We meet the sister creator duo behind adorable woodland animal rag dolls made in Greenwich
Tell us the story of Little Loomers…
Little Loomers: We are twin sisters Sam and Laura and Little Loomers began for us after we both graduated with creative degrees; Sam in fine art and Laura in fashion design.
We have both always been crafty and decided to combine our skills to create our little business, where we create child-friendly woodland animal rag dolls that are ideal for tiny hands. We have been lucky enough to continue on all these years doing something we love.
What is the design process of making a product?
All our designs usually come about in one of two ways, either we decide we want to add a new animal to the Loomer collection and make and design sample patterns for the new doll and find a fabric to complement, or we find a fabric that is so exciting the doll designs itself.
We are lucky enough to use some amazing fabrics from wonderful fabric designers, which makes our job easy, a venture we would like to branch into in the future.
Where do you find inspiration?
A lot of the inspiration comes from the nostalgia of when we were kids, we had the traditional cloth rabbit rag doll, happy memories from childhood and I think, being dollmakers, we wanted to recreate that enjoyment for others, too.
We also find a lot of inspiration from friends, family, and being in a creative community of amazing talented makers at Greenwich Market, you inspire and encourage each other in your own creative paths.
How did you decide on which furry friends to feature (Rabbit, Fox and Badger)?
A lot of this originates from the inspiration and the first rag doll we had, wanting to recreate the joy of childhood with a furry friend to join you on your journeys.
It made sense for us to make rabbit dolls and, as we grew, it felt natural to expand the collection to traditional British animals, such as the badger and fox.
However, as we continue to develop, it’s exciting to branch further with some new and fun furry friends such as our new Bear, Maevis, and Panda doll, Mimi.
How does your sisterly relationship play into the process?
We both understand how the other works, which makes it easy to attribute each of our own skills to the business. Being sisters also allows the trust in each other, we are lucky to enjoy this little adventure together.
Who are Little Loomers designed for?
We like to think Little Loomers are for both young people and adults alike, the traditional style appeals to adults and memories of childhood, these heirloom dolls can decorate a room and sit pretty on a shelf, however, we design these dolls primarily with kids in mind.
We choose bright and fun fabrics to encourage imaginative play and adventures. A friend who can bring joy and comfort to your little ones, to join you on all your adventures and pass down. Something as simple as a cotton doll, we feel, is such an integral part of a child’s life and should be cherished for years to come.
What is your bestselling product and why do you think that is?
The little rabbit dolls are our most popular of the dolls, in particular Betsy. She is traditional but has a fun and bright smiling carrot dress. I think the simplicity of our designs can really appeal to a lot of people. We put a lot of care and love into each doll, which brings us a lot of happiness and hope that passes onto others.
You started at Greenwich Market and are still here today – how has it changed and evolved?
We have been lucky enough to be at Greenwich Market since we started back in 2011, it has allowed us to interact and meet our wonderful customers who help keep our little business going.
We also get to meet lots of fellow creatives, it’s exciting to see new businesses starting out there and flourishing. It’s a creative hub, which is exciting to be a part of, and which continually changes over the years with a steady turnaround of customers and stall holders. We look forward to continuing to build our Little business here.
