POP UP SHOP!

Sooo excited! Tomorrow we open our POP UP Shop upstairs  in a small Gallery space at 

"Opendrawer"  1158 Toorak Rd Camberwell (Hartwell Village) at 11am.

 We will open Wednesday to Saturday 11- 4pm until 22nd December, possibly some time in January too!

We have squeezed a lot of gorgeous stock in, but will add even more tomorrow!

Everything will be 10% off and other specials will also be offered!

If  there is a special product that you like to purchase from us, please check by email or ring 0423 514 668 just to make sure we have included it, or Pam or I can ensure it is in stock for your visit!

This is a great chance to stock up on your supplies for holiday Crafting or purchase something for those crafty friends.

The unique array of amazing, all Australian handcrafted items that Opendrawer offers will of course be an added bonus of visiting us!

TWO FABULOUS STORES IN ONE PLACE for a short time!

Look forward to seeing you there!

We had a Pop Down Shop now a Pop Up !!

It has been so long since the last post! Sales have been happening over on Facebook, while we continue to search for our perfect or nearly perfect Retail space. In the meantime, we are so pleased to announce that we are having a small POP UP SHOP, opening Wednesday 5th December at 11am.

Our good friends Robyn and Prue of Opendrawer, an inspirational Gallery and Retail space, have offered us the short term use of 1 of their small gallery rooms. Situated at 1158 Toorak Rd Camberwell
(Hartwell Village) it is easily accessible by tram No 75 and getting off at Stop 52. Melways Ref 60 C6.

We will open our usual days Wed to Sat 11am - 4pm. Opening from 5th Dec until 22nd Dec, and then 1 day per week through January (TBA) and maybe evn February.
There is a great little Coffee shop nearby and the added bonus of all the treasures at Opendrawer, the perfect place to shop for that special HANDMADE AUSTRALIAN Christmas gift.

We look forward to catching up with our lovely customers prior to Christmas! If there is something you are after particularly, then email or phone to ensure we have it with us, as space will be limited!

Other places you will find us prior to Christmas are the Steiner School Open Day and Fair at Warranwood tomorrow Saturday 17th November from 10am and then at the Victorian Feltmakers Christmas Meeting and Market on Saturday December 1st at the Hartwell Church of Christ Highfield Rd Hartwell from 10am.

 Come and see us at 1 of these places, we are missing our shop and customers!!

Facebook Bargains or get in quick here!

Still looking for that elusive shop space that ticks all the boxes for us!

Selling of excess stock on Facebook is the place to be for bargains! I am posting something for Knitters, Crochet and Felters, so stop by www.facebook.com/preciouspurlfitzroy

Todays post features Felbi Logs at a heavily reduced price. RRP is $54, now$32.40 and if you purchase more than 1 log, I may be able to reduce them a little more!!

Moss and Cumin are sold, but we have 1 more Cumin in stock.
The other colours in this pic are Turkish Red and Heath.

 
From l to r Rose Quartz, Urban, Flamingo and China Blue on top of the pile!



Send an email (see my profile) if you are interested in any of these and we do have a few more colours available. I will post more bargains on Facebook late next week, after we have had a few days R and R down on the coast!

Bargains!!

Well not all the bargains went before we closed our Precious Purl shop temporarily! We are featuring all remaining excess stock on Facebook and some will appear here on the blog! These will be for knitters, felters and those who crochet, but a great way to stock up on gifts for the Crafters in your life!! Items can be purchased by phone- (see sidebar) or email - (go to my profile)

Lot 1 5 hanks of  Colourscape yarn has sold before I managed to get it on the blog!!!!!
So, first look -
 Lot 2 will be Noro Silk Mountain, a lovely textured yarn 50g of 65 % wool/ 25% silk/10% kid mohair.
Available in 4 different colourways, 2 purple blend, 2 strong pin blend, 3 aqua blend, 4 pink/multi blend.

RRP is $$17.20. 50% off, now $8.60 or the lot for $80!!
This lot is available until midnight AEST, Wednesday 24th October
 SOLD!

