World Textiles Day

Went up to Bridge of Allan for the World Textiles Day, Scotland.  I seem to remember going to such an event in Norfolk, not long after we moved down.  It was a civilised event, relaxed and friendly, not overly crowded, and that's pretty much what I was expecting today.  The world, however, has moved on, and I'm sure the traders involved are delighted.  Reader, it was a feeding frenzy.  We arrived fairly early, but the room was very busy, and people continued to pile in behind us.

There was a small exhibition, which looked quite interesting, but though we could get into the room, the combination of three or four people and lots of chairs, set up for the first of two lectures, meant that the wheelchair couldn't get down the side of the room without causing a major inconvenience for everyone else, so we left that one alone. It's a long time since I went to an event like this as a participant; I've worked FOQ and KSS, but working comes with its own little oasis of clear space.  I'd spoken to people in wheelchairs at events, and they told me how difficult it was.  This was my first event in a wheelchair, and they were very, very right.  Wheelchairs have a cloak of invisibility fitted in, I suspect, or maybe people were just so focused on the fabric, and each other, that they missed the small woman in the wheelchair.  Even waving fabric and money in the air wasn't a guarantee of attention at one stall; in the end, Robin took it from me, and that seemed to work.  I can see why so many people in wheelchairs get a serious chip on their shoulders.  People didn't notice us until they walked into the chair....and then they apologised profusely, but without making eye contact.  Okay, rant over.  You want to know about the fabric, right?  Well... I couldn't see all that much of it, couldn't get close enough.  Someone had some fabulous clothing, but if they were on or near the stall, they didn't make themselves known, so I have no idea who it was.  There was some indigo dyed fabric; not my thing, really, but nicely done and presented.

What did I buy?  (Yes, of course I did). 

Some fabric from Magie Relph at The African Fabric Shop, (the package at the top), and a couple of Javanese fabric selections from Textile Traders. The selection at the bottom of the image is wedding cloth, and glitters.; it's gorgeous.  And Sashiko needles from Susan Briscoe; her stall was so busy that all I managed to get were the needles; browsing was an impossibility.  Which was a pity, because she had a great selection, and I had hoped to get some.  Never mind.

So... won't be doing that again, methinks.  It was a frustrating and mildly upsetting experience. Nice fabric, though.