Annie Fielder and Rachel Pratt of Whiffle Pig have created a magical world, inhabited by embroidered creatures and goodies with a distinct personality and tons of charm. Hatch'd wanted to know a little more about their wonderful fabrications.
Hatch'd Magazine: Whiffle Pig is a rather unusual name, how did it come about?
Annie: It's our affectionate term for one another.
Rachel: Yeah, we call each other "wifey" and it sort of escalated!
Annie: It cheers us up when one of us has had a bad day.
HM: So you knew each other pretty well before starting Whiffle Pig?
Rachel: We met through a mutual friend and struck up an immediate rapport that originated around aubergines?!
Annie: Yeah, we're like kids when we get together! Just replace ice-cream with wine!
HM: That sense of fun seems to come across in your products.
Annie: We wanted to make it true to us and enjoyable to do. We're both interested in fairy tales and fantasy worlds and we wanted our fabrication to spill out into the real world for everyone to enjoy.
Rachel: Any random thought or story we come up with finds its way into the Whiffle Pig world and because we're both vivid dreamers we get a lot of inspiration from our subconscious!
Annie: Yeah, we aim to reflect our playful nature in our designs.
Rachel: We encourage bespoke designs also though, so whoever orders an item can customise it to fit their own personality quirks! We are often asked to hand-embroider messages if the item is bought as a gift.
HM: We've seen owls, mice, cats and cushions so far. What can we expect in future?
Annie: We're planning Whiffle Piglets, a range of baby stuff...
Rachel: ...and new residents of Whiffle Pig Island!
Annie: We're also hoping to make the website more interactive, and even introduce some art therapy workshops in the new year. We've been asking people to email their dreams (see bottom of article) and nightmares to us for research and to use in our sessions which will be aimed at all ages, everyone can come along - it amazing how much a bit of creativity and a cup of tea can do.
Rachel: We will be blogging stories relating to some of the dreams.
HM: Are there any upcoming events that will feature a Whiffle Pig stall?
Rachel: Matlock Craft Fayre on 30th November and Derby Uni Christmas parade on December 3rd, when the lights are switched on. We're also attending the Derby Market Place Christmas Craft Fayre from 1st December through till 3rd / 14th through till 16th December.
Annie: We're planning an official launch party too, which has no fixed date yet.
HM: Hatch'd will feature the event, don't you worry! Aside from dreams, what other things inspire your creativity?
Annie: The passion and talent both our mothers had for embroidery and dressmaking.
Rachel: Mum basically made the costumes for my entire GCSE Drama class! I hope Mr Cleary's not reading this...
Annie: We're trying to create a bit of a creative to-and-fro with our customers though. Almost all our cushions have a handy pocket that you can hide chocolate in, or keep the remote control that keeps sliding down the edge of the sofa! We'd love to hear from them about what they would use the pockets on our cushions for.
Visit Whiffle pig's website, whifflepig.com for their full range or about your bespoke design.
They also post regularly on and .