Shopping for Embroidery Goodies in London

Hello world! I am back from a lovely trip to London and Salisbury, our former place of residence. It was great to hook up with friends and continue where we left off. We also greatly enjoyed the advent service 'from darkness to light' in Salisbury cathedral. And when we returned on Monday evening for the service in honour of St. Andrew, I was allowed to take a close-up look at the altar frontispiece. It was the same one I had seen several years before being conserved at the Royal School of Needlework studio. What a treat! Alas, I didn't bring my camera...

And then my shopping spray in London... Ah, don't you love the London Bead Company opposite Kentish Town tube station? I could happily live there. However, I was met by some odd remarks from my husband. The 'Don't you have enough stash by now?' and the 'What project are you planning with these? are really silly, don't you think? We embroiderers never ever have enough stash. It is simply impossible. And no we don't need to have a specific project in mind when we buy. I suggested counselling to him.

Among the treasures in the pictures above are Waterlilies by Caron. A hand dyed 12 ply spun silk in the most gorgeous colour combinations. I also invested in some skeins Impressions by Caron. This is a hand dyed 50% wool and 50% silk yarn. Very nice for all sorts of canvas work. And last but not least, silken chenille from the Thread Gatherer. A described this to friends as being a sort of furry caterpillar. You can tell how much imagination people have by the look on their face as you talk to them.

That was of course not all. One never has enough beads. And now that the London Bead Company carry their own brand of beads you haven't previously tried before, you definitely need to invest in some of those too. Equally, one can always put DMC Diamant to good use. And one needs fabric to stitch onto as well. How nice that Silk Society on Berwick Street exists!

I will use my Christmas break to come up with some lovely new designs and workshops that, no doubt, will feature some of the treasures mentioned above. But before that, I urgently need to finish a star and two more sheep. They are part of my nativity scene that will hang in front of my kitchen window. As we are taking part in the village advent calendar route, the window needs to be operational on the 20th. Will the star and sheep make it on time? Find out next week!