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As many of you will know, yesterday was the first day of our Creative Stitches & Hobbycrafts in Exeter – and what a first day it was! When the ICHF team arrived at Westpoint in the morning, scores of people were already swarming into the exhibition area to discover what irresistible gifts and craft products lay in store!
As the first visit to an indoor creative show for the new Sales and Marketing girls, yesterday was an overwhelming and inspirational experience – we enjoyed meeting all the lovely exhibitors and were swept up in the excitement of it all! We were delighted to finally see the Downton Abbey costumes that everyone has been talking about - and they certainly lived up to expectations!
We were particularly taken with the gorgeous jewellery and unique accessories offered by Michelle from Handmade by Me. So much so, we just HAD to have this photo taken with her cute pink Scrabble rings! Besides these adorable and unusual pieces, she had Liquorice Allsort charm bracelets, Lego earrings, Loveheart pendant necklaces, plus so much more!
The smell of nuts from the popular Gourmet Nuts stand drifted through the arena, tempting everyone around! We also sampled some dark chocolate infused cheese from The Truckle Cheese Co which was surprisingly tasty. We couldn’t help but stop by Annah Stretton’s ‘Chameleon’ stand, as the stunning array of dresses was just too good to miss! One of the ICHF girls became a willing clothes horse, and was shown all the wonderful ways you can wear these beautiful dresses – up to 30 in some cases!
We also had a quick chat with Alison Murray – the mastermind behind the fabulous international knitting project Above and Below the Waves – who told us all about her next exciting project, The Big Books, which comprises three books, each with a separate theme – ‘Mythology’, ‘Nature through the Day’ and ‘Future and Science’. We had a sneak preview of her first book, ‘Mythology’ and she’s hoping to take the main feature of that book, the Dragon’s head, to the Cardiff show next week. Fingers crossed! And although we didn’t take part in any workshops ourselves, Stephanie Weightman’s Make & Take workshops and the SAA workshops and demonstrations certainly drew in the crowds.
If you came along yesterday, we hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did! And if you’re visiting over the weekend, we hope we’ve whetted your appetite for all the inspirational displays, supplies, demonstrations and workshops awaiting you.
Until next week,
The ICHF team x
To Alison Murray – Would you be so kind as to let me know where and when you are exhibiting your latest knitted exhibition. I played a very small part in Above and Below the Waves and would like to see the finished Book of Seasons sometime. Thank you in anticipation. Kind Regards, Rosalie