Shiva Variety Fabrics sells women's South Asian fashions -saris and suits and a wide range of…read morebangles and costume jewellery. It is very eye-catching from the outside with a rainbow of bejeweled clothing displayed in the window below a bright red, blue and yellow sign and electric blue window frames. Anyone who loves to see a good splash of colour won't be able to stop themselves venturing over for a closer look. The shop is packed full of a huge range of fabrics, some thin and sheer and almost too delicate to touch and other thicker and more substantial cottons. It's the perfect place to buy fabric for a sari or suit but is also great for buying fabric for cushions or curtains or any other creative urge! The jewellery is very pretty and reasonably-priced and includes an array of metal bangles of different sizes and some large and colourful necklaces with matching earrings featuring vibrant glass gems.

To a vintage shop enthusiast such as myself, a well stocked haberdashery is essential. Samuel…read moreTaylor's more than fits that description. Where else would I go for eyelets to adapt a skirt, shoulder pads to customise a jacket or a selection of decorative buttons to transform a shirt. Oh, the buttons! There is a whole wall dedicated to displaying these shiny treasures. It brings out the child in me, definitely provoking a kind of kid in a sweet shop reaction. Downstairs, there is a large number of fabrics to buy off the roll. I recently made a cape out of some gorgeous electric blue material from their basement, the vibrancy of the colour is stunning. I am constantly mentally modifying and reshaping clothing whilst shopping, safe in the knowledge that Samuel Taylor will be able to help me.

I absolutely rely on this shop. Being a total crafty I am always nipping in and out of here to top…read moreup on bits of ribbon and whatever other bits of shiny that I might need. For a start, this shop has got crafts covered from every angle. Card making, dress making, jewellery, masks, glues - you name it and they have it, or can order it in for you. I was looking for peacock feathers one time and the lady even offered to make a special order just for me! The shop is literally bursting with exciting bits, full of potential energy, to make and do. I love it. I think the thing that sets it apart for me, from most other craft shops, is the staff though. Even though the stock prices a little more than other places, the staff are so friendly and helpful that they make it feel personal and independent. When you ask their advice you are not asking some disinterested minimum wage robot, you are asking the wealth of, dare I say it, over thirty year's (*ahem* maybe even more!) knowledge and advice, which is always given over with great care and attention to detail. They deserve every star, and satisfy all my creative crafty needs!

This is a cute little gift shop in a sea of gift shops on the Chapel Allerton high street. At…read morepresent the store has a lovely christmas display in their window, which caught my eye, so I went in to have a look. The first thing to hit me was the lovely cinnamon smell as I entered. On browsing I discovered all kinds of different items for sale, ceramics, cards, hello kitty brand items and many other knick-knack type items. On deeper investigation I noticed that the prices weren't as competitive as their neighbours'. The glassware was quite expensive for what it was and they had some button earrings on sale - which were literally buttons attached to earrings - that cost £10, which i thought was pretty high for what they were. Still, it's always worth having a look in these shops as everyone has different taste, and invariably there will be some little treat that you might find. All in all a nice little shop with a few cool things to see.

This gift and card shop is similar to the second Angels shop down the road 'Angels Too'. I had…read morepopped into this one for a card and decided to check out the other one, mentioned to me as I was making my purchase. They both sell cards and gifts but the range here seems to aimed at different customers. There are gifts and stationary items from the Hello Kitty brand and a range I had not come across before - Momiji dolls. They seem quite a cult thing when I looked them up on the internet later on but something that might appeal to teenage girls. There was also a 'Top Model' range. Something else I hadn't come across before either, probably due to my age (mid-twenties, too old to be interested but to young to have children that are). So you can find many gift items here and will probably be drawn in by the colourful window display that currently involves a gothic christmas tree.

This is probably the best-stocked fabric shop in the market with an extensive range of fabrics from…read morecotton, wool, acrylic, polyester and netting to lino and PVC for table cloths. B&M fabrics also earn bonus points for keeping their stock well organised and neatly displayed, which allows for easy browsing - other fabric shops in the market can have rolls of fabric stacked in slightly chaotic piles. Rather than just a counter you can actually step into the shop and browse the fabrics more closely enabling customers to get a good feel of all the fabrics on offer. The staff always seem to be very helpful but are also happy to allow you to browse. The prices here are probably about average for fabric shops in Leeds. If you don't find what you're looking for at B&M fabrics there are at least two other fabric shops nearby.

When I had grand ideas of making myself clothes with my recently inherited sewing machine I skipped…read morealong to the market to see what it had in store for me. I found B and M Fabrics with a great range of things, probably because they are providing fabric to people who can and do actually make their own clothes. I explained my idea to the fabric lady and she took the time to discuss and demonstrate how I could make a wrap-around skirt and how much material I would need to do this. So this was all really helpful but, alas, the skirt remains unmade. Aside from my grand plans, this fabric store has a wide range of fake-fur animal prints, and rolls of table cloth lino and lots of foam or wading.

As far as I know this tiny shop is the only sewing machine shop in Leeds. I may be wrong...hope so!…read moreBut if it is it certainly serves Leeds well. I was recently given an overlocker as a birthday present. It was bought from Ebay to save money but may have been bashed in transit because when I finally got round to finding threading instructions and cranking it up something inside was stuck fast and it wouldn't do a thing. No! It was too late to try to send it back to the seller so I bussed it into town and managed to carry the heavy box down to Sewing Machine Co. Despite the nice chap in the shop seeming a little confused by my overlocker's unusual malady he seemed confident he'd be able to sort it. He did...by the next day! I was very impressed! Unfortunately after a couple of days I realised there was still a problem, but due to the fact that repairs come with a 3 month guarantee I took the machine back and he quickly fixed it free of charge and was very apologetic. As I know from experience how mysteriously temperamental sewing machines of all kinds can be I didn't hold this against the repairer and was just grateful to have it back and working...and for £30 I thought it was definitely worth it! Sewing Machine Co. also sell machines at reasonable prices, and sell a range of sewing essentials such as thread, needles, scissors and other bits and bobs. They also sharpen scissors - there's nothing like a freshly sharpened pair! On top of this they also have an amazingly impressive looking embroidery machine and can embroider clothing if provided with a design...large and complicated designs can be rather expensive but small motifs or words are very affordable. Overall I think Sewing Machine is a great little shop and essential back up for all sewing machine owners who know how temperamental the things can be!

i always take my sewing machines to this man. he is reliable and hones and reasonably priced. he…read moreand his wife are nice people and if the machine can be repaired they will do all they can to get the parts for your machine. brilliant A1 service.