The Sewing Box Gloucester

10/10/2026

I thought this was interesting. Someone in the comments has tried it though it looks a tad tricky! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19TaoR84p7/

Despite its tranquil reputation, knitting is anything but boring. One stitch slip-up can cause a defect that spreads across the entire fabric. But does it have to be that way? In a recent paper, a team of researchers mathematically investigated knitting to invent a new, more resilient stitch. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mathematicians-invented-a-knitting-stitch-that-stops-mistakes-from-spreading/

09/10/2026

How cute are these? We have a couple of these kits in the shop :)

09/10/2026

Would be great to hear what people think :)

Thank you all for you feedback I have plenty to be getting on with! Thank you

💬 LET'S TALK ABOUT EASTGATE INDOOR MARKET! ❤️

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed that Eastgate Indoor Market has been so quiet recently. It's worrying to see, because behind every stall is a small business, a family, and people who work hard every day to keep their businesses going. ❤️

We have some amazing independent traders in our market, all offering different products, services and a personal touch that you just don't get everywhere.

But we need people through the doors to keep our market alive! 🛍️

So, rather than just sitting back and worrying, let's start a conversation! 👇

🤔 What is stopping people from coming into Gloucester town centre?
🚗 Is it parking costs, convenience, traffic or something else?
🛍️ What would YOU like to see at Eastgate Indoor Market?
🍔 Would more food stalls, independent shops, craft stalls, local produce or different types of businesses encourage you to visit?
🎉 Would events, themed market days, family activities, special offers or late-night openings make a difference?
📣 Do we need to do more to promote the market and let people know what's actually here?

And most importantly, what would make YOU want to visit us more often?

This isn't about moaning or pointing fingers. It's about listening, sharing ideas and working together to try and bring more life into our wonderful market. ❤️

If you're a customer, a local resident, a fellow trader or someone who hasn't visited for a while, we'd genuinely love to hear your thoughts.

Please comment below and be honest! Even if you haven't visited because there's something putting you off, we'd love to know what it is.

Let's get talking, share this post, tag your friends and help us find ways to support our local independent businesses. Every visit, purchase, share and recommendation really does make a difference. 🥰

Let's give Eastgate Indoor Market the love it deserves! ❤️🛍️

05/10/2026

HELP NEEDED!

I'm back to thinking of a new name for the shop. It's getting irritating now but if you're interested in helping, please do read on! I've given myself a DEADLINE OF THIS WEEK to fully commit and there'll be a prize if you suggest something I commit to.

Notions of Joy didn't get positive feedback from many, so before I fully commit to it I decided to open it up again, especially given that I'm spending less time in the shop and it's now being run as more of a team. Haberdaisy was the other favourite with people but many don't like word mashing and many don't know the word haberdashery, although I love the traditionalness of being a Haberdasher. So far nothing has jumped out as 100% the right one for me, Notions of Joy was the most acceptable that I'd found - being a little bit/idea of joy with the hidden meaning of notions being a name used to represent sewing bits and bobs.

Here's the run down of my logic of word ideas:

Daisy/daisies have always been my thing but often when put in a shop name there's the implication that my name is Daisy not Wendy so I'm happy to just sneak one in the logo

Joy and Content are the two deep feelings that I think I'll have made it in life if I feel - though Joy is more lively so probably better in this context.

Colourful - we all love alllll the colours

Stitches - covers pretty much all textile crafts - yarn and sewing exlude half of what we sell.

Crafts/Crafty/Creative - Toby my son thinks having Craft in the name is a good idea.

Emotion/Colour Animal - I saw an empty shop called The Orange Pig and I liked the randomness of it. So we played around a bit with those combinations. My favourite animal is a panda (my childhood soft toy was one). Auntie Carol (whose money paid for the shop) liked giraffes. Magpies came up as they like to collect shiny nice things and crafters often hoard supplies.

I like the idea of community and sharing and being a welcoming, friendly, encouraging place to come.

Future thoughts for the business now that I'm not needed in the shop as much and once my cancer treatment is done are for me to somehow take the shop on the road a bit to be more accessible, and to find places I can deliver crafting workshops (my career was as an IT trainer and I miss empowering people with new skills).

There are so many things I'd love to stock, I have found it really hard to choose and to know what to focus on. Being a bit of everything textile crafts shop matches my 'Jack of All Trades Master of None' crafting lifestyle but includes soooo many possibilities - it would be much easier to specialise on one or two areas but I'm interested in it all! For example, I love fabric and all kinds of sewing but there are so many different types, colours, patterns I've found it impossible to choose when I'm so limited on space.

I also want to be able to showcase and support some of the smaller craft businesses I see at shows and stock a couple of their kits, patterns etc - I'd like to expand our treat/present/try something new range alongside the essentials.

Maybe the right word hasn't come to me yet, let alone the right name so please be open with your suggestions! Please send your suggestion by either commenting here or via message.

There'll be a prize if you suggest one I commit to!

15/09/2026

Join the yarn community for a weekend of creativity, classes, stalls and fibre fun at Yarnstock 2026.

10/08/2026

Nat unpacked some new colours today.

We got 8 new colours of Wendy Wools Supreme DK delivered today. Lovely additions to our range with not just one but two new oranges, some nice brights and a proper dark brown. I'm looking forward to seeing them in person when I'm in tomorrow. Wendy

03/08/2026

Let me know if you'd like to have a go at making a Dorset button.

The weekend was filled with joy and contentment at Green Gathering. I delivered my how to make a dorset button workshop which went really well. Let me know if you'd like to have a go and I'll try and set one up locally :)

28/07/2026

We're losing our neighbour next month :(

The Bag Box has been here since 1975 and its current owner Sally has worked in the market for about 26 years.

My Auntie Carol (who's inheritance to me paid for this shop) used to buy bags from there.

It's hard being a shop owner at the moment.

17/07/2026

I am sad to say that Emma has decided to have a career change and will be leaving the shop next month. Emma has been with me since the start last April and has been a great presence serving customers and creating samples to show the yarn and patterns.
Thankfully friends have offered to man the shop Thursday-Saturdays during my initial operation recovery but depending on how I go, I'm thinking I will need to look for someone more long term on Fridays and/or Saturdays. Do message me if you might be interested or know someone who might be.

14/07/2026

Two things will be affecting the shop a little in the next couple of months.
Firstly takings are really down so the shop bank balance has got very low. This means I can't order stock as often. I'll be mainly focusing on topping up essentials and apologise now if we run out of anything and there is a longer wait than usual. This also means I'm less able to pay to cover staff time off so may need to close some days, which leads me to the second thing ...
I've just been diagnosed with breast cancer and will need an operation next month. They anticipate I'll need 2-3 weeks off work. Currently I only work in the shop itself on Tuesdays, so this shouldn't affect it too much, but at the moment I know the shop will be closed on the 17th, 18th and 25th August and I will post here if it needs to close any other dates as soon as I know.
Thanks in advance for your understanding and please know that I have no intention of shutting down!
Wendy