This is especially exciting as I have never been to the UK and I am looking forward to it immensely. And since I have never been, I'm counting on you - and by you I mean anyone who lives in, has been to, knows anything about London and surrounds - to tell me all about the must dos and the must sees whilst I'm there.
To be honest, I may not make the changing of the guard my first priority, but Liberty of London is at the top of the list (as I promised my mother I would pick her up a little something from there) so any crafty spots, good yet affordable places to grab a snack, places of historical importance that are not so touristy, shops in which to purchase shockingly fabulous footwear, all suggestions are welcome. I may go a bit beyond London as well. And then there's that very short hop-skip-jump over to Paris...
Hold on a minute! There is more Big News! I have a grand announcement!
I am absolutely thrilled to be hosting a workshop to celebrate the UK release of my book Simple Sewing with Lola Nova
If you are going to be in the area, I would just love it if you would join me for an evening of Sewing Whimsy!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
5 - 7 p.m.
At: Bermondsey Fayre
212 Bermondsey Street
SE1 3TQ London
In the workshop we will be dabbling in some hand sewing goodness based on projects from the book. There will also be chatting, book signing and all around good times.
Some nitty gritty details:
There are 15 spots available
The cost is £10.00 which includes supplies
You can head over to my Workshops Page and register for the London Workshop
or
You can press the Buy it Now button below and register that way!
I do so hope to see you there!
Oh ENJOY!!! I've never been outside the US so I can't help with places to see - but I do hope you share all the places you go.
ReplyDeleteHave a fantastic time, sorry I don't know London very well but I'm sure you will get lots of advice! Ada :)
ReplyDeleteOh my Alex, that is just amazing news!!!! You will have soooo much fun! :-)
ReplyDeletePS Love your new header! ;-)
I am absolutely dizzy with happiness for you!!!
ReplyDeleteI bet our friend Floss will have some great tips for you.
This is so exciting, I wish I could go...hmm, I wonder if Fidelity would let me take money out of the 401K to go....um...see where my grandmother was born, yes, that's it, I'm sure the IRS will think that a necessary reason for early withdrawal..hahahaha
Please, please take plenty of photos to share with us...we will want to hear all about it.
Love the new header! xo
So fun! Enjoy your trip. :)
ReplyDeleteIf you have time, there's nothing so satisfying than a boat trip down the Thames - you'll see all the major sites at their best. For yarn, Loop,Islington is hard to beat and for vintage,Portobello Road or Camden Lock. For flowers,Columbia Road market on Sundays where you can also pop into the myriad of quirky little arts and crafts shops and gasp in awe at how clever folk can be.For art,The Royal Academy of Arts,of course and the British Museum will take you a whole day to get around, if that's your bag.Enjoy, whatever you decide to do.
ReplyDeleteps Love the new header!
ReplyDeleteOh, envy, envy, envy... I am living in the wrong European country again... In addition to all the other great suggestions, I think you'd love the V and A museum (fabric collection, dontchknow...) Pomona of Little Cottage Comforts will be your lady to consult there - I think she might be able to meet you/go to your workshop as she lives conveniently close... And from my point of view, the London Eye is unmissable! Have a great time!
ReplyDeleteFabaroonie. I am planning an extra special fabric based adventure for when you are over. Such fun!!
ReplyDeleteOh how I wish I was in the area! This is so exciting! Having never been to anywhere in Europe I can't be of any help with places to visit, but I will very much look forward to living this exprrience through you! Wow, so excited for you..x
ReplyDeleteLucky you. I used to live in London but it is so many years ago now I doubt any information I had would be valid anymore.
ReplyDeleteGet yourself a good street map. The central part of London is a lot more compact than people think and lots of places are actually within relatively easy walking distance of each other.
Wish I lived close enough to pop up for the workshop
Oh my goodness, you're in the big-time now baby!
ReplyDeleteBorough Market for great food on the move. Brick Lane on a Sunday - for retro/vintage/junk shopping and yummy street nosh - and Spitalfields Market too. Covent Garden Food Market on Thursdays - fab food.
ReplyDeleteOH HOw exciting!!! I'm so happy you are going!!
ReplyDeleteand lucky Londoners, to have you in their country.
If you have any spare time, I would suggest a visit to the Bethnal Museum of CHildhood, it is magic xo
How exciting! It's been an age since I left but if you find yourself outside 165 Lordship Lane please take a swift photo... I would love to see what it looks like these days. Have a wonderful trip x
ReplyDeleteSo excited for you! Have a great time! xo Heather
ReplyDeleteHello Lola! I'm a friend of Jane's and actually work over the street from Liberty. Here are my top picks nearby - they're all very close and walkable:
ReplyDelete- Best.coffee.ever is at Speakeasy in the nearby Newburgh quarter: http://speakeasycoffee.co.uk/ - their sandwiches look great too (never tried one but I can verify the cakes are great)
- If you fancy pizza for a snack, Malletti's on Noel St is THE place to go: http://www.pizzeriamalletti.co.uk/
- The stretch of Oxford Street near Liberty (go to Oxford Circus, head east along Oxford St) has some great shoe shops - my favourite is Schuh. Aldo and Office are also good. You might like Irregular Choice on Carnaby St too - gorgeous kooky footwear.
- Kingly Court has lots of cute vintage shops. All the Fun of the Fair is on the second floor too - it's a sweet craft shop with lots of lovely bits and pieces.
http://www.carnaby.co.uk/static_content.cfm?page_id=20
- Berwick Street is also really close and has several really lovely fabric shops, including the Cloth House (two branches). If you walk south along it, you'll get to a little market - in that part of the street are lots of nice cafes, streetfood, comic shops and record shops
From there, I'd either then walk south-east to Covent Garden or north-east to the British Museum.
