A day out at the Creative Stitches show

 I haven't done much making this week, but lots of writing, stitching samples & more writing.

I think this will be my first post with only one photo - the slr camera is just too heavy for a show so this will be full of delicious links ;) A light camera for the handbag is on the long list!)

So, I went on a little trip out to Glasgow to visit the Creative Stitches show at the SECC. The DH decided to come as we had a few things to get from Ikea for the new B&B room. It was also an opportunity to see the Middlest with his GF & the Elest & my DIL  to be, who are only an hour on the train away from Glasgow so we met for a cheap & cheerful meal in a place chosen by the Middlest. There was someone thrown out of a 2nd floor window recently but that didn't phase him - we had an uneventful evening on that score, luckily! Stayed in a perfectly fine Travelodge where there seemed to be a loud meeting in the hallway till 3am, but never mind!

I got a  couple of hours on the first day of the show to do some of the shopping on my list & sound out things to do the next day. I'd have had a longer day but we got a late B&B booking  for the 2 nights previous which I'm very glad about as it financed the shopping ;)

This is what I got -

 The first afternoon I went to a talk by Isobel Hall, very interesting, talking mainly about her new book 'Textile Adventures' & the techniques in it, using membrane from the garden for one & moulding paste. So I got some of that but as I am in a book phase I got her Embroidered Books, so difficult to choose! Can't see her own website.

Another good talk was by Kim Thittichai, very funny, she describes herself as a techniques teacher, not a product teacher, otherwise we get stuck on one thing & don't grow. Newspaper chenille is her thing at the moment, sounds fabulous! She's teaching in Australia in April I think - her w/s & shows schedule would have you in a spin, I'm telling you! I got some of her solufleece...

Wendy Cotterill gave a wonderful talk with demonstration, bravely printing text on white cotton using a stand alone printer. The best tip was to cut a little bit off of the leading corners of the paper/fabric. Her thing is transparent fabric & she'd dyed & ironed on bondaweb - paint is obviously opaque, a bit of glitter, printed with a painted stamp, added accent beads & dyed net over a bit of that. A lovely layered collage effect.

I was late for a 15 min taster w/s with Rachel Powell on using a drop spindle, but she very kindly showed me anyway. I've felted wool found on barbed wire that'sbeen torn off sheep before & now I can give it a go to spin it & couch it down. Somewhere I read you can spin paper.... So I got the drop spindle on the left of the pic & the Jan Beany & Jean Littlejohn book on the right on couching. I'll have a little squiz first, but I might give it away as a special thank you...



Saw Helen McKenna's stand, new to me, with fabulously embelleshed bits & pieces, especially shoes! Didn't know coz I didn't look at the program properly but I could have asked for a demo. I think she was the only one who had a sketchbook with lots of frilly bits in it on her table. I love a good flick thru those ;)

Wendy Dolan was there, but I'd seen her last year & there wasn't time (or energy!) for everything, sadly.


Went into the Hobbycraft Hall, boy! A little daunting & all very white. I went round very methodically & got those dry glue things - in the middle of pic; I find pritt stick a little gloopy these days. & the 3 permanent ink stamp pads I've been after for ages. Back in the Stitches bit I found a huge roll of gold foil & a special glue pen, no ironing & bondaweb needed, just rubbing. I had to walk past a chocolate stall - why is there a chocolate stall in a stitch show? to get a bigger pot of special tacky glue, an oil stick, cheap brush & a big metallic reel of gold thread :)

Saw some beautiful lace & someone demonstrating tatting, facinating! See the blue corners in the pic? 3 little cushion blanks from Ikea to encourage me to make some covers. We'll see ;)

My real luxury book is From Print to Stitch by Janet Edmonds of Embroidered boxes fame. Looks great & again, so many to choose from for my collecton! I had to have a coffe cup wrap (off the floor!) for my favorite kind of printing & stirrers, so useful. I forgot to pic the straw from I won't tell you where ;)

Hope you enjoy some of these links!