By Beverley Power
In a time when many of our fabric transactions take place within the cyber world, it is lovely to find a local quilt shop, especially one which is quite a lovely as Handcrafters House. Located in Midland, WA on the Great Eastern Highway, from the outside, you would be forgiven for thinking that it is just a little shop… However, upon entering, the shop opens out into a quilters’ Aladdin’s cave.
Michelle Pearson and her team of ladies gave us a warm welcome, the tea urn was hot and there was a delicious cake too – if only I hadn’t had to do a flying visit after getting completely lost between Guildford and Midland!! The shop is actually very easy to find, the GPS on my phone should never ever be trusted, give me a map book any day!
The walls are decorated with beautiful, inspiring quilts. Every way that you look, there are beautiful, tempting fabrics. I am a particular fan of little charm packs and they have a nice selection of these.
Charm packs – one of my personal favourites!
If you are looking for a wide quilt backing fabric, then this is a good place to start. I have previously struggled to find a good range of backing fabrics, so will be revisiting Handcrafters House when I need to make that purchase.
If ever you felt that you needed some quilting inspirations, I’d recommend a trip to HH. For those lovers of haberdashery, this shop won’t disappoint. I bought some beautiful wooden native Australian animal charms – something I have never found in the button section of other stores. I also picked up an inspiring book to help improve my free motion skills… Although it has nothing to do with sewing, it is a book all about doodling. I think these types of book are called “zentangle” and there is a wide range to choose from.
Handcrafters House are stockists of Accuquilt and Sizzix Big Shot and they have an extensive range of dies for these. The lovely ladies are very knowledgeable and approachable. They were happy to explain about the different ways in which the fabric cuts from the dies can be used, to avoid fabric wastage and to maximise the possibilities.
They also offer a range of courses, die cutting is one of many options to choose from. The shop is well-equipped to cater for these events with two large classrooms to the rear. Pre-booking for any class or demonstration is a must, as events book out quickly.
Perth Modern Quilt Guild members can get a 10% discount by showing either your membership card or keyring.
Sew in day on Sept 14th At HH – there are still some places available, book here
Come along and see the gorgeous range for yourself, get some serious sewing time in the classrooms and maybe even win a door prize!
Disclaimer – these are my completely biased opinions and not the opinions for Perth Modern Quilt Guild!
I love love love this fabric rainbow!