About us

This is the start of a new adventure for Joan and myself, an exciting new patchwork and quilting shop called Dotty Dolly. We are based in Wellington, Somerset, at 13 Fore Street (opposite the Nat West). You can contact us on 01823 660879.

We are easy to get to from junction 26 on the M5 - come and see us if you are passing by.

Thursday 16 June 2011

Power going to my head!

Flushed with success having been in the shop by myself this week, I feel ready to attempt another post.  It`s been quite a quiet week in Wellington, but we have kept ticking along.  I`ve met some interesting people, one lady from Shropshire told me she had discovered this blog, and was on holiday in the area so came to look us up.  She was very complimentary about the shop which was very nice of her.  The next day another customer came in who holidays regularly in the West Country, she had seen our stand at Westpoint and again came to have a look, she tells me she will be back which is lovely to hear, so if either of you do read read this post, you will know who you are, and thank you for your kind words and encouragement.

We had the disappearing 9 patch workshop with Anne yesterday, and although I didn`t get to see any of the work as I was in the shop, the feedback was good.  I picked up a couple of samples from Anne to put in the shop for the Layer Cake workshop she is doing for us in July.  She did this earlier in the year, and it proved so popular we have decided to run it again.  Well I just loved one of the samples, actually they were both lovely, but the one above was just my favourite.  (I hope you are all very impressed I have finally managed to get a photograph to appear on the blog without any help.  It was more by luck than judgement but I`ve done it!)  I spent a very pleasant hour looking at various different layer cakes, none of which I liked as much as Anne`s, but I am determined I am going to make it.  Why is it that other people`s work always looks so much better than mine.  I just have to make a decision now as to who I can make it for, but that  shouldn`t be too difficult.

We have had two deliveries of fabric this week.  One I had forgotten we had ordered, it`s called feedsacks, and is based on the fabrics used for flour sacks in the 1930s.  I`ve always loved the fabrics and just the idea really.  Wouldn`t it be lovely if we could buy our food in these lovely cotton prints, it would make life a little more interesting.  The photograph doesn`t really do them much justice really but hopefully you will get the idea.  This is just a small part of the range.

The other fabric came today, great excitement as far as I was concerned, as we have been waiting for this for a while now.  It`s from Stof, a new supplier for us, I particularly like the red and white collection, and can`t wait to do something with it, not sure what yet.  I just love red and white, it gives a really clean and fresh look.  Another quilt that I would love to make when there are enough hours in the day is a red and white one using churn dash blocks, so may be this will get me started.  I am struggling to know where to put it all the fabric.  There are several bolts of linen which we thought we would try, its everything we expected it to be, but it`s very wide, in fact too wide to go on our shelves,. whoops  Debby will probably come in tut tutting next week when I am not there and change it all around, but if she can make a better job than me, then great!  There are several other fabrics from Stof, but having uploaded 3 pictures onto the blog (not even sure if that`s the correct term!) I will probably need to go and have a lie down to recover from the shock of getting it right.

Shirley who writes the Stitcherydo blog came in to the shop today and brought her medallion blocks which are just wonderful.  They are beautifully made and inspirational.  She has made them all by hand, and of course I want to make some of them too! I went as far as to get the details from her, but have left them in the shop, so am uable to send away for the pattern tonight.  If you don`t know what I am talking about do go to her blog and have a look at them, you will feel like I do and want to make some straight away.  If I was really clever I would be able to fix it so that you just click on Stitcherydo and hey presto you would be there, but I can only do one thing at a time.  That`s my project for the next post!

Finally, I had a lovely young customer who came into the shop today with her partner and 4 month old baby girl.   She wants to make a quilt for her little girl, something that she can keep, made by her mum.  Call me a sentimental old fool, but I just love the fact that she wants to do that, and not go off to one of the big multiples and buy an overpriced quilt made in the far east and which loads of other people have. It won`t matter what it looks like, it will have been made with love, and that`s why I love what I do.  Blimey that sounds a bit heavy and over the top, but I expect you will all understand what I am trying to say!

1 comment:

  1. I am loving that Stof fabric even more now that I have seen it again. Thanks for the compliment on the blocks. I hope that you will send off for the pattern and give it a go. Well done on uploading the photo's. Debby will be proud.

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