Selvedge Winter Fair 2014

The Christmas shopping has started! Over the years, I’ve found the Selvedge Winter Fair at the Chelsea Old Town Hall is the perfect place for finding all sorts of unique gifts and unusual stocking fillers all available under one roof.

This year the Fair was a month earlier than last year and the weather was on our side. The Kings Road was bathed in sunshine. It was wonderful to be sitting outside, having coffee and cake and watching the world go by.

The Fair was buzzing with creativity; lots of colourful textiles, vintage and handmade pieces.
So much to see! This year I combined the trip with a day out in London with my husband. I wasn’t sure how it would work out (you know, finding out how much I spend!) but he positively encouraged me to buy all the goodies I liked. He knows how much I adore displaying handmade goodies in my sewing room.

Here are some photos from the day from the sunny rooms of the Chelsea Old Town Hall.

 

The lovely Viv from Hens Teeth
Grace from A Threadbear Productions with her menagerie of friends
The Chelsea Old Town Hall has such beautiful interiors
Walking back to the tube in the afternoon sunshine of a crisp Autumn day.
The end to a perfect day in London.

Hens Teeth at Hope and Elvis – 2013

Last year I was a very lucky girl and managed to get a place on the Hens Teeth workshop at Hope and Elvis. The idea was to make a sewing or needle case, but as always, I tend not to follow rules and ended up creating something else!

I started off with scraps from an old blanket then added vintage red bias binding and vintage calico from my Arnold’s Attic stash. The wonderful Viv from Hens Teeth gave each of us a screen print for us to embroider the date onto, plus and a selection of screen printed figures to choose from too – I chose her iconic running hen. The whole thing was finished off with flurries of embroidery, inspired by Viv,  and some vintage linen buttons from the stash from Arnold’s Attic.
Here is my finished piece…..I hope you like it .
Thank you to Viv for sharing your work with us and to Louise for sharing your relaxing Studio at Hope and Elvis.

The front cover – complete with vintage linen buttons
Viv was a sweetie and signed my work

 

 

The back cover

The Knitting and Stitching Show 2014, Alexandra Palace, London – Part 2 – The Exhibitions

I go to the the Knitting and Stitching Show for three main reasons – the workshops, the exhibitions and the shopping.
The exhibitions are the greatest eclectic mix of artists in the field of textiles, and I never really know what to expect until I walk into their exhibition space. Some artists showcase their previous collections, whilst some create a whole new collection of work specifically for the Knitting and Stitching Shows.
Here is a selection of some of the wonderful work that was on display…. if you get a chance, visit  The Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate later in the year to see some of these exhibitions.

by Sue Walton
by Ann Small
by Jackie Langfeld of Prism

 

by Jean Bennett
by Renate Keeping

 

by Jo Beattie

 

by Caren Garfen
by Marjolein Dallinga of The Black Sheep