Kate Hetherington is one of Blackdown‘s many secret weapons! Kate’s creative streak adds some real charm to our huts since she makes the leather straps that hang from a handle on the wall to pull out the shepherd hut beds that are stowed within the wall to create more day space.
Kate got her brief from Blackdown and set about creating the very clever handles that work the bed. She says: ‘The strap had to compliment the huts interior, be easily reachable across the table that the bed pulls down onto, fit comfortably in the hand and be robust enough to withstand frequent use.’
The straps are made from Oak Bark Tanned, full grain, English harness leather, sourced from J & FJ Baker & Co LTD of Colyton Devon the last remaining Oak Bark tanners in the UK. The straps are cut, hand stitched and finished in Kate’s workshop in Dulverton, before being handed over for fitting to the huts.
Kate has been producing high quality carriage driving harness for over 17 years and is the winner of the Worshipful Company of Coach and Coach harness makers award 2013. We’re very lucky to have such talented people creating such fantastic things for our Blackdown customers.
You can find out more about Kate here: www.katehetheringtoncollarandharness.co.uk