Goldhawk Road Sewing Meet Up!

Good evening everyone, new readers and old.

Well, we went to a sewing meet up! Following all the fun that was had at the Birmingham meet up I just couldn’t miss this one. With some other plans (for the Dorset Chilli Festival, if you want to know!) not panning out I decided to join the lovely Tabatha  who had already planned an excursion.

This is what happens if you do a Google Maps search for ‘Goldhawk Road Fabric shops’. Look at the concentration of outlets!

We met at Euston about 8:20, a full 3 hours before we were due to meet Claire at Goldhawk Road station. We set about making our way to the pre meet-up meet-up at the Costa Our party was completed by Carys, who’d joined Louise at the Birmingham meet up, got ourselves some refreshments (Louise had been up since 4:40am and I’d been up since 5!) and quickly got chatting with everyone in the Costa just opposite Goldhawk tube station.  We chatted away like we’d know each other for years and marvelled at how far everyone had come (Rachel all the way from from Australia, and Wendy from Luxemburg, to name but two!). We probably scared the living daylights out of the coffee shop owners who were over run with handmade dresses and talk of seams, fabric and how people we know who don’t sew couldn’t understand why we’d all meet up and talk about, well, sewing.

After chatting for what seemed like 15 minutes  (but was more like two hours!) we traipsed across to the tube station, met some more lovely sewing ladies, got name badges and cookies and made our way up Goldhawk road, weaving across the road as things caught our eyes. Like this guy:

I do love a bit of Elvis.

(and a  bonus Carys on the left of the picture. I think this was A One fabrics. Either way, I loved it!)

There are so many shops on the Goldhawk road, and they’re threatening to pull them all down and redevelop the whole area. There is a petition going if you’d like to sign it!

After wandering around like children in a street full of sweet shops (the choice was overwhelming!) we hit Liz café for lunch. Those poor café owners must have both loved and hated us at the same time! The swap was manic and, I’ll be honest, I stood well back for most of it as I really just wanted to destash rather and restash, but I did manage to pick up a few things I really loved (so thank you, if they were yours!) annd Tabatha picked up just a few bits and pieces too. The place looked like a bomb had hit it (or, for you Adam and Joe 6 music fans, a ‘bombsy tit‘).

To this…

…from this relatively sedate scene!

So here is what we managed to pick up through the day:

Tabatha’s Haul

What Tabatha took from the swap!

Tabatha’s purchases

Julia’s Haul
Lovely white jersey with little blue and orange birds and flowers, some pale blue drapey fabric, some dark pink drapey polyester and some tartan, all from the swap. (I’m trying to get more into fabric types I’ve not yet used, or used very little).

And I bought some gunmetal grey lace, some navy jersey wth flamingoes and some beautiful 100% silk (my only real ‘I must get something for this project!’ purchase).

I know a few people bought this (including both of us) so I’m intrigued to see all the different incarnations that will appear in time.

Soft as a butterfly’s wing green silk

Afterwards, there was cake and cocktails for we three, after a wander through Shepherd’s Bush MarketA great day was had by all, if the accounts that are popping up online are anything to go by! And many thanks again to Claire for organising. And let’s be honest here, which of us isn’t planning what we’re going to do and buy at the next Goldhawk Road meet up?!

By the way, there is a list of all the people who attended and all associated blogs over on Claire’s blog at http://sew-incidentally.blogspot.co.uk which you should read, if you get the chance.