Muffie came about because of my Dad.

As he became older and less mobile, he often struggled to stay warm, so I looked for a fleecy indoor handmuff to keep his hands warm when he was snuggled up in his armchair. But I couldn’t find anything like that, so sadly Dad never got his comfy handwarmer.

It got me thinking that other people might like something similar, but all I had to go on at that stage was a vague idea and zero background in textiles.

Luckily I got lots of help and support from some lovely craftspeople along the way, and eventually we got to the present design, which I think is lovely – and very practical. If you spill something on it, it’s easy to wash and tumble dry.

From the start I set out to make Muffie the best it could be, hunting down the bounciest filling, the softest fabrics, the loveliest patterns, and always improving the design. I'm so grateful to all the manufacturers and suppliers who took pity on me as a start-up business and gave me so much of their time and experience to help me achieve the finished item, not just from a design point of view, but also because you have to understand what can and can't be manufactured. A nice idea is a million miles away from a viable product!

There were two breakthrough developments. One was to incorporate two ‘secret’ inside pockets, one for each hand, which helps your hands warm up more quickly and stops them getting clammy from touching, and the other was to create a zipped outer cover into which you insert the removable fluffy insert.

And actually Muffie has turned out to be more than simply a practical handwarmer. Anyone who tries is says how lovely and relaxing it feels to have your hands buried in it. So it’s evolved into a great relaxation aid, a ‘stress buster’ that also happens to keep your hands beautifully warm. Feeling warm and cosy isn’t just comfortable, it’s also reassuring, and we all need some of that from time to time!