Other fun things to do:
- Dinner at Brixton Village, full of lots of small and affordable eateries, very hot on the London scene right now
- Boat trip on the Thames from Embankment to Tower Bridge (or stay on til Greenwich if you have time)
- The London Eye is one of those major London attractions that even Londoners still go on
I'm booked on the workshop - looking forward to meeting you there. If you swing by Liberty in the week and fancy a local pointing you in the right direction, drop me an email ^_^
Linnie
I live in Bermondsey so I might come for the workshop.
ReplyDeleteI have a few recommendations for you...
- Tower of London if you haven't been
- Maltby Street Market (it's really close to Bermondsey Fayre)
- Epping Forest
- Greenwich (Market, the museums - there's a cool photography exhibit on other solar systems/galaxies right now)
- The Brunel Museum/Midnight Apothecary
- hop on a train and go to Whitstable or another seashore town in Kent. or Arundel.
Congrats on your book!! London is great! Liberty is a gorgeous shop, don't miss it but it is pricey. If you want to buy Liberty fabrics, head to Shaukat in Old Brompton Road (google them). You have a great selection of liberty fabrics but much much cheaper. Another great place for fabrics: The goldhawk Road in Shepherds Bush. A selection of 13 fabric shops all next to one another in a very ecclectic area of London.
ReplyDeleteMost museums are free in London; I would recommend popping into the Natural History museum just to see the actual building. It is gorgeous. Next door to it, the V&A Museum, which is my favourite and usually has magical late night openings on Friday night with music and drinks and interesting talks by famous people if you are lucky. Check their website!.Both of these on South Kensington Underground station. Another very little museum in the Bloomsbury Area (Russell Square Underground) is Sir John Soane's museum, it is a little private collection (free to enter) that belonged to Soane, an archeologist, explorer etc and it is filled with amazing paintings, furniture, bric a brac, even a sarcophagus. It is a little gem in central London.
Carnaby Street (off Oxford Street) has a fun buzz to it and loads of shops, Soho in the evening with funky eateries on Wardour Street. Most musicals and theatres are around this area and covent garden (5 minute walk). Don't miss the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben at night time, they are wonderful.
Another wonderful place is the Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew (not that central though!), it is a peaceful and beautiful place to go for a stroll. If you happen to go to Kew, pop for a classic afternoon tea with proper china at "The original maids of Honor" (google it!). Also, the cafe of the Wallace Collection is lovely. You can also have lunch there or English Afternoon tea. It is a small collection of paintings, ceramics, armoury, silver all sorts, it is free, in a wonderful very English Square (Manchester Square) off Oxford street (Tube: Bond Street). It was a private collection and contains one of the best collections of 18th century art in the UK (Fragonard, Boucher, Watteau etc) and a great selection of Orientalist paintings and Dutch 17th Century Domestic scenes. It is another gem with a great restaurant in the middle.
Markets: Covent Garden (in the centre), it is an all right market but the area has a great buzz and there are loads of pubs and restaurants around, go to the famous Portobello Market for pricey antiques and all sorts (it is very touristy) in the NOtting Hill area, Candem Market (really good fun, cheaper things, younger people than in Portobello), the vintage market in Old Spitafields (every 3rd Saturday of the month)- Liverpool Street station.
Go for a boat ride to Grenwich and see the Saturday Market, the Royal Observatory, Grenwich Meridian Line... The views of the City of London's buildings from the boat are great!! See a musical or a play, there are loads or perhaps a concert in the Royal Albert Hall. Have a traditional Sunday Roast in a traditional English pub!
I hope this helps, enjoy your trip and your stay in London, Pati x
Oh how marvellous! You're going to have a wonderful time :D
ReplyDeleteNo idea if anyone has mentioned these but for off the track attractions Dr. Johnson's House, the Geffrye Museum and the Horniman Museum are hard to beat. All have websites if you want more info.
Have fun!
Dearest Alexandra
ReplyDeleteThis is AMAZING and I would love to come to your workshop and meet you. Unfortunately I live right on the south coast and the train tracks are always being repaired on Sundays so coming to London would be a little too tricky. I'm sure its going to be a huge success.
I love Borough market for delicious foods and The V and A is a must I think. Love Carnaby street too.
Have a wonderful time and look forward to your photo's xox Penelope
You joke about tea with Liz at Buck House but you never know. When I was a child my dad always joked about having tea with Liz, then when I was a teenager he and my mum got invited to one of the garden party's in the summer. Needless to say dad was thrilled, so you never know it might just happen.
ReplyDeleteOh I would have loved to come to your workshop but a liitle far for a day trip.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new book, hope the launch goes well.
I'm sure you will find lots to tempt you in Libertys.
Enjoy your visit to Blighty!
Carol xx
The workshop was so lovely - Alex was inspirational, Jane is just fabulous and the other ladies were such a wonderful bunch!
ReplyDeleteHere's my finished patch - so personal, so pretty, never thought I could make something like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/linniekin/8170307187/in/photostream
Thank you so much for coming to see us and sharing your talents!
Linnie xx
Thank you so much for coming to see us, Alex - it was wonderful! You gave us great inspiration, Jane was fabulous and the other ladies were so very lovely.
ReplyDeleteHere's my finished piece - I'm thrilled with it. Never thought I could make something so pretty, unique and so me. Thank you. ^_^
http://www.flickr.com/photos/linniekin/8170307187/in/photostream