Karen Eley, aka The Hawthorn Tree, took up cross stitch as a serious hobby in her late teens and by the time she graduated from Keele University it had become an obsession and she had begun creating her own designs. Her style has evolved over the years but she prefers to keep things as simple as possible.
As a nature-loving history graduate, Karen finds inspiration for her designs in many places; her two biggest influences are Celtic art and birds.