Craft Show Shepton Mallet

Hi Crafters

I have just returned from the Craft4Crafters show at Shepton Mallet. Along with craft show at Exeter it is one of the main events in the south west.

Each year there is a 'will I won't I' dance before the event, but this time I decided to go. Like most crafters I told myself I did not need anything but I would go to see what's new and get ideas.

The journey from where I live is approx a 50 minute drive and this is part of the decision of whether to go or not. The show is not big and all the stalls can be visited in an hour and a half easily, as there is just one main hall, with a few stall upstairs. So do I drove for 2hrs to a 1.5hr show.

Needless to say there were road works on route and this made the journey over an hour. It is always very busy in the hall and difficult to get to the stalls to see the products, but this year I started at the back and worked my way to the entrance. The stalls are a mixture of sewing knitting and papercrafts, which reflects the craft industry. As I do all these crafts there was plenty to enjoy. I walked the hall before buying anything and then went back to the stalls to purchase. This seemed to work well and I finished up with fewer impulse buys that were not really needed.

For my papercrafts I picked up some essentials such as sticky tape and blank cards, this suited me as I have a mass of dies, paints and papers. I did see a marbling demonstration that looked very good. The equipment consisted of a block that fed the colours onto a plate and substance that set the colour onto the paper or fabric or stone and made it non smudge and colourfast. It looked really neat, but I was not in the market for another new hobby so decided to pass.I did buy some great value fabric from the "Bombay" stand who were selling fabrics at £2.50 a metre. Who could resist such a bargain. 

I thought I had finished when I came across the "House of Zandra" stand. This is a lady who designs felt animals, you may call them toys but they seem much more. The selection is fabulous and each animal has a story with its name. The mouse is a storyteller, while the penquin is the warm hearted penquin and the Berry eating rabbit, you get the picture. There were so many lovely kits I could not make up my mind, and in the end bought 5 with the idea that at least 2 would make great Christmas presents (if I do not get to them first). 

The journey home went well with no hold ups, and so I was very glad I made the trip. I  miss the days when there were multi-stalls selling stamps with amazing demonstrations and samples to be seen. Also the big Sizzix stand and die companies are not present at this show, I suppose this reflects the way the craft industry is going, with many sales made on-line and via tv. On the plus side there were demonstrations at a lot of stands, make and takes, as well as classes in the upper rooms on all the days of the show, so I could have made a whole afternoon of it, had I wished. Well worth a look and infinitely easier than going to the NEC, although thats a whole different story.

Dee