book review London sewing What I'm reading

What I’m reading: London Stitch & Knit

My bedside table is piled high with books at the moment. I seem to behind sharing them here but today I wanted to tell you about London Stitch & Knit: a craft lover’s guide to London’s Fabric, Knitting and Haberdashery Shops by Leigh Metcalf. The author blogs at Found, now home which I’ve enjoyed for a while so I was excited when she mentioned she was working on her first book about haberdashery shops in London. As a Londoner who loved to stitch I knew I was going to want a copy of London Stitch & Knit on my shelves.

London Stitch and Knit book cover

In London Stitch & Knit: a craft lover’s guide to London’s Fabric, Knitting and Haberdashery Shops writer, photographer and keen sewist Leigh Metcalf takes you on a tour of the city’s haberdashery treasure trove.

Featuring profiles on over 45 shops divided into six London territories; from big-store titans such as Liberty and John Lewis, to little gems such as DM Buttonholes, and from the beautifully decorated and stocked Cloth House, to the fancy-free but functional William Gee.

This is a lovely book, more to pick up and dip into than read cover to cover. Haberdashery shops seem to be closing at a rate of knots so I was interested to see how many there are spread out over London. Living out on the edge of London I have to travel a long way for my fabric fix. This is a lovely guide to sewing shops, some I am familiar with, some which I’m now eager to visit. One thing is for sure, I hope they stay as bricks and mortar businesses for a long time, nothing beats seeing fabric in real life.

London Stitch and Knit book

The book is complemented with wonderful photography of each shop, displays and close ups so this is a great coffee table book as well as guide book. London Stitch & Knit is the perfect accompaniment for anyone keen on craft, stitching and knitting supplies – locals and tourists alike!

1 Comment

  • Reply
    aunty caca
    March 10, 2016 at 10:58 am

    We should arrange a weekend of visiting these places. Sounds fun!! Xx

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