In a message dated 8/19/03 2:55:16 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< I am in California, USA, and am coming to London on Aug 23 for about 10 days. We are staying in Nuneaton, so I was wondering what was there. My web search under Nuneaton, UK brought up your web site, but I don't see a bobbin maker listed in Nuneaton. I am a dressmaker who likes to tat, crochet, and knit so would be interested in visiting a shop of this type. Can you make a suggestion or two? I will also have Sept 1 for shopping in London. Thank you for any help in this area. Loy >> ----- Dear Ken, Loy has not given much time for us to be of help. (Anyone else traveling -- give us more time, and you'll get more recommendations!) Here's a one-day luxury walking/shopping tour of a famous part of London. I recommend you carry a lightweight tote bag, into which you can put a rain wrap and portable umbrella, your camera if you travel with one, and a snack (it takes sooo long to be served food, and that is time you could spend looking at the sights). If you still have room, put your purse inside the tote bag, too. This way, you have everything in one place and are less likely to leave something on a store counter. It is a large city - keep an eye on your possessions at all times. Expect your bag to be inspected in some places, for security is a concern in London. Always feel you can ask people for directions. I've found them most eager to help. I agree with Annette. On the corner of Regent Street and Great Marlborough Street the "must visit" is Liberty of London. It is two linked buildings, and the one you want is on the Great Marlborough side. It is a 19th Century visual delight, having shopping galleries inside on three floors around a central light well. (This Tudor Building portion was built from oak and teak timbers taken from the Royal Navy's last two sailing ships.) I always send people here, because the atmosphere alone is worth the trip. You can imagine the Victorian ladies shopping for fabrics and other nice accessories. There is a department of needlework, and since Loy sews ... well, it cannot get much better than this. If you enter via the "modern" side of the building, ask how to get to the Tudor Building (which is where the needlework supplies are}. There is a tearoom. Not far from Liberty's on Regent Street is Hamleys toyshop. If you must bring back gifts for children, take a look inside. Very famous store. Proceed down the hill to Piccadilly and turn right. Next to the famous Fortnum & Mason food purvryors (1707), where you can have a fancy expensive tea, is my favorite London bookstore at #187 - Hatchard's (1797). If you want books, ask for the needlework section. They will ship books to the U.S. Now, if you are not too exhausted, across the street is the Burlington Arcade. Can't get much fancier than that for window shopping (indoors). --------------- Another whole day could be spent at the Victoria and Albert Museum (devoted to the decorative arts), but you've indicated you are visiting on September 1, which is a Monday. I recommend verifying the museum would be open on a Monday. The British Galleries (1500-1900) have just been refurbished at enormous cost, and the needlework and costumes are divine. I carry a small flashlight (called a "torch" by the British) in my purse, so I can discretely light up details of lace and embroidery. Don't make a big issue of the light and turn it off between items you wish to see better, and you will probably be OK with using it. Upstairs is the public collection of embroideries and laces. There are wooden cabinets with what looks like trays in an open room to the side. If you pull them out, you can view many more laces and embroideries than can be shown in the galleries. You can read about the new exhibit facilities in the January/February 2003 issue of "PieceWork" magazine, which is probably available at your public library. Or - do a search on the internet. --------- Now, for shopping around the countryside. Go to a Barnes & Noble or a Borders bookstore near you in the U.S., and look at the needlework magazines from the U.K. Some embroidery ones are "New Stitches" and "Needlecraft". I don't know which knitting ones there will be, but poke around. Buy the magazine with the most ads in the back. Those, with a good road map, should yield a few nice places to go on your day trips, or will at least give you an idea of what is being made in the U.K. at the present time. In the village you are visiting, you might ask in a tourist bureau or a bookshop if there is a group called the Embroiderers' Guild, and whether they recommend visiting any National Trust properties, etc. In embroidery and quilting shops, ask for knitting, tatting, and crocheting materials/books. They probably will have some tucked away and will bring them out for you. This is how I find interesting bobbins in the U.K. Everywhere - ask for what you are interested in seeing. If everyone traveling asks about golf or railroads (and the like), that is what will be available to tourists. More requests for needlework of all kinds may result in better shopping/viewing conditions for women traveling in the future. Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