Down and Out but Looking Forward!!

It is quite a while since my last post but sooo much has happened!
 We moved our entire shop downstairs for our 5 day  "POP DOWN" shop and what a success that was!
So much attention from passing shoppers as at last we had great windows for display and so many wonderful customers coming to take advantage of the big discounts.
Thank you to everyone who made the special trip to see us before we disappeared!

The packing and moving was exhausting even with the help of great friends and family, so we are catching our breath, as we continue to scour the Commercial Real Estate and close neighbourhoods for something that has just the right vibe for us! Thank you to all the customers who have made suggestions of spaces, we are working on these too!

While all this was happening I managed to grab 25 minutes on my way to the shop, to drop into the annual sale day for The Victorian Button Collectors Club. I was not going to miss this chance to build my button stash, so a few pics of my loot!

I looove big Buttons! 

I could not go past this gorgeous collection of red and white made by Robyn Caddy, to adorn my neck!

Quite a statement piece!

Please stop by the Facebook page for updates as to where we will appear next!

www.facebook.com/preciouspurlfitzroy 

The link in the sidebar is not working, so I will need to investigate the linky business and will look at getting  an Etsy page going too!

Sleepless!! Homeless!! What next??

I can't sleep, so will chat to blogland as I contemplate the next move for Precious Purl. I'm feeling rather devastated as we have become the meat in the Real Estate Agent/Landlord redeveloping sandwich, having been told just a matter of hours ago, that we only have a week to vacate the premises!
The last 3+ years have gone by so quickly as we branched out with our own Retail Space and I have loved every minute of it!
 I have so enjoyed meeting all the wonderful, creative people who have become our customers and it has been a pleasure helping them source supplies and introducing many to new passions. As the wonderfully wise Penny O"Neill, "Crochet Teacher Extraordinaire" said to me recently, "It's not about the money, it's sharing the knowledge," and women do that so well!
After moving on from many years of Teaching, it has been wonderful to pursue the passion that was obviously begun at a very young age by a creative Mother who sewed all the clothes for 4 females in the house and even indulged her love of millinery, making hats for us back when a Sunday best outfit with hat was "de rigeur!"
We really want to stay in the Brunswick St area of Fitzroy as we have loved the vibe, the convenience of it being halfway between my partner/sister Pam and I and where our customers have easy transport access to us!
We will continue to search for something suitable and we are flexible about what that is. A shared space with like minded Business or Artisans, small warehouse, upstairs/downstairs but with reasonable rent! We would love to hear from others who may be in similar situation as I know many retailers are finding it hard, while many landlords seem to continue to expect high rents.

BUT! our customers will benefit from all this, as we open our POP DOWN shop on the ground floor of 397 Brunswick St on TUESDAY 2nd OCTOBER commencing at 11am. There will be huge discounts, as we reduce our stock drastically - less to pack and move for us!!
Our shop will only be open for 5 days!! Yes! we have to move out next Sunday 7th October.
Do come and see all the Specials and help us to feel a little better about this next  step for Precious Purl. We are not ready to quietly "ride off into the sunset!" just yet!

Our plans for more workshops such as the Felted Flowers on 13th October will have to be cancelled unfortunately but do stay tuned to this blog and our other means of staying in touch!
www.facebook.com/preciouspurlfitzroy 
www.lara-downs.com.au

Enough! Thanks for reading this, my longest post ever! It has helped to share it with Blogland and I had better try to get some sleep now before I front up for my last day in our current space!
Cheers
Wendy

Geelong Fibre Forum this week and a POP DOWN shop!!

Precious Purl will be trading at the Geelong Fibre Forum, Geelong Grammar from Wednesday to Saturday  this week. Wednesday and Saturday are special Open Days, so come and join in the wonderfully creative atmosphere as about 200 participants enjoy a huge array of classes with wonderful local and international tutors.
Trades hall is open every day to the public so come and enjoy the shopping if you are in the Geelong area.

This was our stand last year so we will try hard to make it look just as inviting!

