We catch up with Chichester-based designer-maker and shop owner Bryony Jennings to find out all about her amazing animal sculptures, how she set up her stunning shop Pretty Scruffy and what inspires her in life and work.

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Please tell us about yourself and how you got started?

I live on Hayling Island in Hampshire with my partner in crime - Janni, our Canary child, Bradley and our dog, Lady. Janni (pronounced Yanni) is a musician and runs an independent record label; our home is always full of musicians and artists, music and creatively flavoured mess. Making has been my way of life since I can remember; I studied art at college and went on to study Jewellery and Silversmithing at University. I worked as the Creative Director and buyer at Zigzag Jewels ltd. for six years after I graduated. These days I run a small shop and Gallery in Chichester, called Pretty Scruffy, I also make life size fabric animals, among other things.

Pretty Scruffy The Early Years

What is the story and ethos behind Pretty Scruffy?

Pretty Scruffy began life as an artist collective in 2004, run by my friend Abi Gilchrist and myself. We were both recently graduated and had found ourselves ‘proper jobs’ which weren’t really fulfilling our creative urges. We made lots of pretty little things and worked on a series of projects together including a fabric beachball installation and  Flossie the fabric donkey with her accompanying fabric dung. We loved doing it but as our full time jobs became more and more demanding, Pretty Scruffy was put on the back burner for a while. We continued to create – but more quietly and with less energy. Six years down the line, I threw everything up in the air, handed in my notice and moved to the South of France with Janni in an endeavour to rediscover our creative mojo. I decided to follow my heart and set about life as a self-employed maker.

We moved back to the UK after six months and shortly after I opened the Pretty Scruffy shop and Gallery in Chichester in partnership with my Mum, Margaret. I still collaborate on projects with Abi, but she has found her vocation as an Artist Practitioner working with children, mainly at the Aspex gallery in Portsmouth.

The Pretty Scruffy shop allows me the freedom to make whatever I want and to sell it through my own outlet. With this covered, our primary aim is to provide a platform for local artists and makers, offering them support and helping them make those important first steps into the world of exhibiting and retailing their work. We strive to be approachable and offer a place where people can feel part of a community. Galleries can be quite intimidating places, we want Pretty Scruffy to be the opposite.

Do you have any formal training/experience which applies to what you do?

I studied Jewellery and Silversmithing at The School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University. The skills and working practices I developed there inform everything I do today. My experience at Zigzag was invaluable; I had an amazing boss, Julie, who taught me everything I know about buying for, and running a retail business. Whilst working at Zigzag I was incredibly lucky to visit India several times, my experiences there gave me an insight into a culture where a large proportion of commodities and goods are still made by hand, and craftsmanship is still very much a way of life for many people.

Your work features gorgeous animal sculptures, is this because you are particularly inspired by nature?

I am inspired by nature. I hope most people are. Nothing amazes me more than the infinite beauty of our planet and everything that dwells here. I think my sculptures are born out of a fascination with the shape and beauty of living bodies, as well as an interest in the characteristics of different species of animal, I try and give my animals personality and communicate something of their character through their posture and expression. The list of animals I want to make is very long, I think of a new one every day. I’d love to end up with a huge barn, filled with a textile jungle of foliage and wildlife.

Odd the Owl card

What inspired you to set up your own shop/gallery and what did you find most helpful in doing this?

I had always dreamed of having my own shop. I liked the idea of the community aspect of selling other peoples work as well as my own; I used to lose motivation if I spent too much time on my own in the workshop. I knew that having an outlet where I had to be every day would keep me motivated to constantly develop and create my ideas as well as providing a modest source of income. The support of my family, partner, and friends kept me going during the ‘what the hell am I doing’ moments. Without them, it wouldn’t have happened. Since Mum ad I opened the shop a burgeoning community of artist’s and customers have provided constant encouragement. People power is where it’s at.

What do you feel makes handmade products so special?

There is personality and narrative in any object made by hand, whether that is the makers intention or not.  The experience of buying something handmade is so much more personal than buying bland mass produced goods. I cherish the idea that individuality and imperfection are so much more interesting than goods that are rattled off purely to make a profit and encourage consumption. When people visit our shop and make a purchase, they always leave with a smile on their face, I can tell them the story behind each piece and a little bit about the artist that created it. A handmade product is a pleasure to sell to someone and, I believe a much more rewarding purchase. The recipient knows that they have bought something unique and that they are supporting the creativity of an individual.

