Workshop with Sarah Payne and tour of Visage Fabrics

I had an amazing opportunity back in August! I'm lucky enough to be offered training trips through work. Which means attending workshops run by suppliers to get to know products a little better. This time I had a short trip to Manchester to visit Visage Fabrics also known as The Craft Cotton Co., where I also attended a workshop run by quilter Sarah Payne.

It was a bit of a trek from Plymouth to Manchester for one night but it was so worth it. I was so excited about this trip and jumped at the chance to go, even if it was a slight mission cramming my sewing machine into a suitcase! Once I had arrived it was made even better by the fact the group I was with were all so lovely and talented.

We met the head designer Victoria Cowley who kindly gave us a group tour of the building. Fabric envy levels were high! Everywhere you turned there were endless towers of bolts of fabric. It's safe to say I think we were all after a meter of everything there! I had seen many of the prints before, however, for some reason, it was almost like I was seeing them for the first time all over again. Being able to see the full collections together in the flesh and on such a scale made me appreciate just how beautiful the fabric they create is.

There were 11 of us in the group, all bouncing with excitement, much to the amusement of all the staff! I believe it was the first time they had ever hosted a tour and workshop. Everyone we met was so lovely, welcoming and answered any questions we had.

We were even lucky enough to walk through the offices and have a sneak peek at the new collections (they are beautiful!) before heading back to our start point for our workshop with Sarah Payne.

For those who don't know Sarah is a freelance Quilting Teacher, author, designer and demonstrator for US & UK TV Shopping Channels.  She was lovely, approachable and put those that were a little nervous at ease.

For this workshop, she taught us how to make an applique cushion. Teaching us different techniques along with a fancy iron that became the talking point of the day!

Yes, even the iron we were using was amazing! It was an Oliso Smart Iron that automatically lifts and lowers with your touch. I've never seen one before but they are apparently big in America. Even the staff at Visage all came over to check it out!

All in all, it was a great day, meeting lovely people, learning new skills and of course I walked away with some fabric. A whole bolt in fact! I certainly had a few looks on the train home but I was never going to walk away empty-handed! I picked up this beauty, now I just have to work out what to make with all 15 meters of it!

See below the links to those mentioned in this post. Visage fabrics are a trade supplier but you can pick up their beautiful fabrics in your local Hobbycraft store.

The Craft Cotton co.
Hobbycraft
Sarah Payne