Janes Patchwork and Sewing, Port Augusta, SA, Australia

Wow I have a few updates for you.  Back in June, my partner and I went on another road trip in South Australia.  This time visiting the Eyre Peninsula (http://www.southaustralia.com/regions/eyre-peninsula.aspx), a few pictures to come.  As I like to do when we do these road trips, I wanted to check out any quilt shops that we would pass while on the road.  As it was a holiday weekend here, I only managed to make it to one shop, Janes Patchwork & Sewing.  Unfortunately, they don't have a website so here are their contact details:

Lot 4, Eyre Highway
Port Augusta West SA 5700
08 8642 4723

A few things to note about the is shop.  Firstly, you'll find it this shop on the way out of Port Augusta on the way to Whyalla, SA.  Secondly, this a shop that is actually on site of the owner's home, so don't expect to find you're usual shop front.  And finally, what makes this shop a bit querky is that when you drive on to the property, the owner will pop out of their home and open the shop for you, if they're home.  Hence they're open seven days a week.

When we arrived however, rather than Jane popping out, her husband did instead opening the shop for me.  What made this even better for me is that my better half started chatting to the owner's husband about solar power and sustainability and left me to my self - Great!

This is a nice shop with a little bit of everything including novelties, a good range of blenders, and a nice selection of panels.  I enjoyed pottering around the shop pulling fabrics out here and there.  And yes I bought a few pieces to bring home.  I mentioned to my partner afterwards that I could see him behind the counter of a quilt shop serving the customers.

Now for some photos.  Thought you might like to see some photos of the area:



View from atop of Whyalla, SA

  

The equivalent of a fantastic quilt shop for an avid rock collector.



Another view from atop of Whyalla, SA

     

Jenny's Sewing Centre, Angaston, SA, Australia

Our next stop as we wandered around the Barossa was Jenny's Sewing Centre in Angaston itself.  Check out the shop's website for all contact and address information - http://www.jennyssewingcentre.websyte.com.au/ .

My visit to this store was very much about don't judge a book by its cover.  I say that because as I walked into the store I was initially struck about how cramp it was.  What I mean by that is, the store was small and had a lot of fabric crammed into that space.  On top of that I was disappointed to see it was primarily dress making fabric.  Now I could have left but if I'd done that I wouldn't have discovered quilter's paradise......

Fortunately, the owner of the store directed me downstairs to where the quilting fabric was.  So downstairs I went with my partner and girlfriend in tow and was I surprised.  It was like walking into a different world.  It must have hit my partner as well as he turned to me and said we'd walked into the "batting cave".  Not a bad quip from someone who isn't exactly into quilting.  All I can say is the selection of fabric was wonderful.  There was an excellent range of all fabric covering the gambit of traditionals through to novelties. 

What hit me was discovering yet again fabrics that I've had on my hard to find list starting with a couple of Alma Lynne prints - I love her pet pals range and so do my friends and family judging by the amount times I get asked to make something up with them.  If you're not sure what Alma Lynne's design have a look at my quilt on the front page of my blog at "The Dog Lady".  And the other fabric range that I found that blew me away was Benartex Victoria range.  This fabric range has been out of print (OOP) for ages and of course yours truly is great at buying fabric that is hard to find.

I wish I had had more time to look around as there was so much fabric to look through however with people in tow I had to finish up quickly.  So if you get a chance to visit Angaston in the Barossa make sure you allow a little bit of time to work through all the fabric.

Now one warning for those of you who may have some mobility issues.  The stairs down to the "batting cave"  are a bit steep and a little narrow and if you're very tall like me, watch your head.  However, don't let this stop you as I'm positive visiting this shop will ensure you leave with a few purchases and a smile on your face.

Barossa Quilt & Craft Cottage, Angaston, SA, Australia

Thanks to a friend visiting recently, I've finally managed to visit some new quilting stores, this time in the lovely Barossa Region.  For those of you not familiar with this region, the Barossa is one of Australia's top wine regions and lets not forget the food as well! For more information on this goregous area, please visit, http://www.barossa.com .  You won't have any problems finding great wine or great food to taste while wondering around the area. 

Now on to the Barrosa Quilt & Craft Cottage.  For address and contact details check out the shop's online site at http://www.barossaquilt.com.au .This is the first time I've managed to visit the cottage however, I've seen the owner and her temporary shop at the Australasian Quilting Convention so I almost feel like I've visited before.  Location wise, the shop is on the road leading into Angaston and is pretty easy to see as you're driving through.  The store is housed in an old cottage, something a little different from the normal shop front.

