The Story Behind our Collections: En Gry & Sif

Sessi was coming up to her first birthday and I was at the stage where a mama needs to carry a busy bag of bits to keep her little one entertained whilst on the move. Those little books that come out while sitting in a cafe waiting for lunch to arrive, the little toys you  take to the park to keep little hands busy whilst you sit under a tree shading from the summer sun. I was on the search for a bag that would be Sessi's 'bag of...'

I had seen these felt house bags with a Danish name that I had thought were pretty perfect. A beautiful plaything with handles so it could also become a bag for your little one to proudly carry all those favourites things, and completely practical for mama too.  They were created by En Gry & Sif - a name I wanted to discover more about.

The bag did indeed become the bag we took to the cafe, on the train, to the park and held Sessi's important things to take to Granny's for the weekend. Since then, it has been the first house her little dolls moved into, the gingerbread house in stories re-enacted, a nappy bag when Oona arrived, the bag we take on plane flights and so much more. My girls now have one each in different colours - the bright and playful design means it stands out to them and they recognise it as 'theirs.'

I know they are pieces they will own for years to come, changing their use as they grow older and they'll last too.  When beginning the collection for Sisters Guild I knew they would sit perfectly amongst our other collections and wanted to house them in the boutique. It wasn't until  learning about the story behind the collection that it suddenly felt even more important to showcase the range in Sisters Guild. Sometimes it's what's behind the scenes that make us fall in love even more, and now I know a little more about the En Gry story I want to celebrate them.

This is the strory of 2 sisters; Gry and Sif. bored in their own lives they ventured out into the world to travel. One day they came across a village in Nepal where women were making felt and crafting beautiful pieces from it. They saw this and knew they should try to encourage it and harness their skill and their creativity. The two sisters set to find a way in which they could do it and designed a collection for children and for home. Together they create beautifully crafted wonderful pieces for children and home.

The sisters still visit the village as much as they can where it all began and where the local people are blossoming from the work provided.

En Gry & Sif has been given the medal for fair trade standards which symbolises not only thieir success in building a a business encouraging fair trade and conditions but also a stamp of 'thank you', 'well done' from all of us to you.

Even the name of company is a symbol of their original flair and the unique feel. 'En' literally means 'one', There is one Gry, there is one Sif and together they create one incredibly beautiful story, one amazing collection and many more than one persons life is enriched through their work.

I think the thing that makes this collection feel so genuinely heartfelt and completely compelling to tell others about is that it was born of curiosity, nutured with admiration and love and grown with a desire to share with others what they have found.

In En Gry & Sif you'll find playful pieces that fulfill the imaginings of the children that play with them, with the soft feel of felt that is such a tactile material and wonderful  for little hands to hold along with a sentiment of care and respect that shows through its skillfully crafted and beautifully designed pieces.

The collection carries wonderful play pieces that encourage imagination with a Noahs ark, a Gingerbread House, a Mushroom House, a Strawberry House, a Bee House and a farmhouse complete with felt animals and a rather handsome farmer too. En Gry & Sif also design around the festive season with stockings for christmas and decorations for the tree. Kepp an eye ouit for the Christmas collection oming soon

Here at Sisters Guild we search for those pieces that are designed with an idea that they can be handed down from one generation to the next and perhaps become the classics of this new blossoming generation. We believe that imagination is contagious and we hope these unique pieces spark wonder in you and your children.


Discover the En Gry & Sif collection here

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This is part of our series of blogs where we share the story behind our collections; because the collections and their creators mean so much to us here at Sisters Guild we want to pass the story on.

We bring a new blog each day; other series of blogs include our 'Monday Makery' with ideas and 'how to's'  to make and bake with all the family, Wednesday we woo you with our favourite pieces from the boutique and its new arrivals, Thursday is all about the art of living; discovering places and sharing new treasures and Friday we bring you the 'A-Z of Sisters Guild' a collection of pictures that convey the life behind the boutique

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