Sew In

Well what a different experience I had this time, the lovely Amy was a delight in helping my mum and I find a suitable summary yarn for the pattern she’d brought with her. Even better it was on sale! Also managed to source a few elusive Anchor tapestry threads for a project I’ve been unable to finish.
I noticed some great British yarn brands on the shelves this time too, Woolyknits, West Yorkshire Spinners and a great selection of Rowan and Debbie Bliss yarns. Will be back again soon as there’s some Rico summer print I have my eye on …

This is a great little wool and haberdashery shop, right in the heart of Didsbury village. Quite frankly, it has the best range of buttons in Manchester maybe even the world! With everything from chunky traditional designs to novelty buttons in the shape of pandas and football boots, it’s perfect for Mums who love making clothes for their children or Indie kids who want to jazz up a cardigan! There’s a great range of patterns, cotton, cross stitch kits, wool and knitting accessories, too.
Although the shop is small-​ish, it’s always rammed with stock and people! But despite the chaos, the staff are really nice and always willing to help you find exactly what you need. The shop sometimes hosts popular events in the evening, too. I think they have a knitting group.

This is a fairly pricey haberdashers, but has the finest collection of buttons I have ever set eyes on. No fabric to speak of, and expensive sewing patterns. A bit of ribbon. The buttons are really the stars of the show.

So, what happens if you really really want to knit a jumper, but plain old DK won’t do? You’ve scoured Abakhan, and they don’t have what you need. Because what you need for this jumper, is alpaca wool. That’s right, alpaca. It’s like a llama or something. I’m not sure on the specifics but I assume they’re quite hairy, or woolly. Anyway, say you’ve decided you want to knit an alpaca jumper, where do you go?
You go to Sew In, duh!
That’s right, this lovely wee shop sells llama hair in all sorts of colours and textures and gauges. They also sell wool from sheeps, that hasn’t even been dyed or anything, it’s all chunky and naturally coloured, though a wee bit too itchy for socks. Speaking of socks, you can grab hand-​painted sock yarn that self-​stripes.
The variety here is great, there are countless wool-​rich yarns, and pure wool yarns, ranging between £5-£10. The lovely Sewers In have even arranged the yarns so that, within a range of yars, you can see which colours complement each other. Jolly useful if you’re looking for the materials for a nice stripey scarf, eh? As well as professional and luxury yarns, m they stock a cute ‘junior knitting’ kit for the wee uns, and a 1-​hour-​scarf ball of yarn, that produces a fairly long, chenilley scarf in 1 hour, so it promises anyway.
The staff here are mega helpful and so cheery, and they really know their alpaca from their merino, their mohair from their cashmere, their, erm, scarf from their jumper??? What I am saying, is that they are clever ladies when it comes to needlecraft of any sort, and are always happy to give advice. They aren’t condescending to beginners and dunces.
As well as this wondrous array of yarns for knitting, cross stitchers can pick up embroidery silks and seamstresses can pick up the usual haberdashery gubbins. But really, Sew In is all about the wool.

Even with the current trend for knitting and crafting, wool shops and haberdashers are in short supply. That’s why it’s so refreshing to find one on the high street.
Sew-​In of Didsbury is a haven for knitters and anyone interested in needlecraft. They have shelves of wool and yarn, a multitude of patterns, knitting needles, tapestry kits, threads, buttons, zips, press studs. You name it they’ve got it. You can find accessories too such as sewing boxes, needle cases and daylight lamps.
Staff are knowledgeable and friendly and happy to advise and offer assistance.

Crafters drive from all over Manchester to visit Sew-​In, and when you make a journey here yourself it’s not hard to see why. This independent haberdashery stocks an incredible selection of needles, thread, buttons, zips, patches and motifs, as well as tools for tapestry and embroidery.
I love to sew, but it’s the inventory of yarns in here that gets me excited. It’s probably one of the biggest by an independent retailer in Manchester. As a keen knitter myself, it’s good to know there’s a place where I can find everything from from silk, alpaca to chunky yarns in every colour under the rainbow, and many well known brands.
Apart from the haberdashery and yarn sections, there are tons of sewing, knitting and crochet pattern books to look through for the latest trends. They even offer a hand knitting service if you’re too busy to put together a certain creation yourself! The lady in here made me feel so at home, I could have spend days on end in here.

Its always nice to come across a shop such as this in a village be in a busy city suburb rather than a country hamlet. The Sew-​In provides much of what a budding craftsperson may be after and is thankfully still the case in many of these types of shops, the assistants are incredibly helpful and friendly without being overbearing.

Sew-​In of Didsbury is in the heart of Didsbury Village on Wilmslow Road and specialises in haberdashery and knitting supplies.
They have a wide choice of products and the staff are friendly and helpful with a good knowledge of the items they sell. The knitting yarn runs the full array from the gorgeous top of the range such as Rowan, Debbie Bliss and Noro to the more cheap and basic lines. There is a good selection of pattern books and individual patterns and notions.
The haberdashery and needlecraft selections are also very good and include embroidery and tapestry kits and a great selection of accessories.
It is nice to find such an easily accessible store that specialises in these crafts and there is also a sister store in Marple which is equally well stocked.