London calling . . .

I do so love hopping on the train down to London every now & again.  It's only just over an hour away - long enough to get some knitting / crochet / reading done, but not too long that you need to pack snacks for the trip.  And my lovely sis lives in London too, so that's always a good excuse for a wee bit of lunch & shopping.  But this week whilst I was in the capital, she was across the channel, enjoying some sunshine and fine French wine working in beautiful Paris, so we didn't get to meet up  :-(

But nonetheless I had a fab time, because this little excursion was all about all-things-fabrics & fibres.  "Huh?" you may ask.  So I'll explain . . .

Sometime in August the Hubby is attending IPP - an international gathering of metagrobologists  (really just a fancy name for mechanical puzzle designers & collectors)  which this year is being held in London and I'm involved in helping to organize some activities and excursions for the wives / partners / significant others, and there seems to be a whole bunch of us who love to knit, crochet,  quilt, sew, etc etc.  So, as a result, we're organizing a trip to some of the loveliest little fabric & yarn shops around the city.

Right, so I spent Wednesday traipsing (in a nicest possible way) all over London - underground, overground, on tubes, trains & foot, making my way from Marylebone heading south to Kew, Richmond & Twickenham and then north again to West Hampstead - all in the name of research, of course.

First up (after getting myself a wee bit lost and taking the scenic route to get there) was the oh-so-fabulous Tikki  near the beautiful Kew Gardens.  Tina's little shop is just chock-a-block full of wonderful fabrics and threads and ribbons and . . . well, I'll let the pics speak . . .

Seriously, it's just like heaven for quilters & sewists.

Then just a short trip across Twickenham bridge, in St Margarets, a warm welcome awaited from the lovely Susan & Jodie at Mrs Moon which is brimming with gorgeous yarns . . .

. . . another bit of heaven, this time for the yarny folk . . .

Then I was back on the overground train and heading all the way north to West Hampstead to pop in and meet the delightful Annie at The Village Haberdashery.  The clue is in the name - it's filled with all-things-habby . . . some pretty fabrics, some yummy yarns, and a myriad of books, patterns & notions.  

 I mean, really  -  could you think of a better way to spend a day? 

 I was just dying to while away the time ooh-ing and aah-ing in these fabulous little crafty havens, but my return train beckoned and it was time to head back home.

Thank you Tina, Susan, Jodie & Annie for your friendly welcomes and I just can't wait to visit again with all my fellow crafty peeps in August.

And dear readers - next time you're lucky enough to find yourself in London, be sure to add these lovely shops to your itinerary  :-)

Ooh, and yes of course I made a few wee purchases . . . I just couldn't resist . . . but I'll show you those another time.

Wishing you a happy, sunny weekend.

'til next time,

xoxo