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First and foremost ICHF must say Happy Easter to everyone! We hope you had a lovely Easter weekend, and gorged on plenty of chocolate… we know we did! Well it’s the only time of year you can get away with eating chocolate for breakfast isn’t it?! 
We’re delighted to be able to share some of the wonderful photos from the Sewing for Pleasure, Fashion Embroidery & Stitch and Hobbycrafts shows, held at the NEC Birmingham 22-25 March. For those of you who attended, you’ll know how amazing the event was – from the cheers of joy upon the show opening, to the overwhelming applause for the daily catwalk shows, the mood was undeniably upbeat, the atmosphere exciting and electric. As one of our biggest events of the year, the Sewing, Fashion and Hobbycrafts shows always have a lot to live up to, and they certainly didn’t disappoint!
From the moment the doors opened at 9.30am on Thursday 22, the buzz was infectious – scores of creative craft enthusiasts came from across the UK to indulge their creative passions and hobbys. Whether it was supplies, inspiration, or expert advice you were looking for, the Sewing, Fashion and Hobbycrafts shows had it all! The workshops, including Crafting with Stephanie, Madeira and Vilene workshops, filled super quickly with crafters eagers to learn new and exciting techniques, while the Catwalk Fashion Shows provided visitors with a stylish showcase of clothing collections, displaying the talents of both exhibitors and students from the Inkberrow Design Centre.
Highlights of the catwalks shows included the ‘Design for a 1960′s Icon’ competition finalists, showcasing their designs on the runway, with live judging and prize giving on the Friday. Many of the young finalists bravely took to the runway to model their designs to much raptuous applause! And for all those chocoholics amongst you, the stunning ‘Caburys’ dress was an inspired use for all those leftover Dairy Milk wrappers! Local dress designer Karen Delahunty from Coventry, a previous student of the Inkberrow Design Centre, wowed the crowds with her Cadbury couture creation, a corseted gown made entirely of Cadbury Dairy Milk wrappers, hand woven with fabric and yarns.
The Sewing Hub was a popular area for dressmakers and fashion fans, who could learn how to update and re-invent their wardrobes in the Stitch Divas Den, or choose a new pattern and start from scratch with inspiration and guidance from The Pattern Bar. There was also help at hand for anyone starting out in dressmaking or struggling to master a new technique at the Sewing Machine Clinic, where Thelma Judge offered helpful hints and tips to interested visitors.
The winner of the prestigious ‘Glimpses of Blighty’ Madeira Competition was also announced at the show – Michelle Blower – with her glorious interpretation of the British theme, describing perfectly what us Brits do best – keep smilin’ through!
This upbeat and positive attitide continued throughout the four day show run – we hope you enjoyed yourself as much as we did! Now onto the final preparations for the last of our spring shows – Creative Stitches & Hobbycrafts at Liverpool 26-28 April, and Brighton 10-12 May, plus our first outdoor craft show of the year, the Weald of Kent Craft Show, Penshurst 5-7 May. Oh, and not forgetting our highly anticpated new Cake show – Cake International – The Cake Decorating & Baking Show! Check out our website www.ichf.co.uk for more details! Now back to the remainder of our Easter Egg chocolate…
The ICHF Team x
So great to hear about the upcoming events at ICHF – I only came across it after one of the companies told me about visiting the Liverpool show. At Kimwetu (www.kimwetu.com) we provide free advertising for many of the small companies that have stalls at these events. We’re looking forward to supporting even more British companies!