Simon Penson

The programme of Workshops & Courses for January 2011 - October 2011 are now available, and will be running at both our Mostyn (North Wales) and Liverpool stores. Classes include Dressmaking, Felting, Machine Embroidery, Creative Fabrics, Beading, Fascinators & so much more!

More Information & Bookings. For more information & to reserve a place on a Workshop or Course, please click HERE

Download Brochure. For full details on all Workshops & Courses at Abakhan, including a diary of FREE Demonstrations & Events at Abakhan we suggest you download a Brochure - please click HERE

There are many ways that you can benefit from booking a coach party with Abakhan Fabrics, Hobby & Home. Here's an outline of discounts and benefits you may qualify for:-

. 10% discount for all party members *

. £10 credit note for the organiser (to be spent on the day)

. Free tea/coffee for all party members

. Free meal for the Coach Driver

These benefits will be discussed with you by one of our Coach Party Co-ordinators upon booking your coach party. It is always best to phone at least five days before you're due to arrive, so that we can get your £10 credit note and discount cards, if applicable, ready for you beforehand. These are available from our reception desk upon arrival.

If you would like to book a coach party please do not hesitate to contact our reception desk on 01745 562 100 where someone will more than happy to take details of your coach party.

Terms and Conditions apply, please contact our Reception Desk on 01745 562100 for further details.

Group Visit Booking Form

Please click HERE to download a booking form.

Metal needles are one of the most common, and certainly one of the most popular, due to there being relatively long lasting and fairly low cost. However, it’s worth noting that they are fairly unpliable, and that the clicking sound might irritate anyone in the vicinity!

Wooden knitting needles are certainly a great choice if you’re looking for a way to keep your knitting quiet – people won’t thank you for interrupting their TV programme, even if we know knitting’s the more rewarding activity! If you’ve ever struggled from carpal tunnel or any similar disorders, the wooden needles’ light weight will help you maintain your comfort over long periods.

Plastic needles are a relatively modern occurrence, but have plenty to recommend them. Their very light weight means that they can move speedily, which is very effective should you need to create a new design in a hurry. Whilst there was previously some concern about the potential for splitting, a lot of modern plastic needles have a metal centre, ensuring their longevity.

To view Abakhan’s full range of knitting kneedles, visit the main page here.

Fabric Comb. Wool is a wonderfully soft material when used in the right way, it’s important to ensure that any fuzzballs and pilling are removed from the material before use, and our fabric comb is the ideal way to get the job done. They’re available now for a bargain price.

Needles. Whilst this might sound obvious, you won’t get very far without the right knitting needles! There are a wide variety of different knitting accessories available at Abakhan, so take the time to discover which ones work best for you from the myriad of different materials, and you can be sure that you’ll have years of satisfied knitting to come.

Materials. There are a few different types of material that can be used as knitting accessories, from felt, to crochet to old fashioned yarn, and you’ll find them all available now at the Abakhan website. Again, to an extent you’ll want to experiment with the different options to see which ones work for you – but ensure that you continue to check into our site for the very best prices!

To view all of these and more of our knitting accessories, check the Abakhan catalogue here.

Trousers and shirts. These sewing patterns are a great investment, especially when you have a young son who’s always growing out of his clothes! Rather than having to invest money at the beginning of every school term, you can instead spend your time modifying and creating new clothes with existing materials. The far cheaper option!

Vests and Ties. There’s nothing a man enjoys more than dressing up to look his very best (well, apart from a good football match, obviously) which is why our sewing patterns for waistcoats and ties are a fine investment. With varying patterns and styles, you can ensure that the men in your life always look their best.

Dressing robe. If you’re looking for a great present to treat the men in your life, then why not use your sewing skills to create them the perfect robe for the chilly early mornings? With winter coming up, they’ll be grateful! In a variety of different colours, there is a pattern for everyone.

Click here to view more of our sewing patterns for men.

If the only time you get to work on your sewing is when all the kids (and possibly the husband too!) have gone to bed, you’ll likely be grateful for the Maglamp. Complete with an energy saving bulb, it’s the ideal way to obtain the maximum visibility whilst you work.

Whilst sewing and knitting are both rewarding hobbies, there’s no denying that they can be fiddly. The hands-free magnifier that you can buy here is the ideal solution, offering you a more in-depth view of what your hands are doing, making those complicated patterns a breeze.

The Stitchmaster Seat Stand is the ideal investment for anyone that wants an easy way to support their work, with the mobility and quality that comes from genuine craftsmanship. Enabling you to work from a variety of different angles, it’s a great investment.

To view these and more sewing accessories, visit the Abakhan catalogue here .

Having the ability to design and create clothes is not only a skill but an art. It is many a females’ dream to be able to have a perfect, one of a kind dress that is unique to her and no one else. Now with Abakhan , you can make that dream a reality with our avant-garde, creative and inspirational dressmaking courses

With Christmas and the party season fast approaching, what better way to attend an occasion but with a one of a kind dress. Or if dressmaking is not your cup of tea, but you have a friend or family member who is a budding fashionista, then why not buy one our bespoke dressmaking courses for a loved one this Christmas?

With a variety of courses available from our beginner, intermediate and advanced courses to our ‘Tips and Trim’s’ course that predominantly focuses on a variety of techniques, there is a dressmaking courses for any female no matter her age or ability.

