Congratulations to Selvedge for putting on a really great little fair! The quality of the items for sale was consistently very high, prices were reasonable (sometimes leaving me wondering how the makers were actually making any money!), presentation was beautiful, and the goodie bags from Gudren Sjoden, including a Gudrun scarf, was a real treat. The whole event was more than worth the £2.50 admission – it would have been worth that just to visit it as an exhibition.
There were so many wonderful stalls that I am not going to attempt a complete review – instead I will just mention a few highlights. You’ll just have to go to the next Selvedge Fair and see for yourself! (In case you haven’t come across Selvedge yet – it is an iconic magazine for textile artists and makers which is published 6 times a year. They also have a shop, and run fairs a couple of times a year. See www.selvedge.org for more details).
Atelier Millinery and their fab hats and fascinators (and free ribbon rosette in the goodie bag!) – in Soho or online at www.atelier-millinery.com – they also do courses so you can make your own hat!
Romney Marsh Wools – enterprising small company from Kent, with a flock of a thousand Romney Sheep and some Merinos. Some of their fleeces go to the Wool Board, but some are retained and processed in Wales to make knitting yarn and also yarn which is then woven into throws, rugs and cushions. They also believe in using the fleece in as many ways as possible, and have therefore developed a range of soap and toiletries which use the lanolin – the hand cream I sampled was lush! www.romneymarshwools.co.uk
The Linen Works almost made me wish I was getting married so that I could set up my wedding list with them – gorgeous domestic linens which I would just love in my home, and at good prices. www.thelinenworks.co.uk
Delicious blankets in luxury yarns from Esk – kintted in Scotland. They are doing stuff to their website at the moment and it all sounds very exciting. www.esk-life.com
Lovely accessories from Rosie’s Armoire (the friend I went with succumbed to a very pretty pendant) www.rosiesarmoire.co.uk
Thanks to www.bluebirdjewellry.co.uk for the comments on Etsy, websites and blogging.
Quilted cushions from India Rose www.indiarosedesign.com which I coveted, but sadly couldn’t justify...
Rebecca Engels of www.rebeccasaix.com had some very interesting French textiles and haberdashery.
Really nice colours and textures in lambswool knitwear from Gabrielle Vary www.gabriellevary.co.uk
Pretty things, including the nicest pincushions I have seen in a very long time, from Ellie Evans www.ellie-evans.co.uk. I particularly liked her labels, which say ‘Ellie Evans made this with her hands’ – you can’t say fairer than that!
And for me, possibly the most gorgeous things of all the gorgeous things on display – vintage embroidered Eastern European linens from Parna www.parna.co.uk – I think all my Christmas and birthday money for the foreseeable future will be spent on these beautiful, tactile textiles.
Altogether an excellent morning out – go to the next one! Get there early, to beat the crowds, so that you can browse at your leisure!
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