As an artist who is into granny hobbies and crafts, this might be one of my favourite places to…read morevisit. It isn't very packed, but somehow you still find what you're looking for. The quality is great, and the prices are very reasonable, which is like the best of both worlds in this economy, isn't it? The staff is very polite and is eager to help you out in any way they can. I usually go there for yarns and embroidery threads, etc., but the urge to buy everything there is so real!

Out of all the stalls on the indoor market, this is the one I visit most frequently. If you enjoy…read moremaking costumes like I do then this stall should definitely feature on your shopping list. They sell pretty much everything related to sewing and knitting, barr machinery and large fabrics but there are plenty of fabric stalls nearby anyway. Everything is reasonably priced. I usually head here to purchase marabou, zips, coloured felt and strong threads. They give you a little pot to put your items in like at the sweet shop. I always feel like a little old lady when I come here but I am 30 in less than a month so I guess I am ; )

Birmingham lacks many high quality art & craft supplies shops. That's where Birmingham Bead Shop…read morefits in. Small but perfectly formed haven full of shiny things and pretty things and crafty things for you to buy to make yourself prettier, or to make something pretty for someone you know. I've been spoiled by a recent trip to NYC where I visited the Brooklyn Charm Shop and spent a long time ogling shiny expensive and inexpensive charms and other jewellery making supplies. I was grizzling away about how there's nothing that even compares anywhere near me - so it was an AWESOME surprise to pop into the Birmingham Bead Shop only to be blown away by the range they manage to cram into such a small space, as well as the helpfulness of staff who can show you how to properly open and close a jump ring, or what a crimp bead is for. They've even run classes in the past in jewellery making, though they have none advertised at the moment. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled though!

Just one store that shows there's life yet in Birmingham's independent retail scene, the Birmingham…read moreBead Shop is a haven for craftsy types who like to create pretty things for their own amusement, to give as gifts or sell online. Back in 2010 after consuming too much cider at the sunniest Glastonbury in recent history, myself and my equally sun/cider-addled friend decided we were gonna give up this capitalist lark and make felt owls with button eyes and sell them at festivals. This never happened, of course, but having my eyes opened to her skill with a sewing needle and bits of material I couldn't make heads or tails out of, I was on the search for a shop like this for a while until discovering it just before Christmas. Now, our annual DIY Christmas gift pact (make each other garish jumpers, stockings, etc. - this year, a onesy has been proposed, eek!) means I always make a trip here to stock up on supplies. Whatever I don't use in my fumbling attempts to create something cool, I simply give to her as part of the gift seeing as she's into her jewellery making and whatnot. As well as lots of cool stuff to aid in 'Blue Peter'-style craftsmanship, fashion fans who like to pair things together to make something exponentially cooler can find all kinds of cool charms and sparkly bits and bobs to add to charm bracelets, necklaces, pin to their clothes, etc. As someone who works for a high street jewellers that sells massively popular Pandora and the like, I have to say this little shop of treasures offers something a bit different for those who like to get creative with their accessories.

This quaint little craft centre is great place to visit if you're on the hunt for a unique gift for…read morea friend or loved one. Impressive art from local and national artists adorn the walls and vary in price from reasonable to very expensive. I'm a fan of two shops in particular, the chocolate shop has a yummy selection of handmade chocolates and cakes for sale. It offers a bespoke service whereby you can have your own design made for those very special occasions. The other shop is the kitchen shop, here it has quirky utensils, pots, pans, baking dishes which are all quite unique and reasonably priced. I'm also a fan of the on site cafe, which gets really busy during lunch time, I had a simple cheese and pickle sandwich and a cappuccino for around £6.00. There's a comfy area with sofas, you can sit at a table or there's outside seating which is very pleasant in the summer months.

There are some lovely craft shops at Mitchell's, I got some great unique Christmas presents this…read moreyear, plus a pair of earrings for myself! The knitting shop has a huge collection of wool and is very reasonably priced. Plenty of free parking here and it's a lovely place to browse!

I only came across this place whilst working in Nechells and it's a hive of activity. If you are…read morelooking for furry fabrics, black out, sparkly vinyl or fun coloured net then you will surely find the colours you're after in here. KBT is a family run business that sell a lot of stock internationally, and because of the safe, high quality of their fabrics schools and education establishments buy a lot of stuff from them. If you live locally and work for a school or third sector organisation they do scrap bags of off cuts super cheap, which is always great for art projects. The guys here are really helpful at finding the fabric you are after or making suggestions with regards to price and alternatives. You can always take a swatch away with you which has all the pricing of the fabric you were looking at. They stock a wide range of spray and fabric paints as well as velcro and cutters. If you plan on visiting you can't access KBT directly off the round-a-bout it faces but via Nechells Place.

