It was hot and sunny in London for my visit to this year’s Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace. This time, I wasn’t teaching; I just came to meet a friend and enjoy the show.
After a good catch-up in one of the coffee areas, we tackled the show in an organised way, starting at the end of one hall and going methodically up and down between the stalls so we saw all of them. I have always enjoyed the mix of textiles crafts at the Knitting and Stitching Show: knitting, crochet, embroidery (including goldwork), beading (with and without embroidery), needlepoint, quilting and dressmaking. It was noticable how many independent dressmaking pattern designers had stands. Several ‘Great British Sewing Bee’ contestants were present at the show on the day I went. The contest has certainly helped to reinvigorate the idea of garment-sewing at home.
Having recently done an audit of all my fabrics, I knew exactly where the gaps were and bought a number of fat quarters in solid colours and low-volume prints for my stock. When someone comes to my ‘Quilt in a Day’ course (see here for details) they choose their personal ‘colour story’ for the day, so I like to have a good selection of colours in hand. They are now all washed, pressed and stored ready for use. I also bought three reels of pale grey thread – not thrilling, I know but SO useful, as the colour blends with any colour of fabric!
We thoroughly enjoyed the stands of textile artists’ work. Here are some of my highlights. I wrote about Sandra Meech’s work here and I was so pleased to see this piece of work, too.
I have been interested in Cas Holmes’ work since I first discovered it as a student at Art College in 1995. This beautiful, textural piece was a delight.
This carefully arranged cornucopia of beads, small objects and stitch in a circular shape (‘Zing’ by Jessica Grady’) was so eye-catching.
The bird below was one of a series of pieces ‘Natural Histories’ – all displayed in round embroidery frames – by Stephanie Redfern.
There was also an opportunity to see again, some of the winning quilts from the Festival of Quilts. I shared some photos with you in the post here, but here are some other favourites:
The winner of the ‘Miniature’ category, ‘Paradise Valley’ by Kumiko Fridl, was intricate, decorative and detailled.
I mentioned before how lovely the children’s work was. This winning quilt (‘What if…’ by Dasha Hetun) in the 10-13 age group is a delight.
Colourful stylised birds were the focus of ‘The Quilters’ Guild Challenge’ winning quilt by Sheena Norquay.
And finally, the winner in the ‘Modern’ category by Vendulka Battais.
It was a good day – well worth catching the 7.02am train!
This week, from Monday 9th October to Wednesday 11th October 2023, there is a fantastic 25% discount offer with Etsy, for purchases of £40 or more using the code YES10
This is the link for the Amanda Jane Textiles shop full of patterns.
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AmandaJaneTextiles
This is the link for the Amanda Handmade Quilts shop full of unique handmade quilts
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AmandaHandmadeQuilts
This month I am doing ‘Inktober’. Catch up with my daily drawings in ink on Instagram here
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