One space, three very different weeks

If you stood in the Sail Loft three weeks ago, you’d have been surrounded by the Autumn Exhibition.

Last week it was woodturning.

This week it’s Anne Plummer’s work.

Next week, mine.

And shortly afterwards, Christmas arrives.

Same stairs.

Same walls.

Completely different room.

That ability to keep changing is one of the things I love most about the Sail Loft, although I suspect the walls may have opinions of their own by now.

So here’s what’s happening:

Anne Plummer is in the Sail Loft this week

I’m very pleased to welcome Anne Plummer back to NaviStitch.

Anne has exhibited here before, and her current exhibition is a short one, running only until Saturday 24 October.

That means you haven’t got weeks to put it on the “I must get around to that” list.

If you’d like to see the work, pop upstairs this week.

We’re open 10am-4pm, Wednesday to Saturday.

I’ve taken some new photographs of the exhibition too, so if you can’t make it straight away, keep an eye on NaviStitch on social media for a look around.

Someone else is taking over the workshop table

This Saturday, Claire Bentley Creative runs her first guest workshops at NaviStitch.

I’m really pleased to have Claire using the Sail Loft because her work brings completely different materials and techniques into the space.

She starts with:

Painted Wire & Beaded Flower

Saturday 24 October

10.30am-1.30pm | £35

Then:

Learn to Make a Beaded Bracelet

2pm-4pm | £20

Both sessions are beginner friendly and all materials are included.

Claire returns on 31 October with Beaded Christmas Decorations and another bracelet workshop, and she already has further NaviStitch dates planned into 2027.

Head to Claire's website for availability

The Christmas Shop is no longer theoretical

Applications for the are now all in.

Which means I’ve moved into the stage that visitors don’t normally see:

The work may all be lovely individually, but that isn’t enough - I now have to turn it into one shop.

That means thinking about:

Wall space.

Table space.

Height.

Colour.

Price points.

What sits next to what.

Which pieces need room around them.

And how to make sure dozens of individual artists and makers still feel visible rather than disappearing into one enormous festive display.

We’ve got familiar NaviStitch names returning this year and some new people joining us too.

I’ll start introducing them properly soon.

Not as one giant list.

I’d much rather show you who they are and what they make.

And the first important customer date is:

Christmas Pop-Up Preview Night

Friday 13 November, 4pm-8pm

Everyone is welcome.

Then NaviStitch will be open every single day until

Christmas Eve.

I’m trying not to think too hard about that sentence yet!

Before Christmas, I get the walls

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Once Anne Plummer’s exhibition comes down, I have one final exhibition before the Sail Loft becomes the Christmas Shop.

My Wild Sewing Project opens on Wednesday 28 October and runs until 7 November.

If you’ve followed NaviStitch for a while, you’ll probably already know the basic idea.

Paper embroidery travels remarkably well.

So rather than always sewing at a desk, I started taking the work with me and stitching in unexpected places.

The location became part of the making.

This exhibition brings those pieces together upstairs.

And I’m deliberately not planning a dramatic “exhibition ends, Christmas appears overnight” moment afterwards.

As Christmas work begins arriving, the Sail Loft will start quietly changing again.

Towards the end of the exhibition you may start to spot the first signs of the Christmas Shop creeping in.

That feels much more manageable than trying to transform an entire room in one heroic burst.

Future Sam is very grateful for this decision.

While you're in Manningtree...

If you’re travelling over to see an exhibition, join a workshop or visit the shop, it’s always worth allowing a little extra time for Manningtree itself.

We might be England's smallest town, but there are independent shops to wander around, places to stop for coffee, lunch or a drink, and of course the river is only a few steps away.

I’m always happy to point visitors towards somewhere else they might enjoy while they’re here. And if you’d like to keep an eye on what’s happening around town, @manningtreetown on Instagram is a useful account to follow.

One of the nicest things about being based on the High Street is that a visit to NaviStitch doesn’t have to begin and end at my front door.

Have a wander.

Discover somewhere new.

Then come back because you forgot the card you meant to buy!

And downstairs...

While the Sail Loft keeps reinventing itself, the actual NaviStitch shop is still downstairs doing its thing:

Cards.

Gifts.

Books.

Paper embroidery kits.

Stitched charts.

Creative supplies.

And plenty of Manningtree and Mistley cards for anyone who likes sending a little piece of this part of Essex elsewhere.

There’s also the Send Direct option online if you’d like me to handwrite a card and post it straight to somebody for you.

Your useful dates

🎨 Anne Plummer exhibition, until Saturday 24th October

🌸 Claire Bentley Creative at NaviStitch, Saturday 24th October. Further sessions 31st October and into 2027

🧵 Wild Sewing Project: 28th October-7th November

🎄 Christmas Pop-Up Preview Night: Friday 13th November, 4pm-8pm

🎁 Christmas Pop-Up Shop: Open every day through to Christmas Eve from Saturday 14th November

NaviStitch is currently open:

Wednesday to Saturday 10am-4pm

And then, once the Christmas Shop opens, the seven-day-a-week chapter begins.

There is almost certainly a sensible reason why I agreed to that!

Thank you, as always, for visiting, booking, shopping, reading and continuing to follow whatever the Sail Loft turns into next.

Until next time...

Calm waters and plain sailing,

Sam