Sigh. Due to the postal strike in Canada, i have decided to put off the re-opening and rebranding of my small business until January 10, 2025. I can neither in good conscience charge my customers more for shipping by using more costly courier services, though i am not the one who benefits from this, nor can i absorb the costs myself. And quite honestly, the logistics involved is ridiculous. I support worker’s rights to strike and for a fair wage, but i am unwilling to trot my old body all over town laden with parcels, getting stuff to a drop off point/courier who then has to pass it off onto another courier in my now common method of travel, an Uber! Those drivers are great but can easily become confused i find when you have multiple destinations, some of which seem to be nowhere in sight from the road you travelled in on…..
I will be uploading listings as i can before Jan 10th, but any order you make, should you do do in good faith, will be held until Canada Post is back on track and fulfilling their duties.
I’ve decided to use this 🍋 as a time to make more lemonade 😉
Part of that reality is the fact that i kind of went bonkers buying fabric. (You have NO idea what i’ve spent, washed and folded and bundled into neat baskets on sturdy shelves.) I’ve bought only white for so many years now (for the natural dyeing), that i had no idea about the sheer scale of colour, motif, style, mood, even ethnicity of what is available now. I HAVE to use it up, or my end disposal will be a huge chrysalis of fabric bundled around a grey shriveled up old me hanging off the tallest tree in Kananaskis Country or plopped into a hole that could be misconstrued as the foundation space for a very very tall building, way in the middle of gawdz unknown for privacy, as you know that type of mysterious hidden structure is. OH MY GAWDZ, this is going to be fun!
By the way, while the URL (online address) will remain the same, that is FybreSpace at https://fibrespace.bigcartel.com/ but the header/banner will show ON the site as UnknOwn Sister. (That should be around Dec 1st as originally planned, and yes “o” is actually a zero “0”), just to confuse things. Never mind that unless you need to write the Brand 😂
albedo too 
Fabric is most definitely NOT cheap these days. The closest fabric shop (unless you count the snooty ‘quilt shop’ we have here that I refuse to so much as set foot in) is over an hour away so I rarely get to see all the pretties. Good thing for the pocketbook I guess. I rely on mail order so it’s hard to tell the quality until it arrives.
I think you’re wise to postpone the shop re-opening until the first of the year. Gives you more prep time and a ‘new year, new you’ aspect to it. You know I wish you luck!
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I sort of agree about prices! For the most part, there is only one local store i support, and luckily they are actually garment focused rather than quilting. What surprised me the most was the width of most of them! They may seem more expensive but you’re getting a lot more for the bang than the quilting cotton price, because of the width. They also have more choice in types of cotton–not just the “flat” you get from LQS, but sateens, poplin, voile etc–love that part!
I’ve been very lucky about the quality of the online purchases i’ve made. There was only one order that really cheesed me and that was a chunk from IKEA of all places–feels coarse and semi-scratchy, but i’m thinking after washing, it might be great for bags and cushions as it is a heavier fabric.
And putting it off until the new year has been a good choice: i can develop more ideas, work out some bugs and really focus on the art part, not just the wearable 🙂
Thanks Sweetie!
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Alas there is absolutely nowhere near here to get the fabrics you have managed to source. The nearest Fabricland is over an hour away and the staff there isn’t overly helpful. The one I did like going to (in Oshawa) has closed and all that’s left is a rather junkie one that doesn’t have near the stock (and I’ve heard a rumour that they’re closing too). I’ve had good luck online ordering from a place called Len’s Mills (nearest one is in Barrie). Used to be able to stop in when we were up visiting our son but hardly ever get there now.
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We used to go to Len’s when i was a teenager visiting my Gramma in Southampton 🙂 I think the last time i was in physically was maybe in my late 20’s.
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New year, new start and all that. I hadn’t bought quilting cotton for about a decade (like you, only got whites for dyeing) and bought half a dozen or so fat quarters recently. Goodness gracious, the choice! Positively overwhelming, took me ages to choose. Totally get your excitement re all the pretties 🙂 Enjoy your lemonade-making time
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I buy one batch, then i see something that will “go with”, then i see something else that will “contrast nicely”, then there’s a batch that is on a new tangent. It’s quite addictive and i HAVE TO STOP! It’s funny though how some things immediately catch your eye and others just bore the hell out of you. I’m all for the “deadstock” stores but haven’t found ONE thing that appealed to me there. I’m sticking to the suppliers i have now searched out, and loving the service, and the back and forth with them.
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