Initially it was meant to be a weekend away in London…but it turned out to be the best sewing weekend ever!
The weekend started in the best possible way…London welcomed me with a bright sunny day! Armed with Karen’s map to fabric shops, I headed to the famous Walthamstow market to meet sweet Evie. Though we never met before we discovered straight away we have one thing very important thing common: coffee!
We started chatting away and time started to fly by… Evie is really a charming person…and the smile you see on her blog and profile…it’s for real!
The fabric stores were nice in Walthamstow, fabric is nicely laid out in rolls so no need for rummaging. Despite the super low prices (we are talking less than a dollar/euro or .50p for a meter) we were both rather cautious with our purchases and believe it or not only walked out with 1 cut of fabric each…
Next stop…Goldhawk Road fabric market… I had been in touch with Rachel and told her we might join them for their fabulous meet-up. Little did I know we would bump into them while having another coffee at Costa’s. Picture this….I was talking to Evie and I suddenly see her turning her head towards the restroom…all I see is somebody wearing a flowery skirt walking in…and the red tiles…All I think is: well, maybe Evie was looking at the tiles!
Turns out Evie saw Karen walking in…we turn around and see a bunch of women with shopping bags and we think: they must be from Rachel’s meet up! We burst out laughing when poor Karen walks out of the restroom…she must have really taught we were rather odd!
Despite this funny introduction…Rachel still invited us to join them for lunch! Seamstresses are really the most welcoming people. The group was super large…nearly 50 women invaded the restaurant. Pity I didn’t get to talk to all of them! (Thanks Dibs for the friendly welcome).
After a day off from sewing…on Monday I was up early (ok…it was 8…but still) to head to Raystitch for a sewing class…Remember my fit issues? After having spent most of the winter perfecting my muslin and getting feedback from Lynda on Craftsy, I still felt not all my issues were solved. So I decided to sign up for a class with Alice Prier who is a trained theater designer and teaches regular bodice block classes there.
My expectations were high…though I was worried it could turn out as another failure if the instructor was not into fitting as much as I hoping for. Thankfully it turned out Alice is very kind and expert at fitting. She could see immediately what the remaining issues were (Like…as she put it…my C cup bum!).
She helped me out redrawing the new pattern and we even managed to sew a new bodice muslin to check the fit…For a moment I felt the same pressure Sewing Bee’s participants must have felt! Now I can’t wait to make a properly fitted shift dress!
With some great food in my belly I was ready for the next stop. Later in the afternoon…I headed to meet Melissa from Fehr Trade! How great it was to meet her too…I am really thankful she could squeeze me in her busy schedule! Which reminds me I still haven’t sent her the scans I promised (oops!)
Was lovely to have you both there… Come to visit us more often x
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Ohh Silvia!! what a great week end and meeting you had in London!! How it was the class at Raystitch? If I known, I’m still waiting for a pattern I ordered about 3 weeks ago from them… I hope it doesn’t get lost somewhere. So, you travel a lot I see :)) that’s a great thing, I would love too, maybe when my son will be a little older I could plan such a lovely week end there or to Birmingham too. Xo, Giusy
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Sounds like loads of fun! Hope the new block solves all your fitting issues. And, when are you planning a visit to Canada?
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Looks like it was fantastic! Fabric shopping in London (and London Fashion Week) are on my radar! 🙂
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🙂 Looks like a fantastic time 🙂
So, Walthamstow is the place in London to shop for fabric??? I visited London with my family last fall but had a hard time finding the “good fabric stores”. Checked the internet with little luck before going there and the people at the hotell really had no clue. Sent me off to some places that just were wrong. What I found was very expensive, not very inviting.
So, this was great news for me!!! London is a easy place to go when you live in Europe 🙂 Thanks for the article 🙂 and for sharing 🙂
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Sounds like a super fun trip! I’m envious that it is so easy to get to London for you. From California, it is definitely a long journey (which is why I haven’t made it there yet)! Can’t wait to see the results of that great fit session!
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I had a wonderful day…the time flew by and you are simply the best sewing shopping companion. Thank you for your kind words. Come back soon! We miss you already. x
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Sounds like a wonderful visit! What fun that you sewing ladies got to hang out together. I’m envious 😉
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Ciao!!!
You have had a really beautiful and busy day in London!!
Non sapevo che tu vivessi in Inghilterra, come me!!
Complimenti, mi piacciono molto le persone attive! 🙂
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Sounds like the loveliest weekend! How funny that you stumbled over that sewing meet-up! 🙂
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