Monday 21 January 2013

Fabric Giveaway! Tell HQ what you want....and we'll see what we can do. [Now Closed!]

Thanks for entering and for all your amazing feedback - this giveaway is now closed but if you still want to share your thoughts, we'd love to hear from you. We're putting our thinking caps on, sifting through your suggestions and looking to the future.  Winner of the giveaway to be announced on Friday's post - good luck everyone!

As we said at the beginning of the month, we're planning on making 2013 HQ's year - we've got so many exciting ideas, projects and new things in the pipeline but we need your help.  Just like when we were creating the website, we're asking for your feedback on what you want to see HQ doing in the future.  I know this is a little vague but we really want to see which ideas are the most popular. 


So, for example:

  • Do you want to see us introducing specific new manufacturers or designers to our range of fabrics?  If so, which ones?
  • Are you hankering after a specific type of fabric.  For example, are you looking for more linen blends for bags, light upholstery, etc? Or are you having trouble finding voiles or cotton poplin?
  • Is it advice that you want?  Would a regular masterclass on specific sewing techniques be useful for you?
  • Do you find it hard to find specific haberdashery items?
  • You've been telling us that you're really pleased with how we try to look after our customers but we're by no means complacent!  Is there something specific about our customer service or the way our website works that you think we need to change?
  • Any suggestions on our postage options?
  • We want to expand our range of fabric stacks and add scrap bags to our offering - anything we need to know about these before we get stuck in?
  • ANYTHING else you think we could do to make your lives easier and your crafty shopping even more fun - being as specific as you can will help us be what you want us to be!
Basically, what can we do to make HQ your first port of call when that fabric craving comes calling?



You know we love to hear from you  (and so many of you stop by on the Facebook page to have a natter) but this time, we want you to leave your comments here on the blog, please.  And as an added incentive, we're going to pick one comment on this post at random a week today (Monday 28th January) and this person will win a stack of 4 fat quarters of their choice!



It couldn't be simpler to enter, you don't even have to have previously ordered from us - if you buy fabric online or are thinking of doing so, we need you! Just pop your comment in the box below; we'll take your thoughts on board and enter you into the competition.  If you share this on Facebook or twitter, mention that below and we'll give you another entry in the competition.  Easy as pie.



Washi Dress photos - at last - and mini version news!


I made my own Washi a few weeks back but have only just managed to get some photos of it!  I just want to clarify now that this is not me modelling the dress but the lovely Rebecca (thanks Rebecca) who looked gorgeous in it, even if it was a bit big for her!



As it is winter, I made the dress with the longer sleeves, using the free downloadable patter piece and tutorial on the Made-by-Rae website. 
 
 
 
Rebecca is also wearing my gorgeous Hare necklace, a Christmas present from my wonderful parents (thanks M&D).  The necklace is made by the brilliant Tracy Hare of Morning Mrs Magpie.  We met at a couple of craft fairs over Christmas and I fell in love with her work - especially this cute little fella! 
 
 

 
 
The shirring in the back of this dress makes this dress so comfy to wear - I could wear it everyday . . .
 
 
. . . and the pleats in the front make it so flattering (not that Rebecca has to worry about that but I certainly do!)

I knew straight away that I wanted to make my first Washi out of the beautifully fun but subtle Silver Rooftops from the Velocity range by Jessica Hogarth. From a distance it looks like a gorgeous flat silver grey, but as you get closer, the amazing city skyline pattern is revealed - it's a real talking point!
 
 
As you've probably gathered by now, I changed the neckline on the dress as I think this scooped neck is more flattering on me.  I just drew the line I wanted when I made the muslin (recommended by Rae in the pattern and massively worthwhile so you can get the bust darts perfect before you cut into your precious fabric) and made sure I was happy with it before transferring the line onto the actual pattern.
 
 
I decided to do a full lining in the top of the dress which was so easy to do. Problem is, it looks so gorgeous on the hanger, I don't want to hide it away in the wardrobe - much to Pete's annoyance! Unfortunately, as I type my Washi is in the boot of my car which is half an hour's trudge through the snow from here (I had to abandon it driving home on Friday when the snow hit but I'm hoping to retrieve it and give it a nice stroke tomorrow!) You can't really see the lining in these photos but here's the fabric . . .
 
 
 
Little Florine from Lotta Jansdotter's Echo range which works beautifully with the Silver Rooftops.
 
Photo by Rae Hoekstra
 
 
If you've gone a bit crazy for the Washi as we have here at HQ, you might be interested to know that Rae Hoekstra has just produced the Geranium Dress pattern (basically a mini Washi) for sale as a downloadable PDF and is offering a free PDF of the Little Geranium - a mini version for 0-3 months.  This would be an amazing present for someone expecting a little girl this spring!  Wouldn't it look AMAZING in this . . .

. . . or this . . .


 
 
. . . and here's the link to the full Geranium pattern on the Made-by-Rae website.
 
Photos by Rae Hoekstra
Don't forget, any comments on how Fabric HQ can be better, bigger and all round brilliant in your eyes, please leave your comments below for your chance to win our fabric giveaway.
 
