A SMALL knitwear business founded almost 20 years ago by two young mothers is celebrating its biggest ever order.

The $22,000 order for women's handmade jackets and cardigans for the US-based Marmaxx Corporation, has been completed by Buttercup Knitwear, Harrogate.

The items, made by co-founders, Mrs Diana Birtwhistle and Mrs Ann Kirkpatrick and their team of outworkers, are on sale in T J Maxx outlets in Manhattan, Chicago, Boston and San Francisco.

Mrs Birtwhistle, of North Rigton, said: "We are delighted to have completed such a large order. Marmaxx wanted the English feminine look. The order is very significant for a business of our size."

Buttercup Knitwear was founded in Leeds in 1982, when the two were at home with toddlers, to supply children's clothes to a craft shop. It now sends exports as far as Alaska and Japan.

Both Mrs Birtwhistle and Mrs Kirkpatrick are sole traders, supported by more than 20 outworkers, including young mothers, retired women and some men.

They are telling their exporting story as part of York and North Yorkshire Export Forum's "Talking Exports!" initiative, which invites businesses to recount their exporting stories in support of the forum's Achieving Export Excellence campaign, funded by almost £600,000 from the EC, to develop exporting in North Yorkshire.

Mrs Birtwhistle, whose children are Michael, now aged 22, and Hannah now 20, adds: "We progressed from making pinafores and dungarees with applique motifs to little sets such as jumpers with sheep and teddy bear patterns and matching trousers and skirts. As the knitwear became more popular, we decided to concentrate on that."

After attending the British trade craft fair in Harrogate, they began to export to an upmarket ski shop in Colorado. Overseas sales really took off after the Design in Knitwear trade fair in London. They now supply gift shops, galleries and fashion boutiques in Japan, France, Germany, Switzerland, North America, Ireland and Canada.

Mrs Kirkpatrick, whose children are James, aged 23, and Fiona, 21, says: "We have built gradually, taking it step by step, but it has been a very hard slog. Persistence is essential and we have learnt some hard lessons about meeting freight deadlines and quality assurance.

"We are pleased that advice on exporting and a range of business support services is available through the York and North Yorkshire Export Forum. We wish it had been so easy to access when we were starting out."

When, after a New Zealander bought some clothing from them, at a trade fair, they discovered it had been replicated under a different brand name, they took legal action to protect ownership of their designs.

Mrs Kirkpatrick, who lives in Harrogate, adds: "It was time consuming and traumatic. The settlement only just covered our legal fees but we do not regret taking action. We had to protect our markets.

"Buttercup Knitwear has a traditional English country feel which is popular overseas. Our use of colour is important. There has a been a big move towards classic shades and we always have at least 95 different colours in stock."

For details of the export forum initiative and Talking Exports!, contact the Business Link information centre on 01904 686000