The shop in Fitzroy is open as usual this week with a slightly depleted stock!

UPDATE

You have heard of POP UP shops and restaurants, but we are having a POP DOWN shop as we pop downstairs into the space previously occupied by Calico House. As of Wednesday 3rd October we will open in this space for an unknown period of time!!! We are learning to cope with the uncertainty as we continue to look for a more permanent home for Precious Purl.

We will also have a big SALE to celebrate this new step!

 Busy times for us in the next 2 weeks!!

Come and join us!

FACEBOOK!

We had another great Crochet workshop with Penny O'Neill on Saturday. I even made a bit of time to join in, as my crochet skills have become a little rusty over the years! I love the versatility of these circular motifs! Any size, any colours, any combination of stitches, any yarns!! A great way to use up your stash.

 Congratulations to Shirley who had never really had the chance to master crochet skills but now she is flying! Thanks Penny for your generous sharing of knowledge and stories. We all loved your coat of many colours.

HAVE YOU HEARD?? Precious Purl now has a Facebook page!
www.facebook.com/preciouspurlfitzroy

Check in often to see specials that we will feature and become a liker to keep up to date.

Our next workshop is Felted Spring Flowers on Saturday 13th October. Email for all the details.

Something a little different at Precious Purl!

I have been lusting after a gorgeous Art Journal that would showcase some of the gorgeous goodies that we have at Precious Purl, for quite some time!

Of course I could have had a go at making it myself but  ....

when Ro Bruhn robruhn.blogspot.com and her friend Elizabeth Armstrong elizabeth-armstrong.blogspot.com visited our space a while back I had the perfect opportunity!

Aside from feeling in awe of these 2 talented Artists .... in my shop at the same time!!! .... and being a devotee of both their blogs and their Art, it was such a pleasure to meet them both.

So now, Ro has made just for me!! and for our customers to enjoy, the most gorgeous journal!

 The cover is hand felted and stitched with lots of bright buttons along the spine. An absolute must for a passionate button collector like me!

 

I love the stitching on these lustrous Sari silks and the fabulous Tyvek bead.

  There are many beautiful painted, stamped and printed pages along with the fabric pages featuring our vintage Indian Sari remnants.

That amazing flower is cut from a plastic plate on which Ro mixes her paints!

Thank you so much Ro, I love it!!

Available now at Precious Purl for lots of OOHHs and AAHHS!!

  

UPDATE: 1.There are still vacancies in our Crochet and Felted Flowers Workshops, see the  previous post! 

                  2. Latest on our premises!! - hanging in until at least the end of September, stay tuned!

Workshops are happening!

We are going ahead with our planned workshops, although we are not sure about our future premises at this stage!(see the post of  9th July, "Precious Purl on the Move")

Saturday 25th August 10.15 - 4.15 we are running our very popular Cobweb Felting Workshop again with 1 space still available!  
UPDATE: THIS WORKSHOP IS NOW BOOKED OUT!
We may be able to run another later in the year!

Saturday 8th September 1.15 - 4.15 we have the Artrageous Penny O'Neill, "Queen of Freeform" or "No rules Crochet" and a wonderful user of Recycled materials, coming to entertain us/introduce us to the endless possibilities of Crochet. This is suitable for Beginners or those who have some skill.
Some examples of Penny's workshop creations below!

UPDATE: This workshop will focus on MOTIFS as in this gorgeous wrap below! These motifs, which are rather like rounded Granny Squares, can be made in any size or yarn and can be joined together to create exciting freeform garments. Penny can answer all your queries about Crochet and this class is suitable for beginners or advanced.

Saturday 13th October 1.15 - 4.15 Kriscilla Delaridis, a wonderfully creative member of the Victorian Feltmakers, will run our popular Spring Felted Flowers class again.These flowers have endless applications to hats, bags, brooches or giving that hand crafted touch to your Spring Racing Carnival outfit! Along with hand rolled dreads, these make a gorgeous neck piece!

No felting experience needed for this class.