Cheerio for now!


33 comments:

  1. Lauren Sullivan Tried to comment but haven't quite mastered that yet!!! What about sew alongs so newbies like me can learn a new skill. Also jelly rolls & charm packs!!! Love love love ur site xx

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  2. Easy to follow tutorials, bias binding, pretty lining & reasonable priced easy patterns :-)

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  3. Thanks Mrs Sock. Have you any feedback on the tutorials we've already done? Is it more of the same or did you have something else in mind? We can make handmade bias binding from any of our fabrics on the website. Also is it cotton lining fabrics you were thinking of?

    This is exactly what we want - thanks again!
    Rae

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  4. Hey FabricHQ, i personally would love if you could have a seperate heavy weight fabric section - like curtain weight or the weight of cath kidston/clarke&clarke. I've only ever bought lightweight cottons from you, but i love the patterns you stock (oh and i'm not worried about designers, i just look for whatever catches my eye!) Helen aka luckymittens.co.uk

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  5. As an international buyer I am afraid I tend to buy from the online stores that do the best deals for international postage - consistently low prices and can fit lots of fabric into one envelope.

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  6. I love to buy fun scrap packs and it would be nice if they were colour coded as well as a mixed option. I make a lot of hexagons so I would like my scraps big enough to get a hexagon or two out of them. I didn't spot it, but do you have a link on your blog taking people straight to the shop?
    ks(dot)eyles(at)yahoo(dot)co(dot)uk

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  7. Good point about the link, Kay - thank you! Just added.

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  8. i too would love scrap/lucky dip bags either colour coded or just plain luck with fabric alone and even lengths of haberdashery. i like the challenge of not knowing what is going to arrive in my parcel and the fun of decided what to turn it into. Love your website and the speed at which my orders arrive. Thanks very much, happy 2013 x

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  9. I would love if there were scrap bags that were organized by color or even by theme. Would be a great way to build up my stash!

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  10. I really enjoy the tutorials on your blog and maybe you could add these fun sowing projects to the website, including, tutorials on how to make children's teepees, aprons, dens, bunting, costumes! Just lots of fun things to make for/with the kids.
    Rae, you explain and write so beautifully that a budding newbie sower like me loves following your step by step tutorials and then of course once I've got excited about making something it's straight onto picking one of your gorgeous fabrics!
    Also it might be quite nice for people to pick their own scrap bags or fabric stacks. I would find it useful for smaller projects like making my own card range (one day!??) and it would be great to be able to pick the fabric rather than have them already made up.
    Keep up the fabulous work Rae and Jacquie and here's to a successful year ahead, thanks Becky xx

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  11. I am always looking a Japanese cotton imports, so it would be great to see some of those.
    Scrap bag would be great too :-)

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    Replies
    1. Oh and Big Buttons and Fabric Covering buttons please!

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  12. I'd love to see more tutorials. I love the ones you've got on your blog so far. And bundles. I love a good bundle!

    I LOVE your FB page, and your website. I have been a follower of yours for a year now, and you are always so helpful, and delivery is always extremely quickly. Thank you :)

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  13. rebeccabates18@hotmail.com23 January 2013 at 22:14

    I would love to see more tutorials. I'm a relative newbie to all things fabric and sewing so carrying on your tutorials would be good. Thx.

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  14. I love your website - there is a slight issue about having to scroll horizontally to see all the pictures, but that's probably just my screen size. I would be interested in more sewing patterns, and more flannels/corduroys. Also really enjoy reading the blog, both your own projects/tutorials and links to other sites. Something that could be useful is links to co-ordinating fabrics - I know you do this already with fabrics from the same collections, but it might be good to link to co-ordinating plains as well, if that isn't too much hassle. Anyway, keep up the good work!

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  15. Thanks to you all so far for your fab comments. It's certainly given us a lot to think about already!

    Aileen, I've spoken to a geek I know (as I know nothing about these things!) and I think you're right - the annoying 'having to scroll across the page' problem is probably to do with screen resolution. Very simple to fix, I'm told and there's plenty of sites if you search that will show you how to do it. Hope that helps!

    Thanks again everyone - keep them coming!
    Rae x

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  16. Love the washi Rae ~ I've had to leave it for this week as my son had had surgery so I've been playing nurse/giving meds/cups of tea etc!
    Okay, suggestions ~ the site is very clear and easy to navigate, something that makes a big difference when you're pushed for time! A technical thing that might (or might not) be really easy is to make it so the fabric results within a category can be viewed in price order. I think scrap bags organised by colour would be a great idea too. I was wondering if there was a way of getting over the scale of the fabric ~ I find it really hard to visualise whether a print is big and bold or teeny tiny (this may well be just me though!) ~ maybe add an extra picture of each fabric that also shows a ruler? I know this would be a lot of work to set up though.
    As to what to stock ~ like one of the other comments, , heavier weight fabric would be good, and also I'm always on the look out for PUL to make swim nappies, make up bags etc, but I don't know how feasible it would be to start stocking. I don't look for any particular designers or manufacturers, it's the colours and overall look of the prints that I fall for! As for habdash ~ I use quite a few zips in bags as well as clothes, so maybe a limited range of the more popular sizes/colours would be good?
    Sorry, this all sounds really moan~y ~ I love the clean clear look of the site, and have been thrilled with the fast delivery of my orders and particularly the obvious care you take with presentation, such wonderfully neat folding and straight cuts (not something that some other on-line retailers take much care over) but really makes a great impression when you open a package. I'm mentioning Fabric HQ on www.abstractLucas.blogspot.co.uk and retweeting your ideas/feedback request in a minute ~ I hope you get some useful ideas!
    Take care
    Lucas

