A Thousand Ladies in Puyallup: Sewing & Stitchery Expo

You can still make the 2014 Sewing & Stitchery Expo! Sunday, March 2nd is the last day. Get there at 8:30 for a breakfast of Fisher scones!

I've been wanting to attend the Sewing & Stitchery Expo in Puyallup for years, and this year I finally got around to it. If you like thread and yarn and fabric, this is the event for you.

I have to say I'd like to have seen a greater variety of fabrics and small patternmakers. I'm not too much into the machine embroidery and teddy bear thing. But if you groove on Crafty Church Bazaar Auntie Quilts, you'll be in heaven.

Stop by The Wool House for the most unique fabrics at the expo. Their "mostly natural" secret is out!

The most impressive fabric collection was that of The Wool House, which boated down all the way from Toronto to lure us into their cashmere-laden booth of pricey-but-worth-it yardage. If you've sought the best suiting fabrics alive, they've got something you'll like. Their stuff is quite gorgeous and high quality, and if you've ever considered getting a custom suit made by your favorite tailor, 30 bucks a yard is a good investment.
Blends of cashmere, silk, wool, angora...their stuff is super spanky.

Knitters and crocheters (that's an odd-looking word, isn't it) won't find as much here, but what they do stumble upon will be in the Pavilion, the same location as The Wool House. There are some booths with some really great felting tools and kits. You'll have a lovely, wooly time of it. After you're done in the Pavilion, head on over to the huge Showplex, where you'll find endless opportunities to test the newest sergers and other machines. And stop by the Sewing Workshop's booth to check out their cool patterns. My friend & I bought the Pearl and Opal jackets pattern to share, and I also bought the Balboa shirt. It's kinda 80s, but the short-sleeved version with horizontal stripes they had hanging on the sample rack inspired me. And of course, I just can't help myself—I'm always on the lookout for Unique Grammar Moments, and the expo did not disappoint:

Real wood cabinets, huh? Suuuurrre they are. Close out your day by purchasing a small lemonade from one of the despairing young people at the Showplex burger joint. Oh, the humanity! You want sullen, they got it by the bucket. Hang in there, kids!