Merry Christmas

Just a quick note to say Merry Christmas to all our customers and a Happy New Year - we hope to see you next year. 

Don't forget that we are not open until 4th January

Debby & Joan

Snow

I think we have had more snow in the last few days than we usually get over ten years.  I looked out the window on Saturday morning and thought it looked beautiful but that might have been because it was my day off and it was Joan who was going to have to struggle in.  She rang in the morning to say that the buses were not running so she had a difficult time and did not arrive until 10ish. 

In the afternoon we went to look at a hall with car parking and although small is perfect for classes and small workshops so I think we are set for the New Year now - all I have to do is produce the new list ready for Wednesday.  Don't forget if you are around on Wednesday to call in for a mince pie and tea/coffee, unfortunately we can't offer a hot toddy as we don't have anything to heat it on - unless we put it in the kettle!

Had some strange requests over the last couple of weeks - one chap came in and asked for enough red fabric to cover his nether regions as he was dressing up as Danger Mouse.  The fabric is 45inches (whatever that is in centrimetres) and he wanted a 20cm strip.  Another man wanted to line his cutlery drawer and yet another man came in and asked if we sold wonderweb when I replied that we didn't he wanted an explanation as to why not - I remained polite.  Notice all the strange requests come from men, why is that?

Since starting this blog we have had yet more snow and neither of us can get in today (Monday) which is slightly annoying - apparently cars have been abandoned on the A38 and the motorway is down to one lane.  Much as I love snow I think it would be stupid to travel especially as they are telling everyone to stay home.  So apologies if you have made it to Wellington. I am planning to go in tomorrow - hopefully the weather will be better.

If you are stuck at home I hope you are warm and well

Debby

Christmas is coming

The workshops finished last week - Joan held the bag workshop on the coldest day possible although the people in the hall would never have known how cold it was outside as she kept the heating on full blast and wouldn't allow anyone to turn the heaters off (last time they wouldn't work again and everybody got cold) just in case they would not turn on again.  Apparently by the end of the day they were stripped down to their vests!!

We attended our first Chamber of Commerce meeting last Wednesday which made us feel quite grown up (not something I am used to) all I could think about was that my hair had gone flat and my roots were showing - so maybe not quite so grown up.  It was good to meet other traders in the town as we don't have time in the day to wander round and chat to anyone. Judith Goss was there and Joan's first words were "Oh you did my wedding flowers 36 years ago" luckily she didn't seem to mind being reminded how long she has been working. 

We have our christmas decorations up which I am really excited about - I have restrained myself with the lights as I couldn't get Joan to agree to having them round the fabric and over all the shelves so we agreed on one set in the window. Little Ben and his brothers came in  just after we had put up our one set of lights and we discussed  fireplaces, the boys and I thought it would be good to have some red lights for our fire so we could hang stockings round it so I rushed straight over to Buy and Save to buy more lights so when you look in the window and see a piled bunch of red lights that is what it is supposed to depict. If any of you have any other suggestions which involve adding lights come in on Wednesday as we are both in and we (I) would appreciate your ideas.

We have had some odd requests this week - one man came in for felt to line his cutlery drawer and this morning a man came in for a button for the top of his trousers, at one point I thought he was going to lift his top to make sure the button fitted, I have never convinced someone that I have found a suitable button quicker!!

At the moment we are in the process of organising events for next year, more information coming soon.  We are also having a Christmas Mince Pie morning on Wednesday 22nd December in aid of St Margarets Hospice - we will email everyone with more details during the week.

Hope you are all having a stress free build up to Christmas

Debby

Surprise

Anne Baxter did her first workshop for us on Wednesday - Battenberg quilt. Thought I would prove how wonderfully organised we were so got to the hall early to make sure everything was set up, as I was driving to the hall realised that I had left the tea, coffee and biscuits behind.  Anne was already there when I arrived (only just) so sorted out the room and rushed off to get refreshements. I went to see the class at the end of the day and they had all produced exciting and colourful blocks.  Hopefully she will come back and do more workshops for us.

On Thursday I was happily working in the shop alone when the delivery man arrived with a huge box which he left and went off to get another, I asked how many they were - apparently three.  I opened the first box and was convinced that we would not have ordered the first couple of bolts I looked at so rang Joan in a panic and asked her what she had done!  We both decided that it was a mistake so I pushed all the boxes back into the stock room as they were too heavy to lift and rang the supplier to tell them they had made a mistake, either that or Joan had had a breakdown and been persuaded by the lovely Alan to buy a random mix of fabrics.  I was told that it was no mistake so every so often I would go out and look at the boxes and swear.  At about 3 in the afternoon I decided to open everything as we couldn't send it back so I may as well have a proper look.  After the panic I realised that I actually liked the majority of the fabric and felt much calmer - I thought that we had completely lost the plot and all our sense of taste had disappeared, thank goodness we are okay (I think)

I held my first workshop on Saturday, I have been worrying about this for the last four weeks and as the time got nearer I was getting more manic (hence the irrational behaviour with the delivery), frantically making more things in case nobody liked what I had already produced, also Joan made some stuff as I think she thought I might have a heart attack.  I think it all went okay - everyone produced something lovely and hopefully they will all make more. Thank you to the lovely ladies - Marina, Daphne, Pat and Gloria - remember to bring in your finished work

Debby

Turning cold

Nights are getting darker, the weather is getting colder and both Joan and I are having to find warmer clothes that look decent and that don't make us look like michelin men.  Luckily we have a heater in the shop but we are trying not to use it too often as the landlord told us that it is expensive so if you see us jumping up and down or running round the shop you know that we are just warming up.