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for this, Lucas - all points are added to the list. Hope your son is okay and good luck with the Washi when it is resumed! x

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  17. Hi,
    Lovbe the website and facebook page and would love more tutorials as they are great at inspiring me to try new things. In some ways the site has too much choice though! (is that possible??) Sometimes I don't know where to start.
    How about asking people for reviews of the fabric they have bought, how they found it, what did htey use it for etc?

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  18. Love everything about the site and FB page is fab for finding out about new fabric. Bag handles is all i say to you, Metal ones. at the moment i ship from america but have to order quite a few to make it worthwhile. Then you could have tutorials on how to use them as a promotion. They look quite daunting but are easy peasy once you get the hang of it.

    XX

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  19. I would love it if you could offer a label that one could sew onto projects made as gifts... wording in the lines of "Made with love/especially for you". I am also always on the lookout for special buttons (lately it has been for ones with letters on so that I can sew them onto fabric hearts to personalise them when giving them as naming day gifts). Thanks for all you are doing to make your site a great place to visit!

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  20. FROM Laura Adkins "I love everything about Fabric HQ, you were (and still are) so helpful when we first started, your fabric room is heaven! You cut your fabrics lovely and straight, you always accommodate when we're fussy which way we'd like it cut!! If I had to choose one thing (only because I want to be entered into your comp!!) it would be character fabrics such as Marvel type prints because we've found them to be really popular. That's only because I'm having to say something!! Otherwise I think you're pretty perfect just the way you are. Laura xxx"

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  21. I would love it if you sold more voiles. Or cotton lawn. They have a much better hand for dressmaking. But I love all the lovely prints you stock

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  22. I would like to see more fabric for dressmaking and also use suggestions (what would look/feel good with what fabric) I'm a newbie and don't feel confident about buying fabric without a bit of help :)

    Tutorials and scrap packs are a great idea too!

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  23. I'd love to see nice knits fabrics (for grown ups!), voiles and PUL!!

    Nicola P

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  24. I am currently loving Japanese fabrics and heavyweight home decor fabrics so more of these would be fantastic, As would a range of tutorials/patterns for home decor items for beginners (zip phobic lol)
    Also as scrap bags, offcut bags and DIY kits of patterns with fabrics and bits and bobs that are needed to make the item would be fantastic.
    Minky fabrics also are a major crush and would never go wrong, patterns for toys, little bags, quilts etc are suggested too. <3

    Love your site however and I think it's absolutely fantastic that you are taking customer service and satisfaction so seriously. Keep up the good work hunny. xxx

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  25. Nicole Margetts.. I find your selection of cotton is gorgeous. Just what I want when I'm looking to make something for my kids. What I would like...well I would like to know if you will post to Australia when I move back in a few months! Ad I would like to see a cheaper range of polycottons, that are still as beautiful as the ones you stock in cotton, I think your range is gorgeous.

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  26. I would love to see heavier weight fabrics as well as more organic and fair trade:)
    Ruth James

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  27. I would like to see some funky felt fabrics.

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  28. oooh fabric hq, my most favourite place to peruse gorgeous fabrics for my crafty needs. i love your fb page and the website is fab and v easy to use - looks crisp, modern and beautiful. i agree with lots of other comments that charm bags ignore complimentary fabrics would be great, perhaps also some fat eighth bundles too? i love that you share other people's pages, and the tutorials in the blog are great. plse can you sew us how to make the washi dress step by step with perhaps an offer on the pattern or fabric to make it? some online sites do loyalty points...might work well to keep customers loyal? last of all, please don't change your wonderful energy and friendliness - it radiates through your site and fb and makes it an absolute pleasure to do business with u!! xx

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  29. Hi ladies, your website is great and I love the way your blog includes references to other talented individuals and their work. A couple of grosgrain ribbons the haberdashery section would be great and a fabric section for any fabric you have that's suitable for light upholstery would be helpful too. Keep up the amazing work x

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  30. Hi. I found you guys today via google, and ordered some fabric. I would love scraps of fabric as I often have smaller projects, also some heavier fabrics as I love making bags/ makeup bags from this. Also would love more slightly thicker chiffon as I make spring/summer scarfs. As you said in your blog about putting extra sewing tips and ideas are always helpful. Thank you. Fran.

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  31. I'd like the occasional tutorials on simple sewing projects and maybe us followers could add what we've made too xx

    Klaire Harvey

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