In Stitches

Jayne Owles and I look at another lovely sample – is it a yes or a no?

Once a year, and always around this time, the great and the good of the Stitching world meet at Birmingham NEC at an exhibition called Stitches. It’s a trade fair which means that many of you would not have the opportunity to go so I thought I would tell you a little bit about what it’s like and what I was doing there!

Stitches has been running for many, many years and, because it is a trade fair, acts as a window into the future for sewing and quilting and other crafts too including knitting, crochet, jewellery, papercraft and more! Businesses, designers and magazine and book publishers all come together to share (and sell) what is new and is coming down the line for the rest of the year and beyond.

The fabulous Mrs H

As well as being packed full of beautiful things you have never seen before it also acts as a great big party where you bump into all sorts of people you haven’t seen in ages. It is impossible to walk down the aisles without seeing someone you know (or knows you) – some people you know were going to be there, but lots are big surprises too. As you can imagine there was a lot of hugging going on. I was especially delighted to see both of my first guest designers for John Scott’s Sewing World on 3rd March at the Show – Jo Carter and Louisa Goult. Don’t forget to tune in.  There are three ways to watch Online Facebook Youtube.

But apart from hugging the main reason I was there was to have meetings with my favourite retailers and manufacturers with a view to viewing fabric, kits, threads and more to feature on my forthcoming John Scott’s Sewing World TV show. I was joined for these meetings by Jayne Owles from Crafter’s TV as she is the lady who controls the purse strings.

Well, frankly, it is like being a kid in a sweet shop! We saw all sorts of things from all sorts of designers old and new including brands such as Liberty, Lewis & Irene, FreeSpirit, Moda, to name just a few.

Just a tiny glimpse of some of the many many amazing and beautiful things we saw at the show.

Mostly, in my day job, I am persuading people to buy but here at Stitches the tables are completely turned. Manufacturers are as exciting as you and me about the new John Scott’s Sewing World show and they want to see their product featured so, in a nutshell, they treat me a bit like royalty! You are offered drinks, sweets (which of course I refused, got to watch the figure you know) and then presented with so much amazing fabric it is almost too much to take in! I can’t buy it all so I pick my favourites and the ones I know you will love – you need to keep tuned into John Scott’s Sewing World to see some of the fabulous things coming your way including an Aurifil thread collection with threads chosen by me, created especially for John Scott’s Sewing World.

You might have only just taken down your decorations, but Christmas is alive and well at Stitches. Everyone has their ranges for Christmas 2020 all ready to go, it seems like madness but we will start selling in July to give you plenty of time to stitch for Christmas and that is only six months away which in the world of fabric manufacturing is not so long at all! But even though it makes sense it doesn’t take away the weird feeling that is it just wrong to be even thinking about Christmas in February!

Buying fabric, threads and wonderful things is a total joy but of course this one was a trade show so many of you were unable to attend. But don’t despair, I will be at The Stitch Festival Saturday 29th February and and Sunday 1st March at the Business Design Centre Islington!

Louisa Goult and Jo Carter will be appearing on the first John Scott’s Sewing World show on 3 March 2020. Click here to find out how to watch.