The shop offers a reasonable variety of fabric for sale covering the gambit from novelty through to small a selection of japanese/asian prints.  I also saw a nice selection Australiana fabric - managed to find a couple of prints that I didn't have already which was nice.  In their training/lesson room, I noticed a rather large range of blenders and what seemed to be a large range of Jinny Beyer fabrics.  The lesson here is to make sure you look through the entire cottage as there was fabric tucked away in all the corners and under counter tops, etc.  In other words, wherever there was some space, you would find some fabric.

There was a small selection of patterns and books.  I also saw a good range of notions in case you want to top up and/or be ready to go with your purchases when you get home.  And on the off chance you want some wide backing, I noticed a small selection.

Overall, a pleasant visit while in the Barossa.  Stop in and visit on your trip through.  I'm sure you'll enjoy a nice chat with the owner and have a pleasant time wondering around the shop.

Successful Purchases - USA and yes there is more

Some more stores in the USA that I've purchased fabric from.  Remember to read my previous blogs that covers general information on postage in the USA (particularly relevant to those of you who live outside the USA like me) and of course my favourite band wagon topic sign up or those newsletters or blogs to hear about the latest sales first and of course even better getting those coupons to save you even more money that you can spend on buying more of your favourite fabric, tools or patterns.

Quilter's Compass LLC Retail Quilt Shop

Link:  http://www.quilterscompass.com/Store/pc/home.asp

Postage:  Varies depending upon amount/volume purchased.

Rating:  Thumbs Up

This was another shop I found when I was hunting for some out of print (OOP) fabric.  The shop had a nice variety of fabric up for purchase at pretty good prices.  Postage wise they use the flat rate postage envelopes but check with them to find out what the relevant price is for your country and/or internally within the US.  I found them very easy to communicate with via email and very fast respondents both in terms of responding to my questions and in dispatching my order.

The Quilting Garden

Link:  www.thequiltinggarden.com/

Postage:  $17.00 for up to $70 spent.  NOTE:  postage based on amount purchased NOT yardage purchase.

Rating: Thumbs Up

Like Quilter's Compass, I found the Quilting Garden chasing another OOP piece of fabric, the Bella Flora collection.  I fell in love with the poppy design after purchasing some squares off of eBay when I first started quilting.  Took me ages to find out who designed/manufactured the fabric and then a while longer to find a store that sold some of the fabric aka The Quilting Garden.  Checking the site out for the blog, I notice they have some of that fabric on sale....being tempted to fill up the stash some more!

Fabric Depot

Link:  http://fabricdepot.com/

Postage:  Fabric Depot uses flat rate priority envelopes but you will need to touch base with them to get a postage quote.

Rating:Thumbs Up

The Fabric Depot was one of the first online shopping visits I made.  They have a great range of not only quilting fabrics but also dress fabrics.  Their website is very easy to get around in however, I would warn you the check out cart doesn't hold selections for long as I discovered yesterday.  Although I haven't ordered any quilting notions from the site, they do have a good range to select from.  And they also sell Accuquilt Go die cuts if you're after any.  They have some great sales so its worth checking the site regularly.  The current sale at the time of writing this blog is 30% off Moda, Michael Miller and Kaufman fabrics, all great brands.

Successful Purchases - USA

Okay now on to the USA....land of quilting.  I'm repeating myself a little bit at the beginning but I don't want to assume you've read my previous blog on purchases in Australia and New Zealand.  For those of you have, then skip on down to the part of the blog which will interest you the most, SHOPPING!

Newsletters:

One thing I would highly recommend is whatever site you look at sign up for their newsletter and/or blog (can differ from site to site). This is the best way to keep up with specials, new fabrics, books, etc. the site may sell. The best deal I've got is 40% off all items on the website. This was a US shop and even with the postage, I still managed to buy the fabric at less than half for what I would have paid for it here. If you're not keen about having a lot mail coming to your personal email account, do I what I did open up an alternative online email account (e.g. Hotmail, gmail, yahoo, etc.) and have the newsletters, etc. sent there.

Postage:

I can't say this enough, always ask what the postage will be for the item. Even within Australia, this can vary. This becomes even more so when looking overseas. For example for those of you outside the USA, one US store I've bought from at least a couple of times has offered half price postage on the flat rate envelopes (what's that I hear you asking - more on that in a moment) vs another online store that charges a flat rate of $20 if you purchase US$150 up to US$300 then free shipping when its over that amount.  Also shipping can be based on either yardage or value of amount purchased - make sure you check that before getting too carried away.