Please phone, email or visit Precious Purl to get all the details for all workshops!

Another Bendigo Wool & Sheep show over!

Back from the Australian Wool & Sheep show in Bendigo! Feeling very tired with an aching back and stiff neck from standing for long hours, and all the packing/unpacking, setting up and dismantling that is involved!

BUT! another great show and Bendigo really turned on beautiful weather for us.

Thanks to all those who stopped by our stand in Osborne Hall, it was great to chat to so many of you!
So much beautiful fibre in one place means at least a full day is needed to get around it all. Some Sydney visitors stopped by the shop this morning as we unpacked and commented on what a wonderful show it is but they really did not have enough time to take it all in!

Only had the time to take 1 quick photo and that was before the crowds surfaced for the morning!

PRECIOUS PURL ON THE MOVE!!

We need to let all our wonderful customers, Web and Blog followers and interested passers-by know, that Precious Purl will be on the move after 3+ years in our current space!


Our building is to be redeveloped and the business downstairs, Calico House, is "undecided about its future!"

We hope to be able to find a suitable premises in the neighbourhood as we love the vibe and convenience of Brunswick Street.
We would love to hear from any artist/people  who may be interested in sharing a small space.
This person's craft or interest, would need to fit harmoniously with our Textile/Fibre focus.

We will continue with our plans for the current workshops
                                                 - Cobweb Felting 25th August - 1 place left
                                                 - Crochet 8th September with Penny O'Neill
                                                 - Knitting and Felted flowers - dates to be finalised.

We will be at our current address until at least the end of August.
 BUT STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES!

We will still be at the Bendigo Wool and Sheep show BUT remember we will be closed next week to get heaps of our gorgeous stock packed and transported to the Bendigo Showgrounds, Osborne Hall, site 6, Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd July.

Australian Sheep and Wool Show - BE THERE!

We are off again to the fabulous Australian Sheep and Wool  Show at the Bendigo Showgrounds from
Friday 20th - Saturday 22nd July. We would not miss it!! We will be trading in Osborne Hall around Site 5.

PLEASE NOTE: Precious Purl will be closed Thursday 19th, Friday 20th, and Saturday 21st July.
UPDATE: Precious Purl will also be closed on Wednesday 18th July as we will be in CHAOS, packing

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, but we really do try to take the WHOLE shop.
So do come and say HI  to us as you enjoy all the wonders that the Sheep Show has to offer we Fibrefanatics!
It just keeps getting bigger and better.

New Chunky Yarns

Lots of new chunky yarns in store now! These would be perfect to use in our Knitting Workshop on Saturday 23rd June 1-4pm. If you are wanting to learn how to knit or maybe wanting to tackle something different to a scarf, then see all the details in the previous post!

Colourscape
 by Rowan, designed by Kaffe Fassett.
A great selection of colours.

A gorgeous pinafore and cape knitted by Patrizia one of our customers, for a special lttle girl. It will be beautifully warm in Lambswool.
 

WILDERNESS, is another soft and chunky yarn, that is great for hats, gloves, scarves, vests etc.This is a14ply wool blend.









This very fuzzy picture!! shows the exciting recycled yarn, a blend of Wool, Cashmere, Alpaca, Silk and Possum that Nikki Gabriel is producing.

This yarn and matching Patterns can be seen in our Sample, featured in the last post. They form the basis for our workshop.

For more details about this yarn, pattern, or our workshop, contact us at Precious Purl.

Knit a Garment in a Day???

Yes! It will  just about be possible at our Knitting workshop to be held from 1-4pm on Saturday 23rd of June at Precious Purl!     Cost of workshop is $60. UPDATE: A delicious afternoon tea from the new bakery across the road "Rustica Sourdough" will be provided.

Using big needles (size 15mm) and Chunky yarn we will be inspired by Nikki Gabriels's kits using Geometric shapes that transform into creative garment constructions.

This will be a fun workshop for beginner knitters or those who want to explore something NEW! Something other than all those scarves and wraps you may have started with! Only Garter (or Knit stitch) will be used.

