Meet the maker: Suzanne Crawford from Cover-Up Surf
Suzanne Crawford from Cover-Up Surf has a good thing going. Her studio is on a cliff top overlooking Filey beach in North Yorkshire and it’s here that her she makes surfing cover ups while watching the breaks roll in on the beach below. It was while out surfing during a particularly harsh winter seven years ago, when her hands were so cold she could hardly take off her wetsuit, that Suzanne wished she had something she could throw on to keep her warm while changing. She soon got out her sewing machine and started developing a design and her business evolved from there…
Can you introduce yourself and describe what you do?
I’m Suzanne Crawford from Cover-Up Surf. I live and work from my small bungalow on a cliff top in Filey, North Yorkshire, overlooking my favourite surf break. I’m a designer and I’ve worked in the accessories design industry for 10 years. My business, Cover-Up Surf, evolved through my love of design, sewing and surfing.
I started to make changing towels for myself and my friends on the east coast. After a while, the designs started to get noticed in the area and people would come up and ask me for them.
Which came first: sewing or surfing?
My mum taught me to sew at an early age. I would watch her make clothes for me when I was little, so it’s always been part of my life. After leaving school I studied printed textile design at art college in Dundee. I chose to direct my degree towards print design for fashion, making garments for my final show. I’ve always had a great affinity with the beach, which comes from spending my summers in the western isles of Scotland. I love being at the coast and after moving to the Scarborough area for work when I graduated, I started surfing. The surfing lifestyle has been a strong influence in my work ever since, and it was a natural progression for me to combine the two.
I’ve always had a great affinity with the beach, which comes from spending my summers in the western isles of Scotland. I started surfing after moving to the Scarborough area for work.
How did your business evolve?
Cover-Up Surf started in the winter of 2009. It was an exceptionally cold winter and getting changed after surfing was unbearable! Sometimes in the winter your hands are so cold when you get out of the water that you can hardly take your wetsuit off. I was looking for something that I could throw on that would keep me warm while changing but I couldn’t find anything I liked at the time. That’s when I got out my sewing machine and started developing the design.
I started to make changing towels for myself and my friends on the east coast that winter. After a while, the designs started to get noticed in the area and people would come up and ask me for them. That’s when I realised I could start selling them, and my business has really grown from there. Over time the design has been adapted to incorporate an oversized hood to keep you cosy and wide armholes to make changing easy.
Sometimes in the winter your hands are so cold when you get out of the water that you can hardly take your wetsuit off. I was looking for something that I could throw on that would keep me warm while changing but I couldn’t find anything I liked at the time. That’s when I got out my sewing machine…
How do you make your surfing towels?
All Cover-Ups are handmade on the east coast and the materials are all sourced in small qualities, so the designs are ever changing. I love trying out new patterns and have a large stock of different patterns, so each day I can work on something new. The fabrics I use are all 100% cotton velour towelling with jacquard patterns. I have tested different materials and this is the best, especially as the towels need to withstand a lot of washing. I tape all the inside seams with cotton taping as towelling frays when it’s cut, so this gives them greater strength. It’s a messy job and my studio is always full of towelling dust!
Your cover-up towels are now sold all across world. What’s the most far-flung place they’ve reached?
The furthest place our towels have reached is New Zealand. We frequently have customers from Australia, Canada, California and all over Europe too. I get so excited when I sell internationally. It makes me wish I could jump in the packages!
My studio is in our bungalow on a cold windy clifftop in the middle of Filey Bay. It overlooks my favourite surfing beach, so I can take breaks to check the surf or go for a beach walk in the afternoons.
Can you give us a virtual tour of your clifftop workshop?
My studio is in our bungalow on a cold windy clifftop in the middle of Filey Bay. It overlooks my favourite surfing beach, so I can take breaks to check the surf or go for a beach walk in the afternoons. I have shelves stacked full of fabrics ready to be sewn and a large sewing table with my trusty old sewing machine. Although I try to be tidy and organised, the dust created from sewing towelling fabric gets everywhere and is all over the house! It’s definitely organised chaos but a place I love to be. I cherish days where I can do nothing but shut myself away and sew.
I still get really excited if I see someone on the beach using one of my cover ups. It’s a great feeling to see something you’ve made being used.
What’s the best thing about being creative for a living?
Definitely the satisfaction of making something from start to finish, packaging it up and sending it on its way to its new owner. I still get really excited if I see someone on the beach using one of my cover ups. It’s a great feeling to see something you’ve made being used.
If you weren’t a maker, what would you be?
If I wasn’t a maker I would love to work in marine conservation. I’m very passionate about protecting our coastline. Last summer I was lucky enough to help rescue a baby seal pup stranded on our local beach. It was taken off to the local sealife centre to recover before being released back into the wild. If I wasn’t designing I would love to be more involved in marine life rescue.
How does it feel to be part of the UK craft scene?
I think this is a really exciting time to be part of the UK craft scene. People are becoming much more aware of where the products they buy come from and the impact they have on the environment. There’s something special about buying handmade and supporting small local businesses.
I would encourage anyone to get out there and sell their own work. It’s not easy starting a business – it takes a lot of dedication – but it’s so rewarding!
What would you say to someone thinking about selling their work?
I would encourage anyone to get out there and sell their own work. It’s a great feeling when you package up a finished product to send on to someone. It’s not easy starting a business, it takes a lot of dedication, but it’s so rewarding! I would encourage anyone who has an idea or something they are passionate about to get out and start doing it!
What does craft mean to you?
Craft to me is having an idea and turning it into a reality – creating something special from nothing.
My perfect day would be catching an early surf with friends on our beach, sewing in the afternoon and a beach BBQ in the evening while watching the sun go down.
How would you spend your perfect day?
My perfect day would be catching an early surf with friends on our beach, sewing in the afternoon and a beach BBQ in the evening while watching the sun go down. My life evolves around the beach – it’s my favourite place to be!
