And so it begins …
Running a sewing shop is more than a full time job and when I am not serving customers or teaching workshops, I have a mountain of other jobs to keep me busy. And sadly sewing is at the bottom of that list!
So, after pondering on the idea for a while, from now on my newsletters will let you know what we offer whilst also giving you an insight into what my job entails. Hopefully that will be a lot more interesting that me sending you a list of products!
I promise not to ramble, and it won’t be boring but I really hope you like it. So, here goes the first instalment. It’s been another busy week behind the scenes!
Advent Calendars
So, in a week when the country was in chaos (again!), the quarterly rent and service charge needed to be paid (eeek!), our VAT return was submitted (eeek again!), and wages also needed to be paid (triple eeek!), I used my day off to update my accounts and finish sewing an advent calendar for display in the shop.
I chose to make the adorable Santa Paws advent calendar from Makower UK, although we have a number of other fabulous designs too.
As advent calendars need to be finished before the end of November, it is never to early to start.
I have an exciting event coming up soon, so keep an eye out for that. However, in the meantime take a look at the Christmas panels we have in stock.
Re-Stocked Fabrics
Tuesday saw the delivery of our popular Makower UK basic cotton fabrics.
These included Spectrum plains, Linen Texture and the very popular Spots. The website has been updated, they have all been labelled and space found on the shelves. Fat quarters of each have also been cut for our baskets.
We hold a wide range of basic cotton fabrics – take a look!
Warm Wadding
Wednesday was wadding day. Our much anticipated delivery of Warm & Natural cotton wadding arrived, together with a new roll of Insul-Bright.
The cotton wadding is perfect for quilts as it is breathable but still keeps you warm. It is washable too.
Insul-Bright is heat resistant and used for sewing oven gloves, placemats and table runners.
Have a look at the different waddings and interfacings that we stock.
Felt! Gorgeous Felt!
There are two main suppliers that I use for haberdashery items. Empty spaces on the shelves are a real bugbear of mine, so I place and order with one of them every two weeks.
This week I stocked up on our selection of felt. We have so many different colours and shades. They are all A4 size and perfect for crafting and sewing projects.
A new addition to our collection are the glitter felt sheets in four different colours. And they really are very sparkly!
With Christmas slowly approaching, there are so many lovely projects that can be made with felt. And, they are also great for teaching children to hand sew.
New Bag Pattern
Over the years I have designed so many patterns that have been taught in our workshops. So, they have been well tried and tested and I am slowly adding them to the website for sale as pdf downloads.
They all have all been updated and have detailed sewing instructions with colour photos.
This week I added my ‘Matilda’ large tote bag pattern to the website. This is a great bag for shopping, days out and holidays. I have one that I love and use it for my current knitting or crochet project.
The bag is in the shop if you want to take a closer look or take the plunge and order the pattern.
Learn Something New
On Thursday evening we had such a lovely evening on our Pattern Matching Masterclass.
We have some lovely workshops coming up and these include Christmas themed ones and two children’s workshops for the upcoming half term.
Take a look and get booked in soon.
Fabric and Pattern Pairings
A lot of my time during the week is spent on social media posts. I try to mix it up a little and give you suggestions, tips, behind the scenes stories, and new products.
The pattern pairing posts have a dual purpose and are designed to give you a better idea about what the fabrics are suitable for, as well as what type of fabric would be suitable for a particular pattern.
Here is a summary of this week’s suggestions for some of our new fabrics.
Fabric – Lucinda ex-designer (Jigsaw) stretch wool blend
Pattern – Closet Core Pietra pants
Fabric – Michelle blue and grey floral velour
Pattern – Nina Lee Mayfair dress
Fabric – Annie navy floral viscose
Pattern – Megan Nielsen Sudley top or dress
Fabric – Gabi olive green viscose
Pattern – Style Arc Asha dress (NEW!)
Fabric – Gabi teal viscose
Pattern – Tilly and the Buttons Marnie dress or blouse (NEW!)
Fabric – Gabi cream viscose fabric
Pattern – True Bias Roscoe blouse or dress
Quote of the Week
Do you ever have a day like this?
Although this described my Monday perfectly, thankfully the rest of the week was so much better. I hope you had a great week.
So, there you have a summary of my week. If you have any queries or need me for anything, please let me know.
My aim is to send you weekly updates. I know that isn’t necessarily realistic, but I will try.
I hope you have a lovely weekend and happy sewing!!
Leanne