Thank you!!

I just wanted to pop in and say a huge thank you to you all following on from my last post.  Mum and I have been so touched by all your comments that we received on here, Instagram and Facebook and by the number of emails that you sent to us......thank you!!!

I thought I should also share the answers to a few questions that we have been asked....

• Mum and I are absolutely fine... thank you.... a few tears were shed whilst making the decision, but we know that we have done the right thing for us, our families and for Pretty Fabrics and Trims. 

• Whilst our Ruskington shop will no longer be open on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning, we are not moving out of our lovely premises......goodness knows where all the fabric and loveliness would go!

• We are therefore still at the end of an email or telephone call should you need to speak to us and we are always happy to help.  

• We are not down sizing Pretty Fabrics and Trims in any way, purely focusing 100% of our efforts in to growing the business via our website.  We have lots of pretty new fabrics on order and new arrivals happening on a daily/weekly basis.  

We had an absolutely lovely holiday, although the days just whizzed by.   I had all good intentions of getting lots of sewing done and went appropriately prepared, although mostly I ended up simply watching the world go by.......

The little sneaky peeks are in preparation for some fun future projects here on the blog .... hopefully if all goes according to plan, you won't have to wait to long for them!

Something that has been said often to us in the last few days is "that you work to live and not the other way round", what sound advice.  Thanks again for being the best readers, customers and friends possible!

Happy Stitches!

Important Announcement re Ruskington Bricks and Mortar Shop

We're back from a much needed family week away.  Before we left it is fair to say that both mum and I were completely shattered. We have been extremely lucky to see our online business grow at a pace over the last few years.  Along side this we have juggled our bricks and mortar Ruskington Shop opening hours, plus lots of behind the scenes sewing and fabric club preparation.  At all times trying to give an outstanding service to everyone.....but here's the thing..... in recent months there simply haven't been enough hours in the day to do everything....and what is more upsetting to both of us is that we do not feel that we have given our best to you our fabulous customers and that makes us very sad!  We're certainly not complaining, we are very thankful for all your support, but despite us thinking we were invincible.... it was inevitable that we couldn't keep working all the hours indefinitely.

We've been aware that something needed to change, our husbands have been telling us something needed to change, but in all honesty the holiday has given us breathing space to think about the right course of action for us to take.....for the business, for our health and for our families.   We  have already tried shortening our Ruskington shop opening hours and have toyed with various other possible solutions.  We have thought about employing staff, but our premises are simply not big enough for us to fit in another member of staff with another cutting table or packing station, alongside all our beautiful fabrics.  So it is with regret that we have come to the very difficult decision to revert back to our roots and become an online only retailer and close our Ruskington bricks and mortar shop.

We appreciate that this news will not affect the majority of our customers who are scattered across the UK, Europe and the rest of the world...although hopefully you will see our prompt turnaround time from ordering to receiving your parcels full of loveliness continue.  Plus we have lots of exciting new fabric arrivals, quilt packs and much promised projects and sew alongs in the pipeline that hopefully we will now find a moment to share!

For those of you who did come in to Ruskington, we know that this news will be disappointing and we are very sorry!  We would like to make it very clear that it has been a complete joy meeting each and everyone of you.  We have loved our quilty talks and seeing your fabulous projects!  Thank you for having taken the time to come and visit us!

Our Ruskington shop's last day opening will be Saturday 26th August.

Our website remains open as always 24 hours a day 365 days a year!

If you have any questions regarding any aspect of this, please do not hesitate to get in touch!

Thank you again for supporting us!

Introducing our NEW Block of the Month Club ~ The Potager Medallion Quilt

I'm am super excited today to share my finished 'Potager Medallion' quilt, which is our BRAND NEW Block of the Month quilt, starting this October!  Here's some more pictures of the finished quilt....

I started sewing the quilt back in early spring and it has pretty much been my constant companion ever since....I've enjoyed every little happy stitch!  As with my previous Block of the Month designs, it incorporates a variety of techniques..... from machine pieced curves (don't be scared, I'll share how I do it!)...... 

applique....I used my favourite interfacing method.....

English Paper Piecing.......

and general machine piecing ......   I carefully cherry picked a mix of fabrics from a variety of manufacturers including some Tilda, Moda, Lecien and Sevenberry.  The colours are soft and gentle..... delicate pinks, sage green, custard yellow, mustard, duck egg, ice blue and little touches of warm red, all set against a scrappy mix of low volumes including text, blender prints and Moda Bella solids.  I gave a customer in the shop a little sneaky peek the other day (thank you...you know who you are!) and she said that it was me all over...I hope that you agree!

