The nickynackynoo studio is in the middle of an ancient forest in East Sussex, surrounded by trees and birdsong. At the moment the woodland floor is covered in wood anemones and bluebells.

The location probably explains why I created a fox hot water bottle cover and why floral Liberty print baby blankets are one of my favourite things to make!

Just me, Nicky! I set up the business when my children were very small and it grew along with them. They’re all now officially adults….does that mean nickynackynoo is all grown up too?

I love working on my own. It means that each nickynackynoo product is made exactly how I like it - each hot water bottle, each pencil case has been stitched by me and I know that it is a quality product that will stand the test of time and the rigours of everyday family life.

I work primarily with Liberty of London tana lawn cotton. Liberty tana lawn is the dream fabric – gorgeous prints with a silky soft texture and yet very strong.

This means that the Liberty print pencil cases and purses aren't just pretty, they're really durable. The Liberty fabric is backed with a stiffer fabric to give them more rigidity, and this sturdiness makes them a great present for young children.

I only use Liberty prints that I absolutely love. If you have in mind something a little different, let me know – I have so many prints in my stash, I’m sure I can help!

nickynackynoo hot water bottles and cushions are made from polar fleece. I’ve done so much research over the years and have settled on a 100% polyester antipil fleece which is cosy and mid-weight. I’d love to offer a more eco friendly fabric in the future, but finding something that is thick enough and washable is proving tricky.

Choosing a fabric that washes well was really important. So many of our hot water bottle covers and cushions are given to children, and there will definitely be times when you'll need to wash them. So your godson's football cushion and your niece's rugby hot water bottle will look great for years.

I use a core range of eight fleece colours. Again, if you are looking for a different colour I can usually source it within a couple of days.

Too hard! Currently June’s Meadow (both the red and pink colourways). I have a long-horded stash of the fabric Angie Lewin was commissioned to design for Liberty too. It’s too precious to use!

I also really love the yellow Michelle Liberty fabric that I've used for our Spring tablemats - they're such an easy way to brighten up your Easter table.

I make everything myself from rolls of fabric, a box full of threads and three sewing machines. Everything has been designed with longevity and usefulness in mind.

There are so many businesses selling pencil cases, make up bags, cushions and hot water bottles that they buy in and print a name on. nickynackynoo is not like that. Everything starts out as a simple piece of fabric. If you buy a Liberty fabric purse for your granddaughter, I've made it from scratch, which I think makes it a much more special present as it's truly unique.

I try to live by William Morris' maxim "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful", so I try to ensure that everything at nickynackynoo is both of those things.

There are a couple of exceptions - for my forget-me-not cufflinks and superhero bookmarks, I use pre-made blanks which my artwork is then printed on.

Absolutely! I love working with customers to make an item that fits their needs. It's one of my favourite parts of the job. Some of my best-selling products started out as customer ideas. If I can’t do it, I’ll be honest and tell you.

My husband was looking for an eye-catching case for his reading glasses and thus my Cricket glasses case came into being. And my friend Sarah has requested a slightly bigger version of my Liberty coin purse to keep dog treats in. Is this something you would find useful?

But also, sometimes there are just little tweaks that need to be made. A lovely customer contacted me when she wanted to order a moon hot water bottle for her husband who was going through chemotherapy and she was worried that the glitter material would be too scratchy. So we printed the moon on flock material instead.

So if you want to chat about an item you'd like made or a change to one of my products that would make it perfect for you, please contact me on info@nickynackynoo.com

Of course! Just let us know when you order.

I use turquoise acid-free recycled tissue paper for gift wrapping. If you want a cushion sent direct to a loved one it will be in a box nestled in tissue rather than wrapped. If you want to add a message to the recipient, I'll pop that in too.

Gift orders are sent out with a gift receipt that won't show any prices.

Yes, unless you live in the EU. I’m afraid it’s just become too costly and complicated for a small business like nickynackynoo to navigate the EU’s GSPR.

UK:

Orders to the UK are delivered for free.

Postage will be by Royal Mail First Class Post. I try to post things out within two working days.

If you need your order sooner you can upgrade to Express Delivery for £5.00. Your order will be prioritised and sent via Royal Mail T24 tracked service.

 International: 

Smaller items cost £10.00 for delivery.

Larger items (baby blankets and cushions) cost £14.00 for delivery.

Postage will be by Royal Mail International Tracked Post and we find that most parcels arrive within 7-10 days.

I try to post things out within two working days. If you upgrade to Express Delivery I will prioritise your order and send it sooner.

Yes. I’ve tried really hard to make sure that my packaging contains no single-use plastic.

Small items like pencil cases, purses and hot water bottle covers are sent in a paper bag and a paper envelope.

Colouring sets are sent in cardboard envelopes.

Blankets are wrapped in tissue paper and sent in a cardboard mailing box.

Cushions are placed in a compostable bag (just to protect them from any water in transit) inside a compostable, reusable mailer.

Gift wrap is acid-free recycled tissue paper.

Oh no! This really doesn’t happen very often. Let me know if your order is more than two days late and I’ll look into it. Often a nudge to your local delivery office can get your parcel out for delivery within a day or two.

Yes, as long as it isn’t personalised. You need to return the product unused and in its original packaging.

To start a return, you can contact us at info@nickynackynoo.com. Please note that returns will need to be sent to the following address: nickynackynoo, The Oast House, Glaziers Forge, Dallington, East Sussex TN21 9JJ. Please use Royal Mail – living on a remote track has many advantages, but reliable courier deliveries is not one of them!

You can always contact us for any return question at info@nickynackynoo.com.

 We will notify you once we’ve received and inspected your return, and let you know if the refund was approved or not. If approved, you’ll be automatically refunded on your original payment method within 10 business days. Please remember it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund too. If more than 15 business days have passed since we’ve approved your return, please contact us at info@nickynackynoo.com.