Yup. Definitely not Walthamstow.
What’s the first thing you’d do on a venture to the north of England?
Hit Google and type, ‘Fabric shops in Yorkshire?’
How would you test your non-existent driving skills in a hire car?
Cross your toes and fingers and drive 30 minutes to Skipton?
Ooh, we have so much in common!
All in the name of research, I went to check out The Fent Shop in Skipton, North Yorkshire. Squeezed down an alley between a newsagents and a sandwich shop, blink and you’d miss it. Blink I did, but a kind florist told me where to go. Soon I was crossing this threshold:
The Fent Shop’s website had made a bold statement, calling itself a sewer’s paradise. You’d better make it good, I thought. I’m hitting Goldhawk Road next weekend.
I wasn’t disappointed.
Straight through the door and I saw some lovely fat quarters for £1.75 each:
That’ll do for my friend’s wedding bunting!
And talking of bunting, check these glories out:
Now THAT’s bunting!
The Fent Shop went on…
And on…
And on:
It was so big, it was like an aladdin’s cave. A cave you get lost in. A cave that makes you abandon all sense of day or night until … garghhhh! No! Look what I did:
They tried to make me go to rehab, and I said no, no, no…
Now, I can explain. This lot only came to £12.75 for three metres, three fat quarters and some thread. I’ve been looking for ages (okay, weeks) for some black fabric suitable for a second Beignet. You have to be careful with black. I wasn’t sure that cheap stuff off Walthamstow market would cut the mustard. Nowt worse than black that’s green-looking. So when I spotted this black cotton sateen for £3 a metre, I was sold.
What I couldn’t have predicted was the following conversation:
Shop owner: Oh, I’ve just spotted a flaw.
Me, squinting at the spot of glue: Don’t worry, I’m making a skirt. I can cut round it.
Shop owner: I tell you what, I’ll only charge you for two metres instead of three.
Me: ……!!!!! (Incapable of speech as dance of joy too demanding.)
You see, the God of Sewing moves in mysterious ways. Sometimes, you just have to do what higher beings command.
To summarise:
- Yorkshire is a really cool place.
- The Fent Shop should be on your ‘to do’ list if you’re ever in this area.
- I have to find a way to make fabric purchases tax deductible.
Neigh more shopping, Karen!
Not until next weekend, anyway…
Great post! Love it! I too am forever thinking how I can justify fabric purchases to Johnny Tax Man!
WOW!! 3 for cotton sateen? FABULOUS! Amazing! Oooohhh…I am getting so excited for next weekend.
Ooh! The Fent Shop is my local fabric shop and it is a good ‘un for lots of things, especially upholstery fabric, but they also have a rail of 2 metre lengths of Liberty tana lawn for £6 a metre – I just need to work out a way of actually using that stuff.
Just as well I didn’t know you were coming up this way or I’d have stalked you for the day. I hope you had fun.
Hee, hee – and a Yorkshire Airlines advert:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuTIjoIJWVw&feature=player_embedded
Now, a little known fact is that I’m a North Yorkshire girl and your post has made me homesick. Giving something for nothing is “yorkshire luck” ie spend £3 get £1 back or get 3m for the price of 2. Welcome to my world. Have a lovely, lovely time in Gods Country, give it my love and have a proper cup of Yorkshire Tea!
I love the phrase ‘yorkshire luck’. God’s Own Country has been unbelievably good to me.
I went to uni in Leeds for 3 years – I’ve been to the moors but never knew about the Fent shop
In the presence of all that fabric, I think you were quite restrained with your purchases!
great buys… I think I would have come back with more… so you deserve more shopping next week
)
I absolutely love Yorkshire and Skipton in particular as I’ve spent a lot of time there over the years, visiting my best friend from Uni. However, I’ve never heard of ‘the fent shop’, so perhaps I need to pay a visit up there soon…sounds amazing!
OOH I’m just catching up on Google reader ( I have been away) you are really making me NEED a trip to Yorkshire !! Ps I think you were very restrained .
I did just type fabric shops in Yorkshire (new sewing machine = must get started on some projects) and your post popped up! Thank you for the info on the shop in Skipton. Guess where I’m going this afternoon.
It’s a great shop!