A Stitching Odyssey: Craft, Hobby & Stitch trade show

Last week I attended the Craft, Hobby & Stitch trade show in Birmingham, as a guest of Bamber Sewing Machines. I was invited along to offer Alan, who I interviewed here, my opinions on what a stitcher would like their local sewing shop to stock. 

During the day, I also discovered some interesting home truths about myself. I'm not a sewing tool and gadget person. I'm not against them at all and in fact I'm always open to recommendations and have almost always liked the ones I've tried out. But when it comes to what grabs my attention and deciding what to spend my hard-earned cash on, colourful fabrics and pretty notions always win out. So...yeah...I'm not the most practical-minded stitcher...but, I guess I already secretly knew that!  

It's no surprise then that my favourite part of the day was the 'fashion' show, which cleverly allowed various brands to exhibit their yarn, fabric and sewing patterns.

This blue knit with a 1960s twist really stood out to me and it was great getting to see it up close and personal on the DMC stand.

There were many, many other gorgeous yarns on display too!

Of course I hugely enjoyed the fabric and sewing pattern exhibits, which to my delight were definitely very retro / vintage inspired.

Sadly the lighting was terrible for photos, but this is one of the most beautiful version of the famous Butterick walk-away pattern I've seen. It just looked so chic!

The endless notions on display totally unleashed my inner magpie. What really caught my attention and made my heart skip a beat was the faux-crochet trimmed bias binding. Have you ever come across this stuff? There is literally a style and colour out there for everyone - I instantly thought of Winnie when I spotted the polka dot one and of Jane when I saw the gingham! I'm keeping the floral all to myself thanks ;o)

One thing that did amuse me, was the bias binding machine. Yep, you heard me! It's not just the simple metal gadget we probably all own and never use, it's a machine that said metal gadget clips onto. So you feed the fabric into the metal gadget, then you hit 'start' and it automatically feeds the fabric through the machine, pressing it on a hot iron as it goes along...so no ironing required! 

To be fair, this would probably come in handy for quilters or those who sew stuff in large quantities to sell. So if you're interested in winning a free bias binding machine identical to the one pictured below, keep  your eyes peeled for an imminent giveaway on the Bamber Sewing Machines Facebook page.

Despite many temptations I didn't buy anything for myself, because the B2B minimum spend requirements were too pricey for me. I did come away with four free magazines though - they're not ones I normally buy or read, but it was great having some freebie 'literature' for the train ride home.