Participants will need to bring a pair of Size 15mm needles and any Chunky yarn you may have or these can be purchased at Precious Purl. Our sample Garment, which can be viewed at Precious Purl, is just pinned together at this stage, to show one of the myriad ways, these shapes can be put together!

Places are limited, so email me (see my profile), ring or visit Precious Purl (details on sidebar)

These Geometric shapes could also be created using Crochet, something we could explore on the day!
See the video on You Tube of Nikki Gabriel Construction No 3.

Giveaway and Beware, the uneven footpath!!!

Yes! I did have a Giveaway for my 100th Post sometime ago and the Winner was Leisurely Lesley a loyal follower and her gift to inspire lots of Craftiness, is on the way! Thank you to the new followers who joined in!

   EXERCISE IS DANGEROUS!

Well it has been for me!! Very little happening on the blog front or any other front for that matter - 

because of a trip on a raised section of  footpath.What an inconvenience! Mr Purly is having to work overtime helping with showering, cooking, a little cleaning and the many other tasks we take for granted that we have 2 hands for!

I'll be back soon with an UPDATE on Workshops at Precious Purl.
Another great Cobweb Felting workshop was held last Saturday, next one in June booked out and exciting Knitting and Crochet classes happening too!

Wendy Bailye Workshop!

We had a great workshop at Precious Purl with Wendy Bailye from Brisbane on Monday.

 It was a challenge for new felters but great results.

Using prefelts, gorgeous cushion covers with 3D flowers were created.

Time was taken with the design process.

Wonderful results were achieved. We hope to have Wendy again next year. Stay tuned for dates and project!

Don't forget to check out my 100th post giveaway of 30th March!
I was going to draw a winner tonight but I will leave it until I return from a visit to Geelong to enjoy my son's Master's Graduation this week. Sunday 29th April is the new date, so leave those lovely comments to be in it

Great chance to do Felting with Wendy Bailye!

Last call for all would-be Felters to join us at Precious Purl this coming Monday 16th April from 10.30 to 4pm to do a much anticipated workshop with Felting Artist and Teacher Wendy Bailye from Brisbane. www.wendybailye.com

Wendy will be in Melbourne to conduct workshops with members of the Victorian Feltmakers this weekend and this is her only other teaching engagement. No experience is necessary.
This is a wonderful opportunity to work with "one of the best!"

We have several vacancies through cancellations, that we are offering at a discounted price!
See my post of 10th March for pictures and more details then phone us at 0423514668 or email! 
(for address: see my profile!) or leave a comment here with a contact email so I can get back to you quickly.

As you have stopped by, check out my previous post with a Giveaway to celebrate 100 posts! 

Leave a comment to be in it!

My 100th Post Giveaway!

Well it really is a little over 100 posts, but I promised a Giveaway and here it is!

100g of beautiful Vintage Silk Sari pieces, a gorgeous hand stitched silk and cotton 30cm square, perfect as a feature in a Quilt or a Cushion, some lovely hand sewn embellishments, 9 Hand Dyed 6 inch squares, 4 lovely buttons and 2 packs of Silk and Sparkle, suitable for card making, journal pages or what ever you imagine! What will you make with all these treasures?

                                                                                                                     

  

Many of these items are put together in India where an Australian is working with local ladies providing work for a Fair wage.

Just leave a lovely comment and I will select a winner on Sunday 22nd April to receive these gorgeous bits and pieces. Make sure I can contact you in case you are the lucky winner.

I would really like to know that people read my blog as I so enjoy putting it together, so if you also become a follower of my Precious Purl Blog, I will put your name in the draw TWICE!! Good Luck and thanks for joining in my celebration.

DON'T FORGET THE WONDERFUL FELTING WORKSHOP WE ARE RUNNING WITH 

WENDY BAILYE ON APRIL 16TH. SEE MY PREVIOUS POST AND EMAIL ME FOR MORE DETAILS IF YOU ARE INTERESTED!

100th Post!! But wait..............

