In January my auntie paid me a visit and she started to tell me about her crafty adventures. Coming from an artistic and crafty family, I was in awe of her achieving a new craft; patchwork quilting. I have always wanted to do this and have one loving made and draped over the end of my bed.

For me, currently, it is one new crafty skill at a time. The old wives tale of now you are expecting a little bundle of joy, you should learn to knit, took force with me.

As I didn’t want to spend a fortune, I headed to Hobbicraft for some wool and needles to teach myself! It was incredibly frustrating to start, but with help from my friend in Australia and YouTube videos she sent me, I cracked it eventually and away I went!

My auntie has the skill down to a fine art, so she planned to visit to help me brush up on the skill, as I only have until May to make a knitted patchwork blanket for Mr N’s birthday!

But enough of my new skill, this is about an amazing find by my auntie. She started to tell me back in January about a fabric shop not far from me. What’s great about my auntie is that she lives near Aylesbury, but manages to find exciting places near me to visit for her hobbies. I decided to check out their website and I loved the fabrics I could see, I couldn’t wait to visit.

Tucked away in the Waterwells Business Park in Quedgeley Gloucester, is a fabric and trim shop called Higgs and Higgs.

Brenda and Joe have a passion for good quality fabric. They have provided their customers with beautifully designed fabrics and have received great recognition for this from their dedicated customers. Along with this working warehouse, they can also be found at various trade shows.

On a Saturday afternoon, myself and my auntie decided to take a little trip to Higgs and Higgs, one for supplies for my aunties next project, but for me to finally pick up some fabric for some lampshades I needed to make for the house.

It was better than I imagined; a complete dream for any fabric lover. This was the kick up the bottom I needed to get my sewing machine repaired and make use of that fashion diploma. Full of exciting fabrics, every time you revisit a section of the warehouse you notice something new, whether it’s a pattern or a colour! I could of gone absolutely crazy, and I don’t think Mr N would of been impressed.

Instead, I spent a reasonable amount to make a lampshade including the kit. But the most exciting thing was picking fabrics for our little bumps quilt that my auntie is making. The nicest thing about Higgs and Higgs was that they were happy for us to pull out all the fabrics to look and match. (Obviously, we put them all back) which was good as I changed my mind a few times.

I can’t wait to return, this place is every quilters, dress makers and fabric crafters dream. The fabrics are beautiful quality and the choice is amazing. Prepare to be here for hours!

Check out their website for more information on opening times, the fabrics and their blogs at http://www.higgsandhiggs.com