KBT is another great secret of mine. You wouldn't come here for dress fabric, or for luxurious…read morefabrics - but instead you'd come here to browse their giant bolts of blackout fabric, their rainbow colours of velvet and velour, their sparkly vinyl on the roll, the huge range of felt and netting, and then a range of 'fun' fabrics besides. A number of their regular clients are from education - schools and nurseries - who come to get fabrics suitable for kids to work with, or who need cheap fabric to create backdrops and costumes for school productions. Because of this, they sometimes sell special binbags full of offcuts for very little money which could be full of loveliness, or could be full of boring beige (one bag I bought had some lime green pleather in it - fab!) Alongside the practical fabrics they have a fair amount of upholstery fabric, and also a big range of fabric paints, spray paints and other textile-related products in cans and jars and pots. It's definitely worth having a mooch around!

So I was on the hunt for a carry bag for my sewing machine. Not wanting to trek across towns to…read moreKings Heath or take my chances at the market, I thought I'd venture down to Soho Road where there was sure to be a haberdashery of some kind. Low and behold, after walking down this same bloody road for about an hour (I live on Constitution Hill which turns into Great Hampton Street which turns into Hockley Hill which turns into Soho Hill which turns into Soho Road...AAARGH!) I finally find Sew-Tek. This store is full to the brim with sewing machines, accessories, buttons, embellishments and anything else you could possibly want, relating to sewing and embroidery. The man serving was very helpful and I got a cheap and cheerful Brother carry bag to match my machine. Sew-Tek is definitely worth a visit if you are over this way and can't make it to the market.

My mum introduced me to this small but crammed full sewing shop. Mum has a range of machines -…read moremostly Janome and Pfaff - and does a massive amount of sewing - from quilting to dressmaking to simple hemming and repairs. Because of all of this, she needed to buy a few bits and bobs to stock up her supplies, and that's where Sewtek came in. We popped in just to buy some more spare bobbins, and mum wanted to find out if they did repairs or servicing. The shopkeeper was super helpful and took details down and let her know what service options they offered. The downside to where they're situated is that the Soho Road is awful for parking, unless you're used to it and ready to just plough on through and block the road whilst you wait for a street space. That was why I'd been dragged along - to be the designated driver and stop her from screaming at other drivers!

This is a lovely new shop located within Great Western Arcade. It was originally a Pop-up Shop…read morebased in the Mailbox, but due to their refurbishment - it could no longer remain in this location. It's probably the best thing that has happened to the little store, as it now has a permanent base in a very cool location. Everything on sale is handmade in Birmingham, which means it's full of lovely original pieces dripping with character. All of the items are priced sensibly, meaning you can grab a cute notebook for around £2, whilst the handmade children's clothes price around £22 - £25 (very reasonable when you see the quality). This is their first opening week, but they are already doing a great trade - so ensure you pop in regularly to see the swiftly changing stock (as one artist sells out and another one moves in).

There are loads of cards in this shop and they are really cheap, i think they are the cheapest in…read moreerdington. The shop is bright and clean and they sell a wide range of gifts as well as cards. They have some fantastic bargains round and outside the shop. However the shop is tiny and i would not recomend taking a pushchair or wheelchair round this shop.

Brillant range of cards here. The only downside is that the shops quite small so you would not be…read moreable to push a pushchair around easily. The staff are very friendly and will help you look for what you want. There are often queues here though but they go down very quick. Would recommand people have a look to find some great bargains.

The brilliantly unique (I know such an overused word but we're talking handmade goods!) thing about…read morethe bags here is that each one is definitely different! How do I know for sure? Because Jin Arts and Crafts only uses odd balls of wool teamed up with odd ends of fabric. I love stand out linings whether in boots and shoes, bags or jackets and these bags are all about quirky, contrasting or just down right pretty linings. One bag on display had a pinstripe lining - just stunning. Most of these bags are little ones, ideal for evening or just any of those rare times when my laptop isn't coming out with me. But that's not all. What Jin Arts & Crafts normally sell is art based around the beautiful Cornish seaside or English countryside and houses and these paintings are very much worth looking at.