Knitting and Stitching show

Claire November 30th, 2009

That should really be titled “where the hell has Claire been for ages part 1…”.  It’s been my intention to blog, many, many times, it’s just that it hasn’t happened.  That and I like to pepper my posts with pictures, and I haven’t really being taking many.  Problem that.   Lots has happened since the last time I posted – was made redundant from my old job (which by the time I left it came as a relief) and after 4 days unemployed, was interviewed and successful in getting another job, which I started almost 4 weeks ago now, and love and work with a great team (such a change from the old place!).   Done craft fairs and had a mixed experience of them – some good some really quite trying.  Made quite a few new skirts.  And WORKED!  Work, work, work!  I work full time  (37 hours) and I also teach 3 evenings a week (9 hours in total) each week as standard, as well as some weekends, so I am generally so tired I can’t think…  Anyway, that’s what I am up to – roll on Christmas!

One of the best things I got up to was last week was the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate.  The Textile Workshop, where I teach on an evening and only 5 minutes from our house ran a coach trip and most of the Stitched Up lot booked to go, and I am so glad I did as I had an exhausting but fabulous day out.  If you’re in the UK, make sure that next year you go if you haven’t been before.  The show was a great mixture of exhibitions and shopping, and since I had worked my butt off the couple of days before hand to get some pennies to spend, I was like a kid in a sweet shop with all the pretty things to buy!   Harrogate is so lovely although I spent all day inside the  exhibition centre, which  was built around the Victorian theatre which was so pretty  -  we escaped there to to get some peace and quiet from all the mad shopping that was going on.

There was some amazing work by a variety of textile artists from knitting and embroidery to quilting, although there were only a few parts we could photograph.  I loved this

- a boat entirely covered in knitting (there were pictures there of it sailing too) – love the attention to detail that they put in to it.

The stitching was a amazing – and such a diverse range of techniques and inspirations that it made me just want to go home and make something new.

I particularly loved the machine embroidery

- something I teach my students to do but very rarely choose to do for myself, but felt so inspired by the work there that I want to do more ( a great excuse to come home with a box of beautiful machine embroidery threads to supplement the ones I already have…) and I really loved the knitted everyday objects that were exhibited  – such beautiful knitting, and who could resist a knitted pair of knitting needles?

I spoiled myself  at the stalls, and spent what I thought was an obscene amount of money on not very much at all….  I came away though with some beautiful vintage craft magazines, embroidery transfers and a stunning 1930′s print for the bedroom, 2 lengths of fabric for (more) skirts, perle cotton that was beautifully hand dyed in muted tones, as well as dotty bias binding, the biggest ric rac I have ever seen,

as well as the quilt fabric I was hoping to find (Happy Camper – so cute!).  And lots of beautiful fat quarters and half meters, which I will show you soon as I start to calm down a little.  I felt quite guilty at spending so much money on really frivolous things for myself, but I worked hard to do it, so what the heck!

Better go, as it’s a long day tomorrow – day at work followed by my “Making things from vintage patterns” class – we’re making retro christmas decorations  – fab!  ‘ Later xoxo

Tags: exhibitions

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