I had a Grand Day Out at the Harrogate show! It is huge, five halls in all, and, despite getting the show guide in advance to do a little bit of forward planning, I was still bemused and overwhelmed with all that was there.
All of the workshops that interested me had been sold out well ahead, so I booked onto a 'Demo' (it was really more of a tutorial) 'Twenty tips to improve your sewing'. It was interesting and covered a wide range of sewing tips, many of which will be familiar to TSP or previous forum followers, i.e. darts (the shaping and securing thereof); interfacing choice; staystitching and order of construction to avoid bias stretch; selection of pattern size; etc etc.
Things I loved: The Royal School of Needlework stand, with such exquisitely fine work on display; the Festival of Quilts winners, again just jaw-dropping work; the wall of little crocheted creatures at the entrance to Hall M; the displays of all the machines from all the main manufacturers (dream on!); and the many, many fabric sellers and haberdashers. For someone who gets excited at the sight of a small fabric shop, this was revelatory. I saw lace being made and watched needle-felting, both new to me.
Things I bought: Fabric! But I kept my sensible head on. Two skirt lengths of Linton Tweed (they were on a BOGOF); a piece of textured jersey (which I had previously looked at online, it looked better in the flesh) from the Textile Centre stand; two pieces of jersey from Dotsnstripes, who had a great selection of good quality fabrics, not cheap, but better fabric than most (they also have a website); and a show offer of Vilene/Vlieseline packs containing a range of interfacing products. That came with a very useful brochure of the product range with all specifications and instructions.
I'm thinking of upgrading my overlocker and tried the Janome 6234xl and the Juki MO-654DE, also took a good look at the Bernina and Brother offerings, all very helpful.
You'll have gathered from these ramblings that I enjoyed my day immensely, indeed I hope to go again next year. For those who are visiting today or at the weekend, have a great time and wear comfortable shoes!