Oh m....m.......mmmmmmyyyyyy!

Sometimes a wrong turning in life can be just the thing to improve your quality of life. While driving into Whitby, on our Yorkshire holiday last week, we followed the signs for Whitby, but must have followed incorrectly, because we ended up going on a round-about journey to get where we wanted to be. But it was a really GREAT wrong turn from my point of view, because Hugo saw this............ "Look, there's a fabric shop", said Hugo. "What? Where?" I hadn't seen it. "Oh pleeeeese can we go there?" "O.k. After a cup of tea".(Code for 'after I've fortified myself'). Imagine this.......... A room stocked floor to ceiling with bolts of fabric, and crafty bits and bobs. And Judith herself, a lovely neatly attired, (in Twinset), lady, standing smiling behind her beautifully arranged and ordered counter. The Twinset was perfect. The shop was perfect and gloriously old fashioned, with everything in its place............. lovingly placed. Judith doesn't have an on-line shop unfortunately. But if you're ever in Whitby, you can find her shop at 'Judiths Fabrics', 12-13 Brunswick Street, Whitby, North Yorkshire YO21 1RB. Her telephone number is 01947 603 213. I think she will mail fabric to people, but only accepts cash or cheques in payment. I vaguely remember salivating slightly. Oooooohhhh, can you feel my excitement? I was very excited, though I was trying to be decorous in Judith's calm presence. I think Hugo sensed my delight, he certainly didn't even try to stop that crazed look in my eye. He even helped me carefully lift down bolts of fabric. Once I had established that I would buy thirty centimeters of each fabric I chose, I got down to the serious business of selecting. I don't know about you, and this may sound a little crazy, but when I get excited about things like wool, material, ribbons, buttons, paper.............. Well, I feel like I'm going to burst, and that is a bit painful. Yes, excitement can be a painful thing when it's very intense................ almost like holding my breath for too long. You see I'd made a snap decision to allow myself to just buy pretty much what I liked. Decisions like that are a bit like the start of a roller coaster ride, a bit scary. I should really display my fabric purchases so that I get to see them every day, I love to just stare at them. I like to admire my fabric stash............ .............Like you might enjoy looking at a painting. I find it very satisfying, looking at these neatly folded 30cm pieces of fabric. These pretty patterns make me think, quite simply, that life is............... Sweet and good.

Comments

[Lesley]

oh my golly gosh you lucky lady :-) how completely gorgeous are they ?!!?!?
i am totally with you on the getting excited - i literally get butterflies when anything ive ordered arrives and cant wait to open it LOL
enjoy!
lesley x

[Sew Recycled!]

Oh mmmmmmmmmmyyyyyy indeed!
What a lovely wrong turning!
Jealous or what! I always find it so hard to use bits of my fav fabrics, savour every min!
Emx

[Cat]

What a wonderful stash of prettiness and bravo to Judith for such a marvellous store! Can't wait to see what they are turned into.

C x

[Lucy@Attic24]

Oh yes I TOTALLY get you on the pain of intense creative excitement, I am exactly the same. I can so imagine you in that shop, it was like me in London in nov deciding on the spot to buy small quantities of Kaffe fassett fabric, juts BEcause. that hurt like mad.
ehhem..can I just say that the fabrics are veeeery delicate and pretty and also not what I imagine you would go for somehow? No lime greens in that lot!
But they wold make a delicious nostalgic/vintagey patchwork quilt wouldn't they?
Loving your NYorks hol posts...can't wait for tmorrow, did you go RHB??

[elizabeth of course]

OOOH and AAAAHHH! Who could possibly drive past that place? I want to climb into the monitor and walk around! I love the things you picked out. Wrong turns and backroads are always best in my book.

[Julie]

ooooh, they are totally gorgeous. Looks like a wonderful shop, but I love every single one of the fabrics you have chosen. Am going to sit and drool and admire. And covet!

[periwinkle]

what an amazing find , such a pity she doesn't have a website... we'll probably be going to Whitby in the summer so I'll definately be keeping an eye out for that shop...Can't wait to see what you do with it all
lisa x

[graceful mice and gentle moons]

WoW!!!
Before I run down to the ticket office for the next train to Whitby......................
I want to tell you how absolutely delighted and excited I am with my 'happy' painting, which arrived today. You can read about it on my blog if you like (where I have been singing it's praises). It really is very lovely and I am pleased as pleased can be with my purchase,
thankyou so much
and Lots of Love
Sumea xx

[Helen Lambert]

Whitby is my favourite place in the world... where we want to retire one day...we have been gong for as long as I can remember...and I know that shop well...and all the other lovely shops which I am sure you explored...I hope you found Bobins...Shepherds Purse...I could go on and on ...plus the vintage shops just near Judiths...thee is a wonderful coffee shop called Sherlocks with amazing cake...I hope you found that too...I have also been on the train journey you did yesterday..next time there is a lovely walk from Grosmont back to Grosland (not sure I have spelt that right..)so you get a lovely walk and a short ride on the train...my friend used to live near the station on hard struggle...what a wonderful name for a street...there is also a steam train ride near Haworth which is lovely...I love folded fabric too and I can never bare to use it...it alwys looks so lovely in neat folded piles...so glad you are back...missed you....

[cathleen]

Wanted you to know how much I am enjoying your past two posts....such rich in beauty photos! I, of course, love, love, love all your fabric photos but I have to say....the photo, yesterday, of your tea and scones with the gingham tablecloth is my favorite. It's totally charming in its sweet simplicity!

[Karen]

Thats some of the prettiest fabric I have ever seen. I am so looking forward to seeing what you make with it. I always feel excited in bookshops and I just love their smell. Needlework and wool shops have the same effect. Husband and sons don't understand at all! Karenx

[driftwood]

oh you said you'd found a fabric shop, what a treat! just lovely xxxx

[susand]

Nicely done!

[Cathy]

I also discovered this little gem of a shop when on holiday in Whitby last year! How lovely to see it again, and you've reminded me to visit again when we are back there is a couple of weeks. Lovely stash - I also would just sit and admire it! xx

[kitschen pink]

If there is anything that will ever persuade me to stop using reclaimed vintage fabrics in favour of buying new, it is this! I so yearn for a neatly folded stash! Mine is all here and there and tumble down! Old curtains, clothes, teatowels, bedlinens and blankets. They will never fold into neat little squares. Even when I have cut the fabric into useable pieces removing seams and hems, I can't bear to part with the smallest bit just in case.... so there is never a neat little square! Perhaps I need a second, alternative stash - that would be good..... t.xx

[Hilary]

I am glad you discovered this lovely little shop. There is just something so exciting about a stash of fabric and the planning of what to use them for. You want whatever it is to be so really special to make up for cutting into the stash!!

[day-dreamer-girl]

OHHHH I can't believe what a great selection of fabric they have......I am just trying to finish my patchwork quilt see blog..... http://day-dreamer-girl.blogspot.com/
.......and wont let myself start any other projects......I am having withdrawal symptoms from lovely fabrics like the ones in this shop.
next time I am back in the UK I will try to get this to this shop.
Have a nice weekend
Claudia

[mary]

oh my God ! It is wonderful !