I did my first order on the telephone this week (not that exciting to you but it is to me) so at least we know that we are able to take payments without customers being in the shop - the only downside was that I put the goods and the receipt on the cutting table and managed to cut the receipt into tiny pieces when cutting fabric for another customer. So now the needlecases have gone in the post with a sellotaped receipt which looks like crazy paving and is not going to inspire the customer with confidence although I have put a note in to explain what happened.

We have had our first workshop run by Joan - Using a rotary cutter to make a cushion.  The course went really well and I had a lady (Annette) in the shop today telling me how much she enjoyed it, so thats good news.  Joan even had a young lad on the course who is really keen and has already made a quilt with help from a relative in New Zealand! 

At the moment we have a Selvedge quilt hanging in the shop which has been made by Shirley Sherratt (stitcherydo) - everybody has been raving about it and we thought it might be nice to use this space as somewhere to hang other people's work as it can be really inspiring to see what other people are doing so if you have a quilt you would like to show off let us know. Unfortunately I don't have the camera with me today so can't take a picture of Shirley's quilt but will put one on the blog next week.

Need to stop now so that I can run around the shop

Debby

Long break

Apologies for the long break - Joan had her holiday and the following week we had loads to catch up on then I had a week off so that my husband and I could do some decorating - we did one day and spent the rest of the week going out and shopping (he is as bad as I am).  He even offered to pay for a decorator so that I didn't have to move my arms - this probably makes no sense but after a day of stripping wallpaper off the walls and ceiling of a reasonably sized room I could not move my arms the following day and obviously moaned continually, hence the offer to pay for somebody else to do the work.  I am going to soldier on and finish the room, eventually. 

I went back to work for a week and Joan wrote down all the instructions to carry on with the blog whilst I was away, I then went off for an exciting week in Kent.  We decided on Kent as this was a county that neither of us had been to before (this is my husband and I and not Joan), our first two nights were going to be spent in Brighton (I know Brighton is not in Kent). Then we were going to be wild and free just deciding where to stop if we liked the look of somewhere!

Now I am back and the blog will resume as it has been confirmed that Joan is a real technophobe and couldn't do it, but she had produced a windows worth of new items - the red collection which is lovely and very effective. (Picture is minus a bag that Joan made and I sold yesterday - more work for Joan)

The red window (bag missing)

We are now working different days which I find odd (not sure if Joan does) I end up talking to myself a lot when in the shop alone so people walking past the window probably think I am a bit weird.  We have discussed bringing in a radio but that would be a nightmare for me as I need to sing along when I hear songs I know (and even those I don't, I just make up the words), not sure it would be a good thing to make customers wait whilst I finish singing plus I always have to emphasis musical points with body movement!!

Back to the shop - whilst I was away the new Bliss range arrived which Joan whizzed into bags and cushions.  More Kaffe Fasset is now in which seems to be delivered one bolt at a time which is giving us an opportunity to get to know the delivery man quite well. 





Kaffe Fassett



Kaffe Fassett



We had a customer in from New Zealand whilst I was away - she had read about us on Shirley Sherratt's blog 'Stitcherydo' which is amazing and just goes to prove that you should be careful what you say as you don't know how far it will travel.  We also had a delegation from another local shop (again whilst I was away) and it was a shame they did not say who they were as it would have been nice to build a working relationship with them, hopefully they will call in again.

Our workshops start next week which is exciting but also scary - Joan is running the first one on Wednesday followed by Ann Baxter and then me!!  I will panic right up to 10am when the class starts and then I will be fine - I must stress this is not unusual, this is normal behaviour so don't worry if you are booked on my day.

Blog will now be updated every week - promise

Joan's return

Thank goodness Joan is back tomorrow, people wandering past the shop must be quite worried about me as I sit and talk to myself and the fabric - early onset something or other.

The last two weeks have been hectic - we have had the local travellers through town who apparently live on the hills, they have obviously come in for their shopping so whilst one shops the other plays with his instrument outside the bank

Saturday was Wellington Carnival which starts at 7o'clockish but for some reason they shut the main road through town at 1.30 in the afternoon - I didn't realise it took so long to get ready!!!  Consequently there were hardly any people in the town in the afternoon apart from balloon sellers and small children crying because their parents wouldn't pay £5 for a balloon.

Whilst Joan has been away I have been buying buying buying - fabric that I know she doesn't like and definitely not in pink, purple or orange.  Alan our lovely Moda rep brought in some fabrics that Joan had already vetoed as they were too dull but he managed to convince me that they were best sellers so I made an executive decision which has since gone to my head and I have made quite a few in the last few days.

Some of the fabric we ordered back in May has just arrived

I think the owls face is lovely- he looks a bit constipated or depressed

Now Joan is back I will be calmer and have plenty of good explanations of why I have spent so much money and I think Alan knows when I am on my own as he came in just before she returned I had to have another rummage in his boot for any other items that might be useful - goodness knows how much that will cost!!

Debby