New Year News 2023

Happy New Year! Let’s hope 2023 proves less expensive, less unhealthy and less uncertain than 2022. Not a very positive wishlist perhaps, but realistic?

Our Classes Are Back!

Our class timetable from February to the start of April is on our website (we have flyers in the shop) and we’re pleased with the response. The beginner classes are particularly popular so if your new year’s resolution is to learn a new craft, enrol asap: each class is limited to 6 people.

This term we’re offering beginner and next level classes in machine sewing, overlocking, knitting and crochet, plus we have classes in skirt pattern drafting, embroidery and getting to know your digital/computerised sewing machine, and an open sew day.

We’re not doing children’s classes in the school holidays for the foreseeable future but older teens (15 yrs+) are welcome to enrol in our adult classes. If your younger teen wants to do an adult class, let us know. We’re usually happy to enrol a younger teen if an adult enrols with them.

We’ll schedule our April to July classes in a few weeks’ time and I’ll publicise that on Facebook and Instagram.

100% Craft Cotton Sale! 20 to 40% Off!

I’ve made some biggish decisions to free up space for more of our bestsellers. So it’s goodbye to most of our 112 cm wide, top quality, craft cottons! With two shops nearby selling many more craft cottons than I’ve ever had, I’ve decided to keep the Japanese cottons and the Kiwianas but sell off all the rest at discount prices. Already 100 of our craft cottons are now on sale at $18 a metre and all the rest (except Japanese) have been discounted by 20% - so now’s the time to stock up on beautiful blenders and pretty prints.

I want to use the freed-up space for more yarn and dress fabrics. There are so many wonderful yarns available these days, and I try to cover as many bases as possible (price, fibre content, colours), so can always use more space for additions to our range. And I now have a few excellent suppliers of dress fabrics who will sell me smallish quantities (I try to buy no more than 10 metres of any fabric) so can expand my collection. Fabrics that are difficult to access include merino knits and silks but I’ll always try to get in what customers want - as long as I can be pretty sure of selling the quantity I need to buy. Eg if you want 2 metres of something very specific and I have to buy 10 metres of it, I probably won’t be prepared to go ahead!

Handy Shop-made Items For Sale!

This isn’t a particularly busy time for us in the shop so my expert sewist staff have been using the quiet hours to make some items to sell. So far they’ve made some wee boxer shorts, a child’s pinafore dress, 2 knitting needle holders that roll up and tie, a crochet hook rollup holder and 2 sewing accessory rollup holders! We love rollups but are open to other ideas of ways to use our craft cottons! I‘m thinking child-size tiered skirts... what else??

New things!

We now have some of the beautifully presented Pattern Fantastique patterns in stock. From Australia, this company’s emphasis is on natural fabrics and timeless, multi-functional garments. An excellent bonus is that there are free online, downloadable hacks (modifications) that can be used with several of the patterns. (Eg you can add sleeves to the Celestial pinafore.) If you like a Pattern Fantastique pattern but I don’t have it in stock, let me know and I’ll add it to my next order.

I’m getting in another line of patterns soon too. Watch this space!

Another pattern-related change is that Vincent has redone the Style Arc pattern display pics in the folders on our shop table. Each pic now shows how much fabric is needed, and any other requirements, to make each size. It’s way more convenient than having to take the pattern out of its plastic sleeve to learn what’s needed.

New Fabric!

On the fabric front, a lovely quilted double sided cotton fabric has just arrived, with little bears on a mustard base on one side and paw prints on white on the other. At $40 a metre it will make an instant cot quilt (just bind it) or a wonderful padded jacket for a child or adult.

A new double gauze/muslin features wee cream elephants on a sage base, with plain cream on the reverse side. Fabrics such as these are hard to come by and I’ve waited 5 months for these to arrive! A high quality goose themed (you’ll see!) cotton knit fabric, ordered at the same time, is still not here.

Delays with supplies from oversea are now commonplace, unfortunately, and we’re really noticing the long gaps between shipments of many of our regular stock items. One of my suppliers has established a warehouse in Sydney because goods get landed there far sooner and more cheaply than anywhere in NZ. It makes you realise we’re a small market at the bottom of the world and don’t have much influence with overseas producers who are dealing with increased costs of production and freight.

