Not needing any more yarn or fabrics because there has been some online shopping spree of late, I departed for Shanghai last week without doing any research on the shopping hunts. Still, I managed to chance upon a whole district selling fabrics and notions. Call it my internal GPS or what not. My radar just lit up when I saw some shops in an old alley with the signage 'Buttons, lace trims, etc' and then further down the block, another few shops selling such notions. So I had to ask and found Shanghai Tan Shang Sha (上海滩商厦), just opposite the entrance of the famous Shanghai Yu Yuan Gardens. It is a multi-storey building full of whatever sewing notions that you can think of. For those familiar with Hong Kong, it is like the whole of Shamshuipo contained in a building. I was completely excited and got a bit lost what to buy.
In the end, I came home with just some fabric-covered buttons, wooden buttons, handcrafted glass beads and metres of felt for the girls. Just as I'm typing this, I remembered I needed more elastic bands and a thimble. The latter is badly needed as I poked my finger many a times while trying to hem down the binding of the baby quilt I'm working on.
There are also some fabrics shops opposite this building where I bought some double-sided plaid fabrics. I can already visualize the garments I'm going to sew with them. My husband chose a beautiful hand-woven fabric (the top one) which he wants some throw cushions made out of it. More projects to the queue.
At the shops outside Yu Yuan, there happened to be a Heng Yuan Xiang wool shop. I told myself, no more yarn but egged by my husband, my legs just led me inside and with the most aggressive saleswoman I've ever met, came out with a box of black 4 ply yarn.
As we walked away from the Yu Yuan area, greeting us was the Shiliupu (十六铺) Fabric Centre, another multi-storey with shops selling all kinds of fabrics with in-store tailors. I nearly passed out, partly with delight and mostly because of fatigue after a whole day's walk around the Huangpu district, jostling with the crowd that even I found overwhelming having lived so long in Hong Kong, and the dust and pollution. And yes, also trying to avoid being hit by the spit of the passers-by. Anyway, I didn't buy any fabric, some of the shops were already closing, but instead bought a ready-made pink shirt for work.
On the last day, we went to the huge Shanghai Book Centre (上海书城) on Fuzhou Road and bought a huge stack of books and CD at very good prices. And husband caught me on camera browsing at the Craft section on the ground floor. I came back with the book in hand and the Chinese edition of Cotton and Friend Spring 2009, the one with the magenta top on the cover in the photo.
That's the crafty bits about the Shanghai visit. We shopped a lot, ate plenty, and experienced quite a bit of Shanghai old and new. Despite the pollution and all, I'm sure I'll visit again. There're plenty to explore. Next time, I must visit the yarn stores proper.
We visited Wu Zhen too, a nearby old town. We didn't go into the refurbished part but instead took a riskshaw and toured the old, dilapidated part. We really enjoyed it and I'll try to organize the photos soon.
As for actual knitting, the cardigan I'm knitting for CY is still lacking one more sleeve, it's coming along fine.
I love your glass beads very much. I'm leaving to Shanghai with my daugther tomorrow and wonder if you could let me have detail address? thanks.
Posted by: Vicky | Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 07:39 PM
Lovely beads! Looking forward to see what you'll sew with the fabric and the finished CY cardigan.
Posted by: Salihan | Monday, July 13, 2009 at 09:04 AM
Hi Vicky, your email address didn't work. The glass bead shop is located in 上海滩商厦, 黄浦区，人民路388号 (opposite Yu Yuan Gardens). It's on the ground floor but I didn't get a name card so couldn't tell you the exact name of the stall. It's a big centre and I hope you'll have luck finding more treasures there.
Posted by: Siow Chin | Monday, July 13, 2009 at 09:41 AM
Hehe, your internal GPS is amazing :)
Posted by: erin | Monday, July 13, 2009 at 09:54 AM
Hi, yes, my eamil address is not correct and I just amended it.
We just went to the place you bought the glass beads. The building is so close to where my husband's quarter in Shanghai. My daugther also bought some glass beads and other materials for her crafts.
Anway, thanks very much.
Posted by: Vicky | Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 04:36 PM
can't wait to see the things you make from the fabrics!
Posted by: laurel | Friday, July 17, 2009 at 09:05 PM