Last Friday I finally made it down to Stitchncraft bead shop in Dorset. I say ‘finally’ because my journey getting there was rather longer than it might have been…firstly, I was originally going to teach a workshop there in 2013, but that was cancelled, so I felt very lucky to be invited back again this year. Secondly, it turned out I joined the hordes of bank holiday weekend/half term travellers heading down to the West Country for a break, so my two hour journey turned into four hours with some lovely scenic views of Stonehenge along the way! It’s years since I’ve seen Stonehenge, so I have to admit there are worse places to be stuck in a long traffic jam! Thankfully, the very lovely Lynn and Kevin were awaiting my arrival and looked after me so well on the Friday night.
I’d seen some photos of the beautiful barn that houses Stitchncraft, but it’s even more beautiful in the flesh! Set in the lovely Dorset countryside, the shop is a converted barn and it feels so bright and airy, so it’s a lovely place to work. It’s a real Aladdin’s Cave as well if you like beads. There is a huge range of Swarovski if you like a little bling (who doesn’t?!), walls of Delica beads, more walls of Miyuki beads, then there are the O beads, the Rizos, the Tilas and not to mention all those beautiful Soft Touch and Lunar beads. Oh, and I haven’t mentioned all the tools and findings. So, with all that on offer, how was I not going to come home with a little stash to play with?!
I had a lovely group of ladies for the workshop – they all worked incredibly hard and left the day with virtually completed corsages. One of the things I love about teaching is getting to see my patterns made in so many different colour combinations – it’s a real treat. The other little treat was getting to see a sneak peek of the workshops coming up in the next few weeks – there are some really lovely projects being taught and artists from far afield, like Maggie Meister, and closer to home, like Chloe Menage. Stitchncraft has a great reputation for classes, so it attracts excellent tutors and also visitors from all over the place. I actually felt quite humbled that people had come such long distances to attend my workshop and it turns out I wasn’t the only one who 
got to experience some very long looks at Stonehenge en route! I know I’m going to see at least some of the ladies again in July when I go back to teach my second workshop, beaded roses and gypsophila. I’m looking forward to it already, but I must remember to plan some projects and make myself a little shopping list for when I go back!
So a huge thank you to Lynn and Kevin for their wonderful hospitality, for looking after me so well and for having me along to teach – I’m looking forward to doing it all again in July!
