On Friday I had the pleasure of heading to the NEC in Birmingham to attend the Sewing For Pleasure exhibition. The last time I went was around 6-7 years ago and I remember then it was filled with all sorts of wonderful fabrics and craft supplies but nowhere near as great as it is now! This is a very photo heavy blog post, so you have been warned!
Walking into the exhibition I was really surprised at how packed it was, the amount of people that were there was insane! Every stall was really busy, it was a little bit of a push to get around but overall the atmosphere was brilliant. Everyone seemed to be really excited by what was around them, I know I certainly was.
The second thing that surprised me was just how huge the exhibition was. The first thing I wanted to do was get my bearings on where things were, I think I walked around for 20 minutes trying to figure out if there was a flow to the room and it wasn't until walking around several times I started to realize certain areas where for specific things.
The hobbycraft exhibition was in the same hall which I thought would of been separate and I later realised was where I started off. Wondering around that part was brilliant. They had every craft you could think of, each stall had friendly faces, they seemed to be really excited to educate people on their crafts and demonstrate how to use products which I thought was a brilliant thing. I personally am someone who learns by actually "doing" and I get a lot more engaged in something if I'm actually physically doing an activity and I pick things up quicker that way too. I have a load of supplies and products I have no idea how to use or what to do with them and I think if you're talking to someone and being shown how to use it and have a go at using it, you're a lot more inclined to buy the product that way.
Walking around I didn't get a sense of pressure to buy things, which from visits to the clothes show or other exhibitions where stalls are you can get. I got the feeling it was more so about creating inspiration and educating people on all the different crafts out there.
This pictures above (and the first picture) was my favorite part of the day, there I was just wondering around, taking photos and I spotted these amazing balls of knitted chains on a table. When I walked over to take some photos this lovely lady asked if I'd like to join in and be apart of a World Guinness record, I mean who could say no to that?!So I sat down, she handed me some knitting needles, a ball of wool and was on hand to help me if I got stuck. She did ask if I knew how to knit and luckily I did but I noticed there was people around who was showing each other different ways and certain techniques. It was such a lovely atmosphere and so therapeutic to sit there and knit with ladies I'd never met before and it was so comfortable.
I was most excited for the sewing part of the exhibition as it's got to be my favorite thing to do! Being surrounded by so many beautiful fabrics is my idea of heaven - no joke! and boy oh boy there was plenty of beautiful fabrics and so many trimmings! There was plenty of patterns on sale too to get the inspiration juices flowing and I really had to be strict with myself not to go wild and buy things.
There was a part of the exhibition which had these amazing pieces of well art. Look at them they're incredible! I really foolishly didn't read up on them, I was just so taken away by the talent so I regret not reading who created them and what it was in aid of. But it just goes to show that there is no limit to what you can create.
I can't stress enough how much inspiration there was flowing through this exhibition and how great it was to see a mixture of people there. There was groups of young girls walking around getting excited by the fabrics and cute groups of older women nattering over how long they've been dress making. It was brilliant. 
One thing I was really impressed with was the amount of demonstrations and groups to get involved in. They had plenty of sewing machine companies there on hand to show you how to use their products and classes on how to create beautiful home decorations. There was talks and demonstrations on how to up-cycle your old clothing and turn them into great new garments. Seeing all the different types of sewing machines was fantastic, I've never seen an embroidery machine in use before and although I never got to have a go on one I was watching a lady use one and I'll say it again the fact the machines where there for you to use and sample was such a great touch!
The fact that there was experts there on hand to answer any questions really did it for me and overall I can't think of anything that put me off this experience. It was a fantastic day out and I learnt so much! My favorite thing was the fact you can sit down and get to play with new crafts and have a go at making something you never knew about. I cannot recommend this exhibition enough if your into your crafts or looking for something to be your new hobby, you will 100% find something here!!
