Two weeks ago I visited the Knitting and Stitching Show at Ally Pally. I had a great day out exploring the exhibitions and attended three different workshops too. I’ve written about my trip here and shared some photos of some of the displays which were really inspiring. I chose three workshops: Foundation Paper Pieced Liberty Heart, hand quilting for beginners and Stitch, Patch and Play with Jessie Chorley.
The foundation paper piecing was quite difficult as you add the layers back to front against the paper. I completed it at home and just about ended up with a heart. The hand quilting class was useful as I picked up some tips about starting and finishing and where to hide knots. My favourite class was with Jessie Chorley (I’ve attended one of her classes before) and we started embroidering one of her templates. This will definitely be something I work on over the next few months.
October has been a busy month for me, there’s definitely more time to sit and stitch at this time of year. I completed The Stitchy Bee ‘pumpkin bloom’ pattern which I started last year. I used a terracotta fabric which looks great with the colour palette.
We went to Paris for a few days and I wanted to take some small projects with me to stitch on the Eurostar. I chose two free gifts from Love Embroidery magazine, a felt bauble decoration and Christmas tree hoop. I finished the felt bauble decoration (felt always wins!) and have nearly finished the Christmas tree. It was so nice having a pouch with some little projects to make whilst the teens stared at their screens.
I signed up for the Benzie Holiday Ornament Exchange 2024. I have until the end of November to choose something to make, stitch it and send it across the pond. I don’t know why I sign up to these things at the busiest time of the year but it should be fun. It also means I can spend time on Pinterest browsing for beautiful felt projects.
Although there is a whiff of Christmas we have had plenty of Halloween makes too! This year we made a recycled pumpkin garland as well as gold foil pumpkins. I love crafting with metallic sheets so there will be more of these handmade decorations soon.
Catch up on my previous updates for 2024:
Sending one of your stiches to someone else far away does sound fun, even if it’s a busy time of year! Your stiches are always so fantastic.
The Christmas Tree is so perfect. Classic and simple, perfect for any decor.
Thank you for sharing your October adventures in stitching! It sounds like you had a fantastic time at the Knitting and Stitching Show, and I love the idea of bringing small projects on your trip to Paris