AS cottage industries go, this one has a nice touch of the ancient and modern.

It's set, appropriately, in a chocolate box, 15th Century black and white thatch, with a roadside hedge and a little wicket gate in the hamlet of Libbery, near Grafton Flyford.

Here, among the beams and old plaster, Ann Griffiths takes the ancient skill of cross stitch and tapestry and brings it into the 21st Century.

Using the latest computer technology, she is able to create charts or templates from which owners can sew pictures of their pets.

Just send her a photo of the animal and Ann will return it with all the instructions of how to transform the image into a tapestry.

After a career in the media, which included working on such esteemed publications as the magazines Cross Stitch and Cake Decorating Monthly and even the Worcester Evening News, she has at last found her niche working from home.

"I've always sewn," she explained. "When we were young we sewed at home because there wasn't much else to do and when I went to university I found making tapestries and rugs came in handy for your room.

"Of course, there have always been patterns for people to sew pictures of animals, but these have been general. You could get a chart for a Jack Russell terrier, for example, but it wouldn't be your Jack Russell terrier.

"Now I can design charts that accurately portray a specific animal, so you have an image of your particular pet."

So far the favourites, inevitably, have been dogs and cats, but there have been some quirky ones too.

Ann has been asked to produce charts from pictures of coi carp, teddy bears, a vintage RAF lorry, a steam engine, cars, boats, houses and tractors.

"There was even a request for one from a sepia print of a wartime wedding," she added.

"In fact, that turned out rather nice.

"About the only thing I haven't been faced with is an iguana!

"Although I live out in the country, modern technology can be installed anywhere and when I decided to set up Box Tree Cottage Designs and work from home, there was no problem converting a room into an office and cross stitch studio."

So the humming of computers now blends with the buzzing of the bees in the garden.

Most of the charts can be produced within a week, but some, especially those involving groups of animals, such as kittens, puppies or even horses take a bit longer.

They're not particularly expensive. A simple basic cross stitch chart costs about £15 and even a very complex one with several animals is only around double that.

Included in the package are a colour chart, a symbol chart and details of the threads required to stitch the picture, plus any back-up help and advice required.

All that's left to do is the sewing.

And that's up to you.