Wednesday 25 July 2012

Holiday Buys!

At last the sun came out today here in Belfast! 

I celebrated by cutting some flowers from the garden and filling vases around the house!  So cheery!

I also managed a good bit of sewing & prep. sewing today, but as I'm still trying to rattle through my holiday news, I'll save today's progress for another day.

So what fabrics did I buy while on holiday?

The first wee shop I stumbled across was in Llandudno, called Fabulous Fabrics (they are soon going online).

With over 1200 bolts of quilters cotton, it was a super wee shop run by a lovely 70 year old lady with tatoos!  I picked up some bargain fqs and navy polka dot (see pic below).

We then travelled through N.Wales & made a scheduled stop here:


I was a little hesitant about coming here, after viewing their online site.  But boy oh boy! I wasn't disappointed!  In fact I was overwhelmed!  There is sooooooo much fabric here I didn't actually end up buying any!  Their selection of quilters cotton is small, and that is what I was trying to keep my small spending budget for, but oh the linens, and wools, and tweeds, and fleece, and buttons, and trims, and ..., and ...., and ....!  I came away completely glazed, and not entirely sure that I'd made the right decision not to spend!

A few days later we were in Witney, Oxford, perusing the shop in the rain, wearing sandals, looking like utter idiots tourists!  We stumbled across the most divine wee shop called The Old Pill Factory.  For all you vintage lovers out there, you will love this adorable shop. 


Here's what I found tucked away in the very back room of the shop:


The label read "3m Liberty Lawn - £18". What a bargain!  I will be adding this to the 'clothes for me one day' pile!

The staff in the shop were so friendly and welcoming.  I also saw a very old hand sewn hexie quilt, a true antique - beautiful!

A few shops down from The Old Pill Factory is a lovely wee fabric shop which sold beautiful, modern quilters cotton, but at £16.50+ per metre, they were all out of my budget sadly.

And opposite The Old Pill Factory, is the most charming Papier Mache shop and workshop.  So inspiring!

These friendly chaps were sitting outside the shop!


This reminded me of a similar technique I've done before of covering items (e.g. chairs) with fabric scraps and pva glue!  Great fun!

Next to Bournemouth, where the fabric shops cater mainly for dressmaking and soft furnishings.  But I did manage to get some ditsy cotton prints to add to my stash.


I didn't quite get all of what I was looking for by way of quilters cotton, but that just means I can do a wee bit of online shopping without feeling guilty!

We took a quick jaunt into the Cath Kidson shop (despite there being one in Belfast, I've never been in one before).

It is so well set out and displayed, but again out of my price range!




And one more find in a charity shop which no.2 daughter pleaded with me to buy!


I wonder why she likes him so much!!!!!

By the way, if anyone is ever in Bangor, Wales, there is the most amazing Vintage Clothes shop called The Vintage Shop (!!).  Oh, it was a walk down memory lane (yes I'm that old!). The dresses, scarves, coats etc. from the 50's - 80's where fabulous!  I didn't have time to try anything on or buy, but it was a lovely shopping experience (& it's not often you'll hear me say that!).

Well that's it for now.  Sorry for such a long post.  Tomorrow I promise to show you some sewing!


13 comments:

  1. That Abakhan is 25 mins from me and one of my favourite places - I could spend hours there. Did you see the cotton fabrics upstairs in the main building as well as the bolts in the craft shop ? I went last week and got some great stuff - bit hit and miss though. One day I could spend a fortune and the next day can't find a thing xxx

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  2. Ha, talk about a trip down memory lane! I used to live and work in Witney! do they still have a Hufkins bakery? Did you try the lardy cake! The best ever! And Bangor too! Lots of lovelies in your purchases :) yay for sunshine!

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  3. Oooo nice post. Next time I visit my Mum I will engineer a visit to Witney! x

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  4. Abakhan in Mostyn is one of my fav places of all time.. cannot pass it xx I ALWAYS find something to buy... even when I say... IM JUST GOING TO LOOK!! My mother says its an obsession... I can think of worse ones xx lol x

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  5. Like your buys. You have been to some interesting places and shops. Di x

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  6. What a great trip, your family must be patient and understanding, I'm planning some days out when my husband is off and checking out the local charity shops that are there!

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  7. Wow great tour! I keep being told I should go shopping in Witney so maybe I should venture over there one day with all those treasures. I have never come across any fabric shops in Bournemouth but to be fair I've not really looked. As for Cath Kidston they have an outlet shop at Bicester Village and the prices are much much more affordable. I never buy anything in the proper shops for that reason.

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  8. Hey! No apologies for the non-stitching post. I enjoyed fabric shopping with you :)

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  9. What a neat tour! I love the photos and hearing about your neat finds. Thanks for sharing with us.

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  10. Sounds like my kind of shopping. You will look great clad in that Liberty bargain. Love your chilli fabric and the red and aqua bundles look lovely too! Happy Days!!

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  11. I am still catching up - you are so lucky to get Martha! And the shopping sounds fun.

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