby. They often became a family heirloom, being passed down from one generation to the next.  

Quilts helped retain cultural memories across the continents too. For those fleeing from revolutions and uprisings in the twentieth century, the clothes they wore might have been one of the few vestiges they had left of the past. When finally, they were outgrown, some were made into quilts. These precious heirlooms were then passed down through generations. We can almost hear the stories that might have been told as children snuggled up under the family quilt that linked them to their heritage.    

More recent British history saw the resurgence of interest in quilting at the beginning of the twentieth century; out of this grew numerous quilting guilds and groups, a few of which still continue today. Then, with the craft revival of the 1970’s, a fresh interest in quilting arose, with the advent of more guilds and societies; here women met to exchange ideas, learn new techniques and enjoy each other’s company, alongside creating many stunning quilts.  

Quilting Guilds, groups and societies continue to this day, offering the opportunity to learn a new skill as well as hone and expand existing ones. There are many excellent teachers, and local guilds will often hold exhibitions to showcase their work or give talks or demonstrations which are sometimes open to members of the public as well as to guild members. So, if this is a skill you already have or you are looking to learn something new, you might consider joining a local group. This is a fantastic way to develop your craft, while also opening the door to a welcoming community of like-minded people to make new friendships over tea, quilting and conversation.  

If you are a skilled quilter and considering selling, demonstrating or teaching your craft, or are already doing so, you will need to think about quilters’ insurance. Quilters’ insurance includes public and product liability insurance. Public liability insurance covers you if a claim is made by a member of the public for damage to property or injury to themselves, which they believe is caused by you or one of your team in relation to your work. Whether it is your fault or not, it will cover compensation and/or legal fees.  

Product liability insurance covers you if a claim is made that one of your products has caused harm or injury. Again, whether it is your fault or not, it covers compensation and legal fees. In addition, here at Craft Insurance this basic quilter’s insurance package of ours also includes professional indemnity insurance. This allows you to teach or demonstrate your craft, and covers you if you inadvertently give wrong information, leaving you free to enjoy passing on the skills and expertise you have gained over the years.  

If you are a seasoned, artisan quilter, you might like to consider forming your own quilting group and teaching your craft. As all our budgets are getting tighter, maybe we can learn from the women of previous centuries and rather than taking our old textiles to the recycling centre, make use them instead to create a beautiful, warm quilt which could both stave off the need for heating for a little longer, and brighten up any room as an eye-catching centrepiece.  

As the days are getting shorter and the temperature cools, our focus pivots from outdoor adventures to cosy evenings at home, curled up in a chair in front of the fire, warm mug of hot chocolate and a good book at hand, wrapped in a soft blanket. This sounds pretty dreamy, but we could take it one step further, and that soft blanket could be a handmade quilt; maybe it would include scraps from old sheets, or children’s outgrown clothes, or a wedding veil, or a favourite but stained tablecloth. What story would you tell?