A GROWING business founded by an Oxenhope entrepreneur has relocated to an historic mill.

Charlotte Meek began making aprons, using vintage fabrics, from a home studio last year.

Now, the operation, The Stitch Society, has moved into the world-famous Salts Mill at Saltaire.

And Charlotte is expanding her product range.

She creates the garments from cloth sourced in Yorkshire mills, so feels the business is perfectly suited to its new Grade II-listed home.

"Titus Salt's entrepreneurial success and vision made this the heart of the textile industry," she said.

"As the founder of a firm specialising in working with the beautiful cloth produced in many mills just like this, it is really fitting for us to make this our base."

Making clothes has been part of Charlotte's life since, as a six-year-old, she was taught how to sew by her grandmother.

Charlotte collected an abundance of material from local mills for almost a decade.

The Stitch Society uses such fabrics to hand-make work aprons for artisans and skilled crafts people.

Each garment is given a name harking back to those of early factory girls – such as Betty, Martha and Agnes.

Pleated pockets within the aprons have proved so popular, Charlotte has patented the design.

Her grandma's dress-making dummy is proudly modelling the Betty apron in the new studio, where there is also a colourful assortment of fabrics, silk linings, tweeds, cords, denims and buttons and bobbins.

Charlotte has quickly transformed her talent into turnover, with the relocation reflecting the firm's rapid growth and success.

Responding to demand, The Stitch Society is now producing more items to complement the aprons, including project bags, paper patterns for the designs and a new children's range.

Robin Silver – a director of Salts Estates Ltd, which runs Salts Mill – said he is delighted to welcome the company to the site.

"We wish it continuing success as the business develops," he added.

"It is absolutely fitting that its new base should be in an iconic and historic textile mill that now is home to both the David Hockney art galleries and groundbreaking electronics design and manufacturing facilities – a true combination of art and commercial enterprise.

"The textile pedigree of one of West Yorkshire's landmark buildings marries well with a firm that respects and champions historic fabrics reworked by a new generation of craftsmen artisans."