In search of fabric...

I know I've been pretty quiet on the blogging front. However, that means that I've been pretty busy with other aspects of my business.

I am getting ready for the Pins & Needles Show at Newcastle Arena at the end of the month. I am offering some taster blackwork workshops there. As they last only an hour, I thought it made sense to design a small project. After some thought, I settled on a bookmark for stitching on Aida band so there would be a minimum of raw edges to finish off. It's also small enough to hold without needing hoops or other equipment, the idea being to keep it as simple as possible. An hour is no where long enough to actually finish even the simplest of blackwork projects so I didn't want to complicate the finishing process. Especially since most of us have more than enough unfinished projects lying around our homes as it is!

Despite having started sourcing Aida band over 2 months ago, I have had incredible difficulty laying my hands on the quantity and colour that I need. I am being told that suppliers have none on hand, and that the manufacturers are no longer making it! Who would have thought that white Aida band with white scalloped edges would ever go out of fashion? Aida band with coloured edges would clash too much with the blackwork unless I matched threads to it. I'm not even sure there would have been enough of any one colour either so I was probably looking at a variety. This in turn would mean spending more money on threads because of the smaller quantities involved. The knock on effect is incredible and that's before accounting for the extra workload it would put on me besides to sort it all out.

A lot of grey hair later, I am being told that I will receive the required amount of Aida band in time for my workshops after all. However, I've ordered some Aida cloth as a backup plan to be on the safe side. Note to self... find a different project for future workshops once the Aida band runs out!

So, with any luck, I should be ready in time for the show. Must go for now as I really ought to crack on with the endless list of tasks that will make things run more smoothly at the show. Hope to see you there!