I've been busy hand quilting mine using Aurifil 12wt, but there's lots of opportunities for some pretty special machine quilting should you prefer!

As I have done with our precious Block of the Month clubs, I thought it would be useful to share some general Q&A.......

What is a Block Of The Month (BOM) Club and how does it work?

A block of the month is a parcel full of loveliness that you will receive directly through your letterbox each month for a year. It will include all the fabrics* and if required, English Paper Pieces required for you to sew that months section of the quilt, plus of course, detailed instructions for how to piece each block will also be included. 

At the end of the year you will have received enough pretty fabric and instructions to make your very own 'Potager Medallion' Quilt Top.

*The quilt has has a very scrappy feel with lots of different fabrics used. Each month, you will receive all the fabrics that you need to complete that months block. These will be received as small strips and little pieces ready for you to accurately subcut as per the cutting instructions that will also be enclosed.

How big is the finished Quilt?

The Quilt measures 64" x 64"

How long will the Club run for?

The club will run for 12 months commencing in October 2017 and will run through to and including September 2018.

What techniques will be used?

The quilt combines a mix of Machine Piecing, English Paper Piecing and Applique*.

*Sarah used the Turn Through Interfacing method for the applique, but you could use Needle Turn or Raw Edge.... it is entirely up to you.

To assist with the different techniques throughout the year you will find a whole host of tutorials on our Blog HERE.

Will I receive exactly the same fabrics as used in the Sarah's quilt?

We will as far as possible send the same fabrics as Sarah used, if this is not possible then rest assured we will send something equally as scrumptious!

What threads did Sarah use?

Sarah used Aurifil 50wt thread, both on the machine and for all the hand stitching. These are not included. However a thread pack to co-ordinate will be made available.  More information on this soon!

What other supplies will I need?

Applique supplies depending on your chosen method, EPP supplies again depending upon your chosen method (but the papers will be supplied when needed), a 1/4" Bias Binding maker plus your usual patchwork and sewing related tools.

Will there be a Facebook group for Club members?

Yes......... we have a dedicated Facebook Group for our Block of the Month Club members! It is a private forum only open to Pretty Fabrics and Trims Block of the Month club members, somewhere where you could share your progress month by month, ask for advice from fellow club members, to share helpful tips and to make quilty friends.

Can I purchase the pattern on its own?

No, not at this moment in time......many hours have been spent designing this quilt specifically for our Block of the Month Club......Sorry!

HOW CAN I JOIN?

Places for the club are limited and all our friends and customers from across the world are invited. 

If you would like to join, you can do so on the website HERE.

We will be asking participants to pay a £1 non refundable commitment fee to book your spot.

PLEASE NOTE ~ By signing up to the BOM club you agree to take part in the 12 month program and it is non cancelable.

How much will it cost?

The Monthly Club cost including postage is:

UK Club Price ~ £18.50 (Via 1st Class Mail)

EU Club Price ~ £21.50 (Via Standard Airmail*)

International Club Price ~ £23.00 (Via Standard Airmail*)

*Should you wish to upgrade to Priority Mail please do get in touch.

How will I make my payment?

The first months payment will be due on the 1st October 2017 and subsequent payments will be due on the 1st of each Month. Parcels full of loveliness will be posted within 2 working days of payments being safely received.

Payments will be made by a monthly subscription service via your Paypal account to us, for those of you already in our Flirty 30's Club or our previous Block of the Month Clubs will be familiar with this. By setting up a Paypal subscription to us your monthly payments will automatically be debited from your Paypal account each month. Once it is in place you do not need to do anything, with the exception of cancelling the subscription at the end of the Block of the Month. Don't worry we will remind you and should you inadvertently forget, we will obviously refund any over-payment without hesitation!

We will contact Club members to arrange this, nearer the time.

We are also more than happy for you to make your monthly payment to us from your Bank Account directly into our Bank Account, should you prefer this method, simply get in touch once you have signed up and we will provide you with all the required information.

I hope this pretty much covers all the questions that you may have, but obviously please do GET IN TOUCH if you have any questions at all, mum and I are here to help!

Andy, Poppy and I went to one of our favourite spots for a walk to take photo's of the quilt.  I must admit we did get some very strange looks from dog walkers and a man on his tractor!  We were also followed around by the most beautiful horse.....

So I think that pretty much covers it all.  Mum and I hope that you will join us in stitching along!

Happy Stitches!