Textilmarkt Benediktbeuern: colourful inspiration

The weekend was full of beautiful textiles and needlework. It all started with me teaching the goldwork pomgranate workshop on Saturday. My friend and fellow needle workaholic Mari-jan traveled all the way from the Netherlands to attend. Together with 'locals' Monika and Sabine we had a really great time together. Mari-jan even gave me a beautiful handkerchief. The charming dove and clover are made of tatting lace with a variegated thread. Very elegant, don't you think?

On Sunday, we visited the textile fair at Benediktbeuern abbey. As you can imagine, it is a beautiful location for such an event. Even the rain, didn't bother us one bit as most of the participants had built up their stands inside one of the large agricultural buildings on the site.

It is a really 'high-end-of-the-market' textile fair for people with elastic wallets. Beautiful one of a kind pieces of clothing are sold. Clever colourful accessories and good sturdy hand-made shoes and boots. But then there is also a stand selling all sorts of needlework books: Antiquariat Held. Both new and second-hand. You can find their excellent online-shop here. I've bought a book on berlin wool work patterns by Raffaella Serena. They will come in handy when I'll need to design another Bavarian set of braces.

And Mari-jan and I became really good costumers at the stand of the Posamentenknopf Manufaktur. This bubbly young couple sold these 'washers' to turn into Dorset lace buttons and wooden 'raws' to turn into possamenterie buttons. We both have attended several workshops on these techniques and felt our creative juices starting to flow. So much so that I woke in the middle of the night with a new idea. Yeah, my brain is really good when I am asleep. So I played a little with my washers, silk ribbon and pearls this morning. The idea isn't ripe to go forth in the world and be multiplied, but I just needed to make a first proto-type. I will now let it sit at the back of my mind and mull it over a bit before I'll attempt a second prototype. And what will you be stitching this week?