Fabric and button shopping in Harrogate

First of all, I didn't get back to the YSL exhibition on Thursday - I'm afraid I ended up in the dentist's  chair. I've had a lot of problems with jaw pain on eating especially (unfortunately not leading to weight loss!). When it first happened my GP suspected temporal arteritis but a quick referral to hospital excluded that. I was given a diagnosis ultimately of 'TMJ syndrome' which,  as far as I'm concerned, it's just saying 'you get jaw pain!' There are a number of contributory factors. One of these was the tooth I had work on today. I've had problems with it but got an urgent appointment because a lump appeared and I  was worried. My dentist started root canal treatment as the nerve was dead but was unable to complete as I have narrow,  twisty  canals so I'm going to a specialist practitioner after the October holiday. I'm praying my jaw pain will subside. Anyway, that's why I missed my second dose of YSL.

Admittedly, I had also had too much travel and yet another day's traveling didn't appeal too much. Preferable to the dentist any day though! And I missed lunch and company. I gather the exhibition run has been extended so I need to consider whether to go again;  some of the others in my college course haven't been yet.

I met up with my friend Anne briefly on Sunday and we had planned to meet again, to continue our interrupted conversation on my way to the bridge weekend on Friday. Unfortunately she was called in to work. She suggested I travel on the Thursday night,  go to her house in the Lake District  for dinner and stay overnight and then continue my journey. This would have been nice but my course is on a Thursday evening;  it wasn't meant to be.

As I was no longer meeting Anne, I decided to cut down the travelling and miss out trips to fabric shops on the M6 route, which is a good bit longer than the A1 route to my destination. Also, I did not get good recommendations for the shop I had considered. I did get a recommendation for Fabrix in Lancaster but decided it wasn't worth taking the M6 on this occasion. Something to look forward to in the future!

Instead,  I decided I would go on with my plan to visit Duttons for Buttons in Harrogate and a couples of others that had been recommended. I have to cut off the A1 and bypass Harrogate to reach my destination so this didn't take me much or of my way, though the traffic in Harrogate is a bit of a nightmare.

So my plan, as I  write this on Thursday night, is Harrogate for lunch on Friday and some button and fabric fondling then down to my destination later in the afternoon at a leisurely pace. I'm an rhs member but won't have time to visit Harlow Carr. Maybe on the way back. And a visit to Betty's. There is a branch in Harlow Carr.

It's now Friday night and I've been to Harrogate, had dinner and played bridge this evening.

First stop in Harrogate was Duttons for Buttons. Lots of buttons! Other haberdashery too. I wanted to buy a particular type of metal button, if it's a button,  not sure, to cover a hole in a knit top. I'd only had it on once! I have quite a stash of buttons at home from a factory closure and have two that are ideal, except they don't quite match in tone. I didn't manage to find anything. They were very helpful and do mail order,  sending samples.

Next stop was Fine Fabrics of Harrogate. I liked this shop, beautiful fabrics and the proprietor was very helpful. I explained that I wanted some wedding type materials to practice on. We had a discussion and she advised me against using silk for the dresses,  feeling that the satin polyesters are excellent.

I must admit the fabrics she showed me were beautiful. I bought some white crepe backed satin and some duchesse satin (and I learned it's pronounced dutch-ess rather than doo-shess!). I also managed to buy some nice proper silk organza.

This is a proper fabric shop,  outside my experience. Following our discussion, I was recommended a couple of fabrics,  a faille and a stretch and it was amazing to have these shown to me in the sample books. I remember when I was young, we used to choose wallpaper from books like these. What's great is that these are reliable and repeatable fabrics.

Before I left, I had to buy some recently discontinued patterns at a great price....

I then visited both the Remnant Warehouse and White Rose Fabrics but came away empty handed. Really, I had already got what I wanted.

I may be back in Harrogate next month for the Knitting and Stitching Show. Fine Fabrics won't be there but the shop will be open and I may be ready by then,  having tested the fabrics I bought today, to return.