Why not turn your hobby into professional status with our ‘Hobby to Professional’ dressmaking course? The ‘Little Black Dress’ course is a fabulous experience for any female determined to make her own ‘little black dress’. Is there a little girl in your life who you know would love nothing more than to look like a princess? Then why not attend our ‘Little Girls Party Dress’ course and turn a dream into a reality.

Our inspiring dressmaking courses range from £25+ and are available at a variety of locations on a number of different dates. Buy today, and no matter your level in dressmaking, you will be provided with the very best skills and knowledge to create the perfect, one of a kind, fabricated dress.

For more information on any of our courses, contact Abakhan by calling 01745 562 100, or pop into your local branch. Click here to find yours.

Creating something at home can be a real challenge, but for a lot of people, making your own clothing and upholstery can be a real source of enjoyment and relaxation. Getting your knitting needles out and making a loved one a new winter scarf, or designing your own curtains, there are so many different things you can do. But are you using the right fabric in your creations, and are you getting the right amount? After all, you don’t want to go through all that effort only to find that you’ve used the wrong material or that you’re half a foot short.

Just like when you bake a cake, you want to ensure you have all the ingredients before you start, otherwise you get halfway through and realise you’re missing a key part – disaster. At Abakhan we specialise in providing everything you need to make whatever it is you’ve set your heart on creating, then it’s down to you to get the right amount and the correct materials. Choosing the right, or wrong fabric can make or break your creation, so taking your time over your choice and doing your research will really pay dividends.

Taking curtains as an example, it makes sense to measure the area where you plan to hang them, both horizontally and vertically, to make sure that you know exactly how far down the wall they’re likely to hang, and whether or not the amount you choose is going to cover the whole window.

Once you’ve established how much you need to make your new curtains, you need to decide on the material you’re going to use. With so many options out there, from linen to velvet and cotton to satin, sometimes you just never know what to use until you’ve got it wrong once or twice. However, when you get it right, the final result can be fantastic, and creating your own can save you huge sums of money that you would have spent in a store.

Finding a way of coordinating the colour of your new curtains with the room you’re putting them up in will give the room a vibrant and stylish feel, leading visitors thinking you’ve had a professional interior designer round!

To get the fabric you need for your next creation, look no further than Abakhan. With various sizes, colours and materials in stock, you’re sure to find everything you need either in one of our stores or online. To find out more, click here to find the contact details for your nearest store.

Christmas is a time for giving, and also for wandering around the seasonal markets, taking in the smells of German sausages and roasted chestnuts. If you go to one of these Christmas markets, you’re likely to see a number of stalls selling homemade fleeces, jumpers, hats, gloves, the lot. You name it, they probably sell it.

What makes these stalls so popular and successful is the homemade factor. Getting hold of the right fabric and making something for a friend or loved one will certainly put a smile on their face when they open their present on Christmas morning.

The trends at the moment seem to be around the wooly hats with the animal faces and the dangly parts over the ears. Unfortunately, such is their popularity that the major stores have started producing their own and the prices have consequently gone up. So what’s the alternative? Paying over the odds for it? That’s just silly. Order the fabric and make it yourself and give the recipient something you know they will love.

You know the person better than the retailer, who might not stock their favourite animal hat, so by making it yourself you have the opportunity to personalise it for your loved one. At Abakhan we stock everything you would need to make it, so the rest is down to you.

The person you give the gift to is not only guaranteed to love what you’ve made for them, but they’ll really appreciate the effort you’ve gone to. After all, it really is the thought that counts.

To find out more information on our range of fabric and other essential accessories for all your home requirements, such as curtains and knitting equipment, get in touch with Abakhan by clicking here to find the details for your local branch.

The Christmas and New Year period is a time of celebration, with friends and families getting together to exchange presents or to go out and watch the New Year arrive in style with a beverage or two. At these times, many choose to hit the town for the party atmosphere, while others throw house parties with only their nearest and dearest invited round to share the festivities, with many of these parties having a fancy dress theme.

But for many this poses a big problem. How do you come up with a unique costume for the party that (a) nobody else is going to be wearing, and (b) doesn’t cost the earth? You make your own of course!

At fancy dress parties, you can spend upwards of £50 each time on a costume, either renting one from a store, or buying one online that you’ll quite possibly never wear again seems a bit of a waste of money, particularly when you’re a dab hand with a needle and thread. With plenty of fabric available either online or in shops, you have the creative freedom to create a costume that will definitely be unique, and provide a real talking point at the party.

Part of the whole fancy dress party experience is to get people talking with your costume, so you’ve got nothing to lose. If you’ve gone to the expense of splashing out on a spaceman or princess costume in the past, only to see someone there wearing the exact same one, you’ll appreciate how infuriating that can be.

Creating your own costume out of fabric and with a needle and thread or sewing machine can also be the ideal last-minute fix. Going down to a fancy dress shop or trying to order online around Christmas and New Year is bound to end with you buying a costume you don’t really want because all the others are sold out. Making one yourself allows you to make the necessary alterations before you leave the house for your night of fun.

At Abakhan, our fabric range is extensive and covers all kinds, from lace to imitation leather, and jersey knits to 100% cotton. To find out more information about any of our products or to find out what we have in stock, contact us today by calling your nearest branch, which you can find by clicking here.