You're never far from the sewing scene

We had walked past this shop on Crellestrasse before -

This time there was a basket of Stoffreste outside, and nothing gets my attention quite like fabric remnants. Guenstige Preisse, what's more! I chose the pink one and went inside to pay

and, as you do, fell into conversation. This was the first sewing shop I'd seen, I said, which got a surprised reaction - "Berlin is in the grip of sewing fever, there are shops everywhere!" - well, we'd been avoiding the shopping areas - "That's probably a good thing." (Oh dear, was it my paltry purchase that marked me out as (a) consumption-adverse or (b) poverty-stricken?)

Volksfaden [love the similiarity to Volkswagen] is a lovely little shop and if I lived here I'd be a regular customer, making bright and cheerful things.

 In addition to fabric it has buttons, ribbons, patterns, magazines...

 ... and a proper big old typewriter ...

"Sewing like crazy!"

Volksfaden stocks knitting yarn, too, And in the back room were four sewing machines in zingy (if black and white can be zingy) fabric covers ... note to self: use something really nice from copious stash to make zingy dustcover for sewing machine (incorporate a bit of the "souvenir" pink fabric).