See it, try it, buy it: 2018 shows for crafters

Liven up the coming year ahead by planning a day out at a craft show or exhibition. Whether you go to be inspired by exquisite pieces, to stock up on supplies, to socialise – or a combination – you'll refresh your creative juices and return home full of enthusiasm for your next project. (I'll be updating this page so you might want to bookmark it.)

Perspectives on Patterns, Bankfield Museum, Halifax 
Until June 2 2018 | Free
Curated by the TAG (Textile Art Group), commemorating the mill-working tradition in the area, with embellished cards and clogs, bobbins with fabric strips (I think I saw this in Saltaire a couple of years ago), textile samples, stitched panels and needle-felting.

Wonderwool Wales Festival, Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells
April 28-29 | £10
With over 210 exhibitors spanning spinning, felting, weaving, knitting and crochet. Take part in hands-on woolschool workshops and events showcasing the best in Welsh and British wool and natural fibres

Orla Kiely: A Life in Pattern, Fashion and Textile Museum, London SE1
May 25-Sept 23 | £9.90
A look at super-successful designer Orla Kiely's 30+ years of work, from first sketches to finished fabrics.

Anni Albers, Tate Modern, London SE1
Oct 11-Jan 27 2019 | £16.50
Barred from studying painting at the Bauhaus school – because she was a woman – she turned to weaving and became an influential figure, pioneering innovative uses of woven fabric as art, architecture and design. This exhibition brings together some of her most important pieces of work.