CHSI - Stitches at the NEC Birmingham

It's actually been a whole year since I started working for MillaMia and what a whirlwind 12 months it's been! I remember my first Trade Show so well (CHSI 2012) where I felt a lot like I'd been thrown feet first into a very deep pool indeed! The pool turned out to be teeming with shoals of super lovely, kind and crafty fish - many of whom I've been swimming alongside this year and ALL of whom made me very welcome.

This year the Craft Hobby and Stitches International Show was again filled with a multitude of stands from a very wide selection of the textile and craft community - with everything from the large companies like Rowan, Bergere De France and Groves and Banks to smaller independent companies rather like us. The draw of this Show in particular is not only the variety of crafts covered - from everything imaginable you can do with yarn, to paper crafting, buttons, publishers and designers but all the new products that are being showcased. There is a New Products Showcase just inside the main entrance where exhibitors can display something new from their range - such a good idea to highlight a wide selection of these new and exciting developments that you may otherwise miss.

As we'd had such an incredibly successful Show in 2012, we decided that we needed more people on the stand this year, in order to make sure nobody was left waiting to speak to us. We were lucky enough to persuade Caroline over from Sweden for Sunday and Monday, and our lovely new office manager Maja came up on Monday to help out and also to see for herself what a Show like Stitches is all about. Helena and I were present for all 3 days, which I confess was very tiring, but also immensely satisfying and a real buzz!

Helena, Max and Caroline

We were lucky enough to take on many really lovely new stockists, and I'd like to give them a brief mention  here - we're so happy you came on board! In no particular order - Spin A Yarn, Yarn On The Square, Yarn, New Jersey, The Knitting Gift Shop, Stitch (Solihull), Cotswold Needlecrafts, Jenny Wren’s Yarns, Sweet Ginger Emporium, Rainbow Silks, PollyJane Yarns, KnitStitchCrafts, SewMeSomething, Bobby Davison and Slanchogled.

This Show is also so much about meeting up with all our current stockists - many of whom have become a lot like good friends! Thanks to all of you who came along and were just so complimentary about the new adult collections, Country Escape and Colour Coded (on general release at the end of February but available for pre-order at www.millamia.com right now!) - we're already looking forward to next year!!

(posted by Max)