Yesterday my friend
Purple Angela and I spent a couple of hours browsing the stands of the Creative Stitches and Hobbycrafts show at the ExCeL centre in London. Angela's done a write-up of the show here:
Angela Mary Designs: Creative Stitches and Hobby Crafts Show. I understand that this is the first year the show has been held in London. It is clearly popular and did get very busy when we were there on Saturday; one stall holder we spoke to explained that he was hoping that next year the organisers would make it four days rather than three, which would hopefully have the benefit of making it a little less crowded. The show wasn't just stalls selling their wares, there were also free talks and exhibitions of work; in particular there were various displays of imaginative quilts and embroidered pictures which caught my eye, including an exhibition of work created as part of a project called
Afghanistan Inspiration. Really inspiring stuff to see what others have created.
I couldn't resist making a few purchases: some gorgeous vintage patterned fabric, which I am planning to turn into a tablecloth; some fabric paint, so that I can try out my
stencil decorated bunting on fabric; and some lovely coloured beads I am hoping to turn into bracelets, which is a small step in a new creative direction for me - I'm quite excited about it. So watch this space...