Also in recently is the new Plisse recycled nylon knit fabric (they also call it lycra) in 5 colours. This stretchy 2 sided knit has a wiggly textured pattern on one side and rib on the other. It’s suitable for sports- and swimwear as well as casual tops, drapey wide pants, unstructured jackets (Jess has made a sample of the Stylearc Palermo jacket) and even dresses.

What makes Plisse special is the fact it’s made from recycled fishing nets salvaged from the ocean, plus recycled nylon carpets and pantyhose! The manufacturing process is quite expensive, since it involves collecting, cleaning up and using what would otherwise be waste product, but the end result is unique. The colours are stand-out and I can’t wait to see what our clever customers make from this ecologically sound fabric. It’s 115 cm wide and $38 a metre.

New Yarns!

Just arrived – 8 colours of Alpaca Yarn’s Luxurious Fusion, a 4 ply linen/silk/alpaca/merino in 160 metre skeins for $22. Most of this gorgeous yarn is linen (40%) and silk (40%), with alpaca making up most of the rest, so it’s a lightweight yarn, ideal for summer garments. I’ve started knitting up a skein and its wonderful! No splitting at all – and it has a smooth silky feel and drape.

Recently the Alpaca yarn company owner reminded me that alpaca wool is hypoallergenic because it does not contain lanolin, which is what most people are allergic to in sheep’s wool. Plus of course alpaca wool is super soft, making it lovely to wear.

Ashford have brought out their new range of 8 ply wool. It’s softer than the previous range and still a very good price, at $11.50 for 100 grams. I’ve chosen 8 of their colours and can get in others as needed.

I haven’t put it on the shelves as we dont have room so it’s in my office and on the website: the full range of Chaska Muhu 8 ply alpaca yarn. At $15 a ball this is great value.

And we have a new delivery of the lovely Broadway hand-dyed 8 ply merino skeins in both vibrant and cool colours. Great value at $30 for 205 metres. I used 3 skeins recently, together with 6 x 50 gram balls of 8 ply (from 3 different brands), to make a randomly striped scalene triangle scarf /shawl that’s hanging in the shop. A scalene shape is where you start with 3 or so stitches, increase at the end of each row on one side of the piece, but keep the other side straight, and the cast off edge makes the third side of the triangle. My scarf/shawl was an experiment and is a bit big I think but I really enjoyed using the hand-dyed merino!

New Machines!

It’s a sign of the times that more people are asking about our “cheapest sewing machines”. I’ve been reducing my stock of machines under $500 for reasons of space and because the more expensive machines make it much easier to easier great results. But the cheaper machines do suit lots of home sewists, and experienced sewists can produce excellent results on them.

So I’ve brought back in some Singer 2250s (Traditions) that retail for $299 and have also purchased the new, blue, Singer M3335, that sells for $379. With the Singer 3221 (Simple) at $399, I now have 3 machines - all mechanicals - at less than $400. All three have front loading bobbins, which is the older style of bobbin operation. Jess, who is a very good sewist, has used the new blue Singer to make a little sewing accessories rollup holder and her assessment is that it’s a nice solid little machine!

The two least expensive Janomes that I stock are the mechanical FD 206 ($459) and FD 216 ($499). The FD206 has 10 pre-set stitches, which means the length and width of each available stitch can’t be changed, and the FD216 has 16 available stitches but their length and width can be changed. Both machines have top loading (drop in) bobbins, which is the more modern system of bobbin operation. I’ve always thought these machines look a bit like toys, with their different coloured dots denoting the different stitches, but my previous machine technician was impressed with their motors, and I guess that’s more important!

Farewell

We’re very sad to lose Annie McGee to a full-time role at Wellington Hospital. Annie’s been a knowledgeable, kind (and quite loud!) part-time presence in the shop for nearly 2 years now and we’ll miss her. She says she’ll miss all our lovely customers and will always help out if needed – on top of full-time work and her many other interests and responsibilities! Typical Annie! We wish her all the best in her new role.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year.

Jo, Jess, Annie, Vincent and Toni