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What do you love most about what you do and what do you find the most frustrating?

I love having the freedom to create whatever I want, most days I can just sit in the shop and carry on with what I’m making behind the counter. It’s not uncommon for customers to find me stitching away at an animal on my lap, which leads to conversation and often helps my ideas to progress and develop, It helps to keep me motivated.

The most frustrating side of what I do is the paperwork, I don’t like processing numbers or dealing with the administration side of things, unfortunately it is a necessary evil, so I try to keep on top of it, Luckily my mum likes things to be organised and together, so we have systems that make that aspect of running a shop a little less painful.

What is your favourite/best selling product that you are most proud of and why?

The animals are my favourite, I wouldn’t describe them as a best seller, as they take so long to make, although I do have a constant flow of commissions for them, which is wonderful. I just love the way they become alive, it’s like at some point during the making process it stops being me that is designing them, and the character they have started to embody takes over, at that point I just go with it. I tend to get really attached to them though, it’s pretty sad, I talk to them and everything, it’s quite hard for me to let them go – I reassure myself that they go to good homes, where they will be loved.

Deer at Petworth

Can you tell us a bit about where you create your work, can we take a sneaky peak at your workshop/studio/office?

My textile workshop is in our attic room and it’s a mess. People donate fabric to me all the time, so I literally have to swim through the cloth to get to my worktable. I’m a real Magpie, I collect shiny things, sewing ephemera, old wooden boxes, fabric, paper anything that I think I can transform into something else. So my textile workshop looks a bit like those rooms you see on TV in documentaries about hoarders....you don’t want to see that.

My Jewellery workshop is a shed in the garden, it is kept relatively tidy, so that I don’t set fire to things. It basically consists of a jewellery bench, where I cut and solder, and an enamelling area. Janni has slightly taken over in there and has introduced a woodwork area, much to my disdain.

Running your own shop/business is extremely hard work, how do you balance your work and home life and what do you do to wind down?

At the moment there isn’t really a balance, If I’m not at the shop, I’m in one of the Workshop’s making jewellery or working on an animal. Luckily I love what I do, so it’s not a hardship. I relax by walking with the dog on the beach and pottering about in the veg patch. I make time to go and see Jan’s band, Project 47, play, so that gets me out of the work bubble occasionally. We have friends over for dinner all the time, but they all know that when I finish eating I will just carry on with whatever I’m working on, there is always a half finished animal somewhere, so I just stitch away whilst we hang out.

Who or what inspires you most in your work?

My parents. Dad makes surrealist boxed artworks, his work is incredibly clever, meticulously engineered and his attention to detail is astounding. He is my favourite artist and my technical support, he is also guilty of feeding my fabric collecting habit. My mum is a ceramicist her work is sculpturally organic and beautifully quiet. I get my love of the outdoors from Mum, she grew up on a farm and loves anything wild, the garden at their house is one of my favourite places in the world. When Mum’s not potting or gardening, she is always at the shop, she is the most amazing business partner I could wish for and can also be relied on to stay up sewing with me all night if I’m working to a deadline.

Is handmade a lifestyle choice for you and if so why?

I’ve always had a make do and mend approach to life, and I love making things and other peoples creations. I am so grateful that I have the good fortune to be making my living this way. When you purchase a handmade product, you know that it has been created with care and attention; there is a human aspect to the product. You are also supporting your local economy, cultivating an important aspect of our culture and reducing the carbon footprint of your purchase. Since I became self-employed I have attempted to change my lifestyle to fit in more with my ideals.  Jan & I try to live as self sufficiently as possible, we realised that we don’t really need much so we try to buy a lot less and make more. Partly because we like it that way and partly because its more affordable. We make our own bread and grow our own vegetables. We buy handmade gifts or make our own. It feels pretty good.

Where can we buy your work?

The shop is my primary outlet: Pretty Scruffy. Shop 3, No.1 Cooper Street, Chichester, West Sussex

I make to commission and this can be arranged through

e.mail mail@prettyscruffy.com or by phoning the shop on 01243 779715

We also sell things on our online shop occasionally: www.prettyscruffy.com

And I show at other galleries, craft fairs and events, details of which can be found on the events page on the website.

Read about lots of other fabulous, creative people here: http://www.ukhandmade.co.uk/designers