Yes! this is my promised 100th Post with a giveaway of gorgeous goodies, BUT, I am going to make you wait until the next post because I have something really exciting to tell you about and it cannot wait!

We at Precious Purl are excited to announce that Wendy Bailye, from Brisbane, Felter extraordinaire, fabulous teacher, an editor/contributor to FELT magazine, featured Artist at National Craft Fairs and all round lovely person is coming to run a Workshop at Precious Purl!

When:      Monday 16th April 10.30-4pm
Where:    Precious Purl, Mezzanine Level, 397 Brunswick St, Fitzroy. Take tram 112 in Collins St, Stop17

 


Content:  Participants will make an exquisitely Textured 3D Floral Cushion Cover using wool and silk fibres and fabrics,You will learn textural techniques, moulding of flower shapes and how to use a template!

 Email me (see my Profile) for all details including cost, requirements and enrolment form.


Get in early as this is Wendy's only teaching engagement in Melbourne other than for the Victorian Felters and places are limited!


See some of Wendy's amazing work at www.wendybailye.com

My next post will definitely have a Giveaway, I promise!

Just Arrived!

So many gorgeous goodies at Precious Purl!
The latest to arrive came in this gorgeous bundle, wrapped and stitched in Calico from India!

Inside was this beautiful selection of Vintage silk Sari pieces.Many are large offcuts about a metre square, beautiful patterns and plains, some bright and others in muted tones. These have been walking out of the shop as I have them priced at 80c per gram loose or packaged in 100g bags -you get so much in these as the silk is so light. Yum! Great in felting, quilting, art journals etc, etc. 

*#?* the pic is fuzzy, I need a few lessons on this camera!

The gorgous green piece, left front, has already gone! 

My next post is my 100th!! So I will include a 100g bag of these luscious silk pieces in my giveaway as part of my celebrations!

Pop back soon!

Felting Play Day!

Had a lovely day yesterday playing with Louise from Canada!
Louise's son David lives here in Melbourne and knowing his Mum's love of fibre and all things crafty and wanting to purchase some fibrey goodness for her, found Precious Purl via the web.
What a wonderful son!
 Louise loved the Aussie hand dyed wool top and coming to visit David in January, decided she had to visit  this home of "fibrey goodness!"

Well, the upshot of all this was a play day with Muslin or Cotton Gauze Felting! Thanks Louise for a fun Felting session and it was great to see you so pleased with the results and lots more lovely Aussie wool winging its way to Canada!
 We stock a range of  Treetops Colour Harmonies, First Edition Fibres, Waratah Fibres and Lara Downs own Hand Dyed range of Wool Top. See the website for many of these or visit Precious Purl.

Workshops!

YES! Workshops are happening at Precious Purl!

The first will be:  Muslin Summer Scarf with Felted Flowers.

                         Wednesday 15th February 10.30-1.30

There is only 1 space left in this class, so email me now (see my profile) for more details.
    

 

This is just a small sample piece showing you the lovely effect of felting on Muslin.

The participants in this class last year were delighted with the results.

                        

Tone on Tone was beautiful!

More details about other workshops will follow soon!

If there is a special technique or project in Felting, Knitting or Crochet that you would like to see in our workshops just let us know, as we try to accommodate all interests! 

Back soon , I Promise!

My Favourite Place and Back to Work!!

Happy Australia Day Everyone!
For my last fling of Summer Holiday we went to our favourite part of Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula.
I always need a dose of the sea to feel really relaxed!

 Mr Purly and I visited as many of our favourite spots as we could squeeze in to one day!

Now back to work!!
Precious Purl will be open this Saturday 28th January and will then resume usual trading days, Wednesday to Saturday 11 - 4pm from this Wednesday, 1st February.
We are looking forward to new and exciting things in 2012. Pop back soon for our calendar of  workshops.
 

Just a teaser of "gorgeous goodies" now available at Precious Purl. 

Luscious hand dyed Silk Velvet and tasty yarn "lollies".

And a beautiful rack of hand dyed Tissue Silk just waiting for some clever Felting to be added .