Walthamstow meet-up

This weekend I headed out to meet up with a lovely bunch of sewists to chat, swap, shop and chat some more. What can I say that hasn't already been written here, here, here and here? Not much, but I'll dive in anyway! It took just 2 1/4 hours to get from "up north" right into central London. Having arrived at Walthamstow market, the first stop was lunch! Or strictly speaking, a place to sit down and swap fabric, patterns and notions with the occasional bite to eat.

Ally grabs a bite (sorry Ally!) while the swapping begins!

There was so much stuff, it was insane. Claire quite literally had a whole trolley full of fabric to give away. Yes it was that kind of a day! I got rid of everything I took (although some of the dodgier patterns went into the charity shop pile) and was lucky enough to bring home all this:

From left to right: small remnant of cotton, a girls dress pattern (I think I might use the cotton to sew this dress for my little girl, there is enough for the bodice and I will probably pair it with a denim remnant from my stash for the skirt), sparkly jersey, floral knit, and a ditsy print knit.

So with a full shopping bag already, I followed everyone out into the market. Some people were better prepared than others for the fabric frenzy - trolleys are seriously under-rated! You should see what you can fit in there!

Claire, Stevie and Dibs show how it should be done

At the market and in the shops along the street, the prices were so good - the most I paid was £2/m. From left to right, I got teal green lining (probably poly but feels nice and drapey), purple dressweight mystery fabric and a lovely soft grey jersey, which I was informed was 10% wool.

I had written myself a list on the train going down south to try to keep my shopping under control. The list was basically - solids, knits, and winterweight fabrics. I think I didn't do too badly, considering the fabric madness that sets in when there is cheap (or free) goodness all around.

Thank you Stevie for organising a fabulous day and thank you everyone who attended for your delightful company!