Filium, Prague

If you don’t get stuck in one of Prague’s lovely cathedrals or wonderful exhibitions, there are some great places to pick up some crafty supplies. One of these is the immensely practical haberdashery Filium in the Palladium shopping centre. Apparently they boast the widest assortment of fashion buttons in the Czech Republic and, while they might not quite beat the legendary Duttons for Buttons in York, it is a seriously impressive collection.

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Christmas Crafts Cancelled

I think the post title and the cordoned off Nativity scene about says it all… so with today’s post you can enjoy some nice photos of St. Vitnus Cathedral in Prague (full title: The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saints Vitus, Wenceslaus and Adalbert – so there’s a Christmas connection in there somewhere) which might be one of the most breathtaking pieces of art I have ever seen in my lifetime.

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Embroidered Arts Exhibition

Last week was the exhibition that accompanies the Hand and Lock Prize for Embroidery, which is a seriously lavish celebration of embroidery talent. There are several categories to the prize, including Fashion and Textile, with Open and Student levels. Whether you love all the individual exhibition pieces or not, there is no denying that the Prize attracts a veritable cornucopia of talent and is the ultimate ‘up yours’ to anyone who doesn’t think embroidery can be art.

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Making Nuno Exhibition, Japan House

I don’t remember how I stumbled upon the existing of the Japan House in Kensington, London, but I am very glad I did. Apparently it is supposed to be ‘presenting the very best of Japanese art, design, gastronomy, innovation, and technology’ to deepen our appreciation of what Japan has to offer. It’s a really interesting and honestly incredibly persuasive initiative from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, especially when they put on some incredible textile exhibitions which you can enjoy for free.

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The London Bead Co., London, UK

As an embroiderer, it’s often difficult to find shops that stock more exciting thread than just the standard DMC/Anchor floss ranges. It can even be difficult to find places that stock embroidery-suitable fabrics that are more exciting than 14 count Aida in white. This is why it’s always so exciting to find a place like The London Bead Co., which while formally being a shop for all things small and shiny, has one of the most beautiful thread collections I’ve ever seen. I think only Old World Designs comes close!

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Bernina Shop, Zürich

One of the nice things about being in Switzerland, as well as the beautiful scenery, perfect trains and wonderful cheese, is the number of Bernina stores dotted about the place. Some of them are in surprising places, it often feels like you’ll see one in every small village, but they are usually excellent haberdasheries as well as sewing machine technology wonderlands.

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Review: This Golden Fleece

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links meaning if you make any purchases via these links, I receive a small commission that contributes to the running costs of the blog. However, any recommendations and opinions in this review are my own. For more information, please click here.

I’ve been very much enjoying the number of textile-themed narrative non-fiction books being published lately. From Kassia St Clair’s brilliant offerings, The Golden Thread and The Secret Lives of Colour, through to the exceptional Threads of Life and the still interesting but not entirely my cup of tea, Knitlandia.

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