For those of you living the US, a great many online stores will offer you heavily reduced postage or even free.  And those of you living in Canada, postage for you kinda of falls in between the two extremes.

Okay for those of you who live overseas, one of the cheapest ways to get your fabric or precuts to you is asking for the flat rate packets/envelope rate.  Depending upon what part of the States the shop is, the price can vary between US$15 and US$18 - NOTE:  The US post office just increased their rates quite a bit, on average the increase was US$3.  Then the next question is how much can they fit into the envelope.  This will vary from seller to seller but a rule of thumb is generally 2 jelly rolls or around 8 charm packs or between 6 and 8 yards of fabric.  ALWAYS ask as this can really vary from seller to seller.

Missouri Star Quilt Company

Link:  http://www.missouriquiltco.com

Postage:  Varies depending upon if your in the US or International.  Outside of USA postage is variable up to US$150 spent then $20 flat rate between $150 and US$300 and then free over $300.  Sorry Canadian readers, not too sure your postage rates.

Rating:  Thumbs Up

I'm not even sure where to begin with the Missouri Quilt Company!  There is so much to talk about.  So I'll stick to the topic which is buying online.  If you're a precut fan then this is the store for you.  MQC probably has one of the biggest ranges that I've seen online so far and they don't simply have the usual Moda line either.  They also offer precuts from Kaufman, Benartex, Windham Fabrics, etc.  Given their postage discounting, I've generally found it cheaper to buy jelly rolls from here than on eBay.  MQC have all the latest releases and generally a good selection of the coordinating fabric. 

And of course they have a large range of fabric from the main suppliers though with a heavy emphasis on Moda.  Generally the fabric is discounted as well.

This is also the store for you if you need your quilting supplies replaced or you're looking for the latest thing in quilting supplies MSQ is the place to shop.  On my next shopping round I've got my eye on some templates I want to have a try - scallop edges, wedges, etc. 

Then MQC have their daily deals.  At the time of writing this blog, the day's deal was free shipping in the USA.  Other deals are generally heavily discounted pre cuts.  One thing to note is the precut deals are generally only for a maximum of one pack.

And yes there is more.  MQC also offer "Quilter's Cash" (http://www.missouriquiltco.com/quitlers-cash/) which you can use on future purchase.  Click on the link and this will give you more information.

And last but not least what pointed me to MQC's shop in the first place are the tutorials that Jenny (the owner) offers.  I originally found Jenny and MQC on You Tube.  Watching Jenny and her family giving tutorials on quilting particularly around using precuts has moved me from not being a precut fan to having a bit of a run of buying precuts to try all the techniques that I've been learning.  I highly recommend watching the tutorials.  If you're anything like me they'll get you enthused to try them out.  I can' say enough about these tutorials........watch them and you'll be a convert like me.

Burkholders LLC

Link:  http://www.burkfabrics.com

Postage:  Varies depending upon amount purchased.

Rating:  Thumbs Up

I found this store when I was hunting for an elusive fabric range to finish off a quilt for my aunt.  I'm so good at buying fabric that is out of print (OOP) and then spend the next six to twelve months hunting down coordinating and/or additional fabric.  The range offered by the store is good.  They also offer a small range of precuts as well.  Burkholders doesn't have the biggest range of fabrics but there was certainly enough from me to search from.

And I'll keep saying this over and over, sign up for their newsletter as this will ensure you hear about their sales which can be enough to pay for the postage for those of you who live over seas.

Stay tuned for more on shopping in USA quilting stores.

Successful Purchases - Australia & New Zealand

Can't believe I've been a tad slow in coming back to you all.  I blame work...something has to feed my quilting habit I'm afraid.  Okay, here is the first part of my series on purchasing online.  I thought I'd start locally and then I'll head on to other online purchases.

Newsletters:

One thing I would highly recommend is whatever site you look at sign up for their newsletter and/or blog (can differ from site to site).  This is the best way to keep up with specials, new fabrics, books, etc. the site may sell.  The best deal I've got is 40% off all items on the website.  This was a US shop and even with the postage, I still managed to buy the fabric at less than half for what I would have paid for it here.  If you're not keen about having a lot mail coming to your personal email account, do I what I did open up an alternative online email account (e.g. Hotmail, gmail, yahoo, etc.) and have the newsletters, etc. sent there. 

Postage:

I can't say this enough, always ask what the postage will be for the item.  Even within Australia, this can vary.  This becomes even more so when looking overseas.  For example, one Kiwi online store I go to offers a flat rate of $10 up to NZ$150 while a US online store I go to has a flat rate of US$20 if you spend US$150 and free if over US$300.  Most sites will have shipping rates but if you can't find them easily, check out either "customer services" or FAQs.  If all else fails, email and request the postage rate for what you are after.

Australia

Craft Depot:

Link - http://www.craftdepot.com.au/
Postage - Standard Australia Post rates

Rating - Thumbs Up

The Craft Depot was my first online purchase from an Australian company.  I found them to be very quick and effecient with my order and everything arrived in a timely manner.  Have a look at the website which is well set up.  They have a nice range of fabrics.  I suspect they don't have everything online they do in their store but certainly a big enough selection to find something you're after.  The Craft Depot charge standard Australia Post rates.  However, recently they had a special offer of no postage charge within Australia for a couple of weeks.  You can see why I suggest you sign up for the online shop's newsletters.

Sewing Box

Link - http://www.sewingbox.com.au/
Postage - A little complicated in that rates are charged more along US lines.  However, they do reimburse the difference between what the checkout charges and Australian rates.

Rating - Thumbs Up

The Sewing Box is one of my more recent finds.  If you love precuts then this online store will appeal to you.  On top of that this site has had some of the best prices for pre cuts I've seen in Australia.  And yes there is more, probably one of the best sales of charm squares, jelly rolls and layer cakes I've seen to date even with postage, just about beat the price I would pay for the same items if purchased direct from the US.  Yes again, found this out through their newsletter.  Delivery was quick and via Australia Post.  My only criticism is the postage calculation is catered towards overseas sales.  As you'll see on the website, what happens is you pay the postage and the owner will reimburse the difference to you directly within the parcel you are sent.  I can confirm that this is the case.

New Zealand

KiwiQuilts

Link - http://www.kiwiquilts.co.nz/
Postage - $10 up to NZ$150 and $20 NZ$151+

Rating - Thumbs Up

One of my favourite online stores is KiwiQuilts.  It course has nothing to do with the fact that I'm a Kiwi....will maybe a little.  Truthfully though I enjoy Mary's blog (sign up by clicking on the link above) and probably one of the few I make a point of reading regularly. Mary designs a lot of Kiwiana style quilts which I'm totally envious of.  For me, I buy a lot of my Kiwiana fabric from Mary's store and I can't say enough on how great the service is.  Everything has always arrived well packaged and quickly.  Now I just need to bring some of my ideas to life...stay tuned as I've a number of Christmas presents to make this year with what I've bought so far.  Mary also has some great sales so keep an eye out for what will come up next!

Hopefully, I've wetted your appetite.  More to come!

New Feature - Buying Online

I know this blog is about the various Quilting shops I visit in my travels and this includes those that I visit online.   If you're like me you're always looking for that elusive piece of fabric or the latest book on quilting or the newest quilting tool however, you can't always find these items in your favourite quilt shop, maybe not even in Australia.  So where do you begin to look?  In my case, and I suspect many others, you look online.  However, you may not be too sure how to go about searching and buying the quilting products you're after?  Or you're concerned about how safe buying on line is?

After chatting to the Contractor who delivers our parcels, he told me that his mother-in-law hadn't had a very good experience buying online.  In fact, she found the credit card details she had provided a US quilting shop were stolen and used by the thief.  Not a great experience for her.  Hearing this made me realise that I've been very lucky and overall have had a positive experience, so why not share my experiences I thought?

Let's begin at the beginning...the first step is decide how you want to pay for the items you've purchased.  The reason I say this is that you want to protect yourself as much as you can when buying on line.  There are a lot of choices ranging from opening up a separate transaction account with your bank and apply for a Visa or Mastercard debit card that you can use for online purchase that is linked to this account - You can only spend as much as you have in the account. Another alternative is to apply for an additional credit card with a low limit and use this for your online purchase. 

I'd also recommend opening up a Paypal account [ www.paypal.com ] which you can use for your online purchase.  Paypal gives you the option of using either a transaction account and or a credit card to pay for your purchases.  Visit the site and you can get more information on Paypal so you can make your mind up.

Personally, I have a combination of all three: a transaction account with the Visa Debit card + credit card (though I limit the use of it online unless I'm very sure the site is secured) + Paypal account (this is the one use whenever I can given the protection they afford to their users).

Okay so you have some ideas of how to fund your online purchases.  Where to next?  My next blog will start you on your online shopping journey so check in again.