The Craft, Hobby and Stitch International Trade Show 20 - 22 February

The Freudenberg Vilene Stand

The Freudenberg Vilene Boys

I was demonstrating on the Freudenberg Vilene Stand at the trade show and running their retailer workshops everyday. I love working at this show as there is always calm atmosphere compared to the very busy consumer shows that I demonstrate at. It is all very sociable and professional. Having to work with 3 lovely boys is no hardship either. It was great to catch up with the Freudenberg Vilene team, particularly Gemma who will be also be helping me on my stand at Fashion and Embroidery in March when I will be running the Vilene Workshop. More of that when I come back from Glasgow.
The workshops were short teaching sessions once a day for 20 people lasting 45 minutes. They are quite a tight turn around. This year I was showing how to use heavy iron-on interfacing with a Big Shot Pro die cutting machine and then everyone had a chance to decorate the boxes by ironing on sequins, glitter and foil. The iron-on interfacings have a glue on one side similar to Bondaweb so you can paint the glue side with a thin layer of paint and iron-on anything that you can iron onto Bondaweb, there was glitter flying everywhere. It was all great fun.




 a finished heart shaped box - it just needs some ribbon to finish it off

A new initiative for the show was the chance for exhibitors to show samples of their products in a fashion show. These shows were very popular and run by Brenda Killigrew of Inkberrow Design Centre. Brenda puts on all the fashion shows for the International Craft and Hobby Fairs (ICHF) they are always exciting events with great music and fantastic models. Freudenberg Vilene used the opportunity to show a range of garments constructed from the wonderful water soluble Solufleece/Soluvlies 321.


 
The garments are made by laying fabric snips and threads onto a layer of Solufleece, you then create a 'sandwich' with another layer of Solufleece. This is then free machine stitched to hold all the scraps together making sure that all the stitches link with each other. The pattern pieces are then cut from the 'sandwich', these are then made into the garment - only then do you wash away the Solufleece. You can create some amazing effects.


So - I am now frantically getting ready to start traveling to Glasgow on Tuesday. I love doing the Glasgow show at the SECC. The city itself is glorious and the people that come to the show are so friendly and appreciative. Wendy Dolan is also demonstrating at the show and she and her husband are staying at the same hotel as me so we should have a great time together. Wendy and I don't get much time to see each other as we are both so busy. It's crazy to think we both live in Brighton but will see each other in Glasgow. Wendy and I used to teach together at the Connaught Centre in Hove and she is a good friend and colleague. I will be running 4 workshops a day for 6 people on my stand at the show. once I have found the piece of paper I wrote the times of the workshops on - I will let you know when they are!!!!

My next book Layered Textiles has more or less been put to bed - I indexed it this week and sorted the last few changes. We go onto colour proofing next week, then it will be off to the printers.


One last and most important thing - I HAVE FOUND A NEW HEAT GUN - YYEEEHHHAAA!!!!!
It is a 360 watt 2 speed tool and will be ready to be posted out on the 8th March to those of you who have been waiting so patiently while I found a replacement. My first delivery will be 25 heat guns, that should be enough. Now I have found a supplier and the account is open I will be able to keep the delightful tools in stock.The website has been updated so you can pre order now.

Now it's back to cutting and packing playpacks, I will give you more information about the Glasgow show on Monday.

Have a great weekend
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