Hansons Fabrics and Crafts is one of the largest fabric warehouses in the South of England. We have thousands of metres of fabrics ranging from curtaining to organza and linen to fleece as well as our craft department which caters for every hobby from patchwork & quilting to card-making. It’s safe to say that Hansons has come a long way since first opening in 1982, in my garden shed.
History of Hansons
From a young age, I have always had a passion for sewing, crafts and knitting! It was that passion that drove me to open my own fabric and haberdashery shop, which fitted in with my young family and was the perfect solution to all my own sewing needs. My garden shed was kitted out with shelves, a cutting table and soon the deliveries started rolling in! I was fulfilling a real need within my local community, and it wasn’t long before my stocks outgrew my modest space.
18 months later, Hansons Fabrics and Crafts opened its doors on the local industrial estate in the Dorset country town of Sturminster Newton. I set out to provide everything you could want for sewing; fabrics to suit all seasons and a vast selection of haberdashery. Soon after opening, we introduced Sewing Machines and offered what is still to this day, our unbeaten After Care Service. People came to me for not only my materials or machines, but my knowledge too. And with that, Hansons kept growing.
After 7 years, I was on the hunt for a larger warehouse and we ended up where we are today, Station Road, in the heart of the town. A year later, the Sewing School started Spring & Autumn terms on the first floor. The last addition to Hansons was the Knitting Department. I’ve always had a love of knitting and crochet, from being taught how to crochet by my grandmother at the age of 14 and then teaching myself how to knit at 18 and this has since been one of our most successful departments.
Where we are now
After opening 25 years ago, Hansons has gone from strength to strength. Our workshops are as popular as ever with classes fully booked months in advance and the demand for more classes keeps on rising. Our knitting department offers hundreds of yarns, patterns and accessories and brings customers from far and wide for the vast selection. Like most of my staff and customers, we all find knitting therapeutic.