L'aiguille en fete Paris, Feb 2010

2 weeks ago I went to Paris for my God daughter's first communion. It was on the Saturday, and I was very lucky because this french show was happening at the same time. I left home a day early, on the Thursday, and spent Friday looking at quilts, embroidery, knitting...kits, fabric, ribbons, patterns, books.

Although books are more expensive in France than in England, because of some protection laws that are supposed to give more money to the authors, but then they sell less books because of their prices being so high !

I didn't buy much : some Liberty fabric that we couldn't name, some japanese jelly roll..

I got some ideas for things I want to make, just need the time.

There was also a speed knittng competition, very relaxed. Everybody could take part, including a teenager who had just learnt.

And there was some massive needles. On the photo below the pieces are on a sofa. The wooden needles would have been the size of my wrist roughly. Knitting becomes a workout.

There were 2 women from the Toft Alpaca with some beautiful alpaca wool. It made me want to start a hat.

I also saw a very interesting demonstration of painting on fabric with some stencils from The Stencil Store

I would like to make some bags using transat toile like the Cabana Creations people did.

And I discovered a man who makes beautiful buttons or pendants in ceramic called Rouge Petit Coeur. I bought a beautiful P on a heart, that I will use on a wallhanging.

Of course there were many more shops, these are just a bit different.

And I did a workshop, but more about this later as I have not finished the embroidery started